Weather Loaches

[Psy]

Has anyone kept them? I'd like a few in a future 75, but their companions are stumping me.

Gold barbs (Barbodes semifasciolatus) seem the most likely (assuming the wild colored ones aren't available, which they usually aren't.)

Rosy barbs are a little big considering I'd have the loaches bouncing around. White clouds, a little small, and maybe favoring a little more water movement than the loaches.

[tomgiammarco]

I have kept them in the past with Paradise Fish and Bitterlings but I wound up moving the loaches out of that tank and kept them in with wild-caught Goldfish instead. They get to0 large-- my largest female was about 20cm and swim too actively (and clumsily) for small, slower moving fishes. I don't think your barbs would be happy with them.

They are also excellent jumpers, so keep the lid on tight!

[Bas Pels]

For European people - keeping them is forbidden in the UK - in order to protect the environment against these probably invading fishes. In the Netherlands keeping them is forbidden too, as they are endangered in the wild. That is, the European weather loach is. Likely the same goes for more countries

The Asian species which was most likely kept by Tom is legal.

[Psy]

They're banned in a few US states too, including my current one. My next state, however, seems to allow them.

[N0body Of The Goat]

Could do a nice sub-tropical theme (<18C for most of year) with a big group of White Cloud Mountain Minnow, a hareem of Paradise Fish and 10+ Weather Loaches in a large volume 5-foot or greater tank. Or perhaps swap the upper water fish for some semi-fiesty Opsarius spp. and/or Redline Torpedo Barbs.

Don't be fooled by the inactive nature of Weather Loaches during the day, my old group used to do lap after lap around my old 5x2x2 from dusk until dawn, which reached chunky sized ~15cm SL from being bought as skinny ~5cm SL within a year.

[jodilynn]

I had one in a 40 gallon high tank I had many moons ago as a teenager, interesting fish but would go CRAZY during weather changes (hence the name!) and when it got bigger it was like a bull in a china shop!

LFS has some, briefly contemplated adding one to my 55 catfish/loach tank, not real sure about it . Super interesting fish though!

[jodilynn]

Are you sure about Paradise Fish? I had two when I was a child, not knowing their aggression, they actually ate the eyeballs out of several of their tankmates! Not nice fish!

[tomgiammarco]

The Paradise Fish I keep are Macropodus ocellatus-- the Round-tailed Paradise Fish. They are nowhere near as agressive as

Macropodus opercularis

and I have mixed them with a lot of other species of fish.

At one point, I had to temporarily house a few in my community tank. In the short time that they were there, they developed an interesting relationship with the Oto cats. They would swim up to one and flip over in the submission pose they use when they don't want to fight each other and the cats would clean them-- perhaps eating the excess mucus on their scales?

[Bas Pels]

I once was informed paradise fish are rather mellow as long as the water is cool - but very aggressive in warm water. I have no personal experience with them, but it could well explain why some people have good results with them and oters not