Other loaches in nature
The large family of loaches includes over 120 genera. The loaches in this section come mainly from Southeast Asia and China respectively. Like all loaches, the other loaches have the typical under-eye spike that they can raise when threatened. Please never take your loaches in your hand because of this defense mechanism, the danger of injury is not to be dismissed. They use their under-eye sucking mouth to scrape growth, biofilms and algae from hard substrates. It also serves them for holding on, as these loaches also like to be found in streams and other flowing waters with strong currents.
These loaches live primarily at the bottom of water bodies, in relatively plant-free, current-rich, oxygen-rich habitats with sandy and rocky bottoms. The water tends to be soft to medium hard and rich in humic substances. Like all loaches, the aquarium fish in this section of our online store are intestinal breathers that must always have free access to the water surface.
Behavior of the other loaches in the aquarium
Just like the loaches, the algae-eating loaches can become quite nasty to their tankmates if they are not kept in a small group. Therefore, they must be kept in a sufficiently large aquarium, well structured with stones, aquarium roots and caves from 450 liters in a group size of 7 animals. In too small aquariums they become extremely aggressive to their fellow inhabitants. In the group they can live out their aggressions within the species and develop a regular pecking order. The other loaches in this section of our online store, however, are not particularly rough in the aquarium, but still need the security of an appropriately large group of conspecifics.
Loaches in the aquarium
These aquarium fish need a sufficiently large tank for their size with a good current. They are the ideal stock for a stream aquarium or current biotope. A high level of oxygen in the water is also important. Loaches like to attach themselves with their suction mouth to smooth, rather large pebbles in the current. Sandy substrate or fine, rounded gravel is readily searched for food, sometimes the loaches also dig intensively, deco must therefore be secured against falling over. Most of the other loaches need soft to medium hard water, but sucking loaches do well in hard water. With humic substances in the aquarium water you do something good for your loaches. Very soft-leaved fine-figured plants may eventually be eaten, so for your aquarium with Sucking Loaches, you should prefer more robust aquarium plants such as hard-leaved Anubias, hardy Bucephalandra or Java Ferns, fast-growing Vallisnerias, and less tasty Cryptocorynes. Many loaches are lively fish and good jumpers, so open tanks are less suitable for keeping loaches in aquariums.
Breeding loaches in the aquarium
Breeding the loaches of this section in the online store is sometimes quite difficult, in the case of the fin sucker, random breeding occurs from time to time. For the rare Panda Mountain Loach there was a breeding program in aquaristics. Sucker lo aches on the other hand are not bred in captivity.
Socialization of the other loaches
If the environmental conditions fit, the aquarium is large enough and well enough structured and there are enough conspecifics, these loaches are well compatible and can also be kept in a community aquarium. Even on dwarf shrimps and smaller aquarium fishes these aufwuchs feeding loaches rather do not help themselves. In the individual article descriptions in the online store you will find further information about the socialization of your loaches in the aquarium.
Feeding loaches correctly
The aufwuchs fressende loaches are well served with sinking food such as our high-quality Welstabs and the algae plates, although the mountain brook panda loach is not an algae eater. It is additionally best fed with fine live foods such as artemia euplii. Soft or scalded vegetables are a perfect dietary supplement for sucking loaches.
Conclusion
The other loaches are beautiful, not so easy to keep aquarium fishes, which can become very old if the conditions are right and which do not behave as badly as loaches are often said to do. These loaches are great to observe, their social behavior is extremely interesting. Sucking lo aches as effective algae eaters for large aquariums are still very popular in aquaristics. In Garnelio's online store you can buy healthy and fit algae-eating loaches for your aquarium.