Well I Ordered A Weather Loach!

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

I called the Local Pet Store in the next town over and I asked if they had any weather loaches. The man answered the phone, I think he is the owner (well the owners husband, I know the woman as the owner LOL) He said he would go check, and he came back to the phone and said they had one loach but it was a ....."?" the phone staticed and it sounded like he said a YOYO Loach. He said he would check the computer and told me that they had stocked weather loaches before and he could order me one.

If the supplier has one in stock it will be here on Friday, if not I'll just have to wait longer.

But after I hung up the phone, I thought to myself, could he have said DOJO LOACH, how do you pronounce Dojo? And isn't a DOJO the same as a weather loach?

I should call back tomorrow, or maybe the woman owner will call me back and tell me they are the same, if it is indeed a Dojo?

Well at any rate, I should have a weather loach here eventually LOL. I cannot wait. I wonder how big it will be?!

I have to do some research now. Do they just eat goldie food? What should I get for him to hide, drift wood? Hmmmmmm I am pretty excited!

Jessica

[koko 14,316]

Dojo and Weather Loaches are the same fish......"Dough Joe" is how you say it

conditions: Rock or wood hiding spots. Like to hide during the day but will swim during the day but mostly at nite:D Make sure that they cant get into any intake tubes, they act like snakes so they will try to get into any thing

Food: will eat anything you feed the goldfish, not picky eaters.

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

Thanks Koko.

I just did some research, and found a Yoyo loach, so I guess he really did say a Yoyo loach LOL.

I am reading that the loaches do better in pairs, I wonder if I should get two? Does anyone know?

Thanks everyone.

LOL I am soooo excited, I hope Mr. Loach comes on Friday. BTW does anyone know how much a loach costs? I didn't ask! I understand all stores are different, but are we talking like 5 bucks or 40? All guess-timates welcome LOL

Jessica

[koko 14,316]

Dojos dont mine being by themselfs. I have had mine for 2 years and is happy as can be

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

Thanks Koko, that makes me feel a little better, I think I would be overstocked with two, I could kick one of the goldfish out and in with the fantail downstairs.....but I didn't want to move anyone unless I absolutely had too.

They are creepy and cute looking at the same time! I can't wait. I'm glad to hear that you've had yours for 2 years! What is your Loach named?

Jessica

[Nick 0]

Iv seen some small loaches for about $7 australian dollars.

Or, was that a suck?

[Nick 0]

sucker* hehe forgot

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

I will be happy if it costs 7 australian dollars Seriously I wonder.... I should have asked! I hope it's under 25$.

Jessica

[Nick 0]

Yeh, i saw the loach for about $8.

And the suckers were about $7.

The loaches r soo cute.. The would be still for a second, then they would quickly move about 2 centremetres. I saw them hanging around the driftwood and near rocks. So, it would be an idea to get some driftwould with a couple of little holes for them to hide in.

~Nick

[Lovely_Goldfish 0]

make sure they dont end up as goldfish food

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

I don't think this Loach is going to be any smaller than little Blackie, and so far he is not fish food.....

Thanks Nick the drift wood sounds like it would make a great hiding place for a loach ;o) I'll have to pick some up.

Jessica

[Obsidian 0]

Dojos are great fish, I have two in each of my tanks. One I have had for a year and he is just like my goldies.... he knows me=food. The one year old is large 6 inch monster that pigs out with the goldies, sharing their food (just make sure it is small enough to fit in his mouth!). In the other tank I got a pair, they were the last two at vvvv after a canvas of all the fish places in my area, one is the regular brown and the other gray. I just picked up a 'gold' dojo at another fish store two weeks ago. It is white with yellow dusting on its back and black eyes, very neat looking, I had never seen one before. Its now with the big monster loach. I have to feed him seperately because he is so small and can't eat my goldies regular food.

They are really weird looking when you first get them... and they end up in the oddest places. The gold was just hanging off the back of the canister filter output one day, I freaked thinking he was dead, but he was just asleep. Dojo loaches love to bury themselves in gravel, but if your gravel is too big or you don't have any just give it a hiding place (under rocks, in driftwood, etc). They hold their own against goldies, if a goldie nips at them during dinner they are quick enough to get away.

All in all, they are great cleaner fishies and just neat fish in general

Cheers!

[Obsidian 0]

Oh, and be warned.... they WILL jump if you don't have a proper cover. And they will eat any small snails in your tank.

I found the following on a couple websites:

TEMPERAMENT: They grow large and can be extremely boisterous, stirring up the substrate in a never-ending search for food;

Weatherloaches react to barometric changes (hence their common name), becoming more active at low air pressures - they may even jump. Provide hiding places and a well-fit cover. Without sheltered areas, fish can be burned seeking refuge behind or under the tank heater

They occasionally dart to the surface for a gulp of air.

They swim in erract circles when the barometric pressure or temperature changes sharply.

They will jump out of your tank if you have no cover.

One of mine got out and fell onto shag carpet and wasn't found for three days. He survived the ordeal by secrecting a thick mucous that kept him moist .

Loaches have definite "character". They can become friendly, and appear to enjoy being hand fed and will readily come to "slurp" food from your fingers. (Mine do this!)

[the goldfish man 0]

good luke with your new fish

[Guest sourmilknightmares]

I saw a weather loach for sale at a store abound here and it was priced at $2.58 or something like that. They aren't exactly a cheap pet store either. I'd like to get a weather loach when I get my goldies all settled in my 40 gallon. Keep us posted on the status of your loach when you get him!

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

Thanks everyone! I will keep you updated, if he's in stock at the supplier he should be here tomorrow......I'm trying not to get too excited because I don't know for sure if the supplier has one.... it may be a few weeks before my loach comes in, I have to wait for the phone call.....I hate waiting LOL!

Obsidian, thanks for the info. I'm not sure what colour mine will be, a suprise I guess heehee. The "gold" loach sounds really neat. I saw a picture of one online when I did a search on Weather Loaches.

The tank that I will be putting my loach in has a proper lid, and it came with little clear plastic covers that cover the openings for the filter, heater, etc.

I checked the filter tube as well, it has a guard on it (I didn't even notice that until today lol) so the loach will not be able to try and hide in there!.

My fish are not very aggressive at feeding time, I drop a pellet in for everyone, and when they've chewed that they get another etc LOL. It's a very slow process, but I do enjoy feeding them, plus this way I make sure everyone gets their fair share, so I am not worried about the goldfish nipping him. I figure he will be scared of me for awhile, so I will distract the goldies with floating pellets and drop some small sinking pellets for the loach.

Obsidian your loaches sound so neat, I am even more excited now LOL. I have this one ornament that the loach can go into and hide, and I have a bunch of plants bunched together like a jungle, I think I will get a few more things for him to hide under. I have regular gravel, but it's in a pretty thin layer, and has glass beads on top of that, I'm not sure whether Mr. Loach will be able to burrow under that and hide or not.

Do your's have names..... I need to think of one.

Jessica

[Guest jim]

good luck getting a weather loach, I have 2 and they are just pure comedy to watch (a bit of a double act). One of mine has the habit of lying on top of the internal filter and the other one lies on top of it! they are sooo much fun and can get into spaces that you could not imagine, they are so flexible.

Again just to emphasis the point made by others, when food is around they do get very very excited and act a little crazy. When they do eat out of your hand it is the best feeling, and whenever I put my hands in the tank they come and investigate and get in the way!

They do have cetain charachters, one is really lazy and just chills out, the other moves like lightning and is always checking things out.

[Guest Cheese Specialist]

I have a weather loach - Kentaro (big boy in Japanese). He's gorgeous and is by far the favourite of all my fish and I have some pretty cool ones! I had mine for 1 1/2 years in my coldwater tank but the other day I moved him into my tropical and he's grand!

[Guest melanippe]

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/wloach.html

Good link & I have a picture of one of mine under melanippe that KoKo put up.......

BEST THING I EVER DID FOR MY TANKS. I really notice the difference in "clean up time" and they are amazing to watch although if you have natural colored gravel you'll spend some time hunting them till they get active.

Scientific Name: Misgurnus angullicaudatus

Other Names: Dojo Loach, Weatherfish

Family: Cobitidae

Origin: Asia, China, Korea, Japan

Adult Size: 12 inches (30 cm)

Social: Peaceful, suitable for community tank

Lifespan: 10 years

Tank Level: Bottom dweller

Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallon

Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods

Breeding: Egglayer - difficult to breed

Care: Easy to Intermediate

pH: 6.0 - 8.0

Hardness: variable

Temperature: 40-77 F (4-25 C)

Now confession time!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had my small 10 gal start to leak....had a Dojo and one very tiny oranda in there so they had to move up to the 'big house' even it if is a bit over crowded right now. Guess what dummy here did? Well I thought I had the DoJo loach outta the net.........and I put the net over in the sink to dry. Guess who I found 5 minutes later still in the net?

And guess who is still alive WEEKS LATER and swimming happily? Dojo loach!

[Guest Cheese Specialist]

The can survive for days out of water!

[Guest melanippe]

Wish I'd known that...............nearly gave me a heart attack!

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

Wow, everyone, your Dojo stories are great!!

Melanippe, truth be told, it was the picture of your Loach that Koko put up, that inspired me to get one. I wondered what kind of fish that cool looking guy was. And then I found out, and I could not believe that they could go with goldies. WOW I was so excited LOL.

I had a message on my answering machine today, my Weather Loach is in. I will go tomorrow to pick him out. Apparently they have three there. Depending on how big they are and the price, I may get all 3. Hey, Dojo #1 will need friends right haahaa.

They sound like major clowns. I can hardly wait to get one.

Jesica

[Guest Cheese Specialist]

Very clown-like. Here's my lovely Kentaro chillin' out in my tropical tank - he was moved there recently (sorry this photo is up on another thread but it fits this thread so well!!) -

LOL

[JessicaandMarshall 2]

Beautiful Loach Cheese, he is a grand looking fish, and he looks like he is a ham too LOL.

Jessica

[Guest Cheese Specialist]

Beautiful Loach Cheese, he is a grand looking fish, and he looks like he is a ham too LOL.

Jessica

I am confused... a ham?

*wonders if it is a weird American saying?* lol