Yoyo Loach Care A Complete Guide for Aquarium

Yoyo loach is a wonderful freshwater fish, no matter your experience. They are easy to care for, fun, and easy to see.

Because of this, it is one of the most popular species in the aquarium scene. If you go to your local club, at least one member is likely to own it.

In this manual, you will get all the information required to take care of yoyo loach. You will learn more about their maximum size, habitat requirements, tank mates, and more.

Species summary

Yoyo Loach (Botia almorhae), also called Pakistani Loach, is a freshwater fish that goes by many different names. They appear to be marketing as Almora groupers, Lohahata Botia groupers, and even Pakistani groupers. The last name is slightly incorrect.

These fish actually come from the Ganges basin in northern India. They can also be found everywhere in Nepal and nearby. They are often confused with other similar species found in Pakistan.

No matter where your fish comes from, Yoyo loach can easily become the stars of your aquarium. While other types of gropers are considered shy, Yoyo is not a grouper.

They are active, energetic fish with various personalities, which makes them a great addition to a large community pool.

Appearance

There is a lot of variation as to Yoyo Loaches when it comes to looks. In general, all groupers have the same profile. They all have long, lean bodies.

The head also has some unique qualities. On the one hand, it has a conical shape. These fish have a snout. It is flat on the bottom, so the fish can rest easily in the sand.

The most notable feature of these fish is their mouth. Each sample has four pairs. These barbs come out of the mouth and are used to sniff food on the floor.

In terms of colour and pattern, Yoyo Loach can vary from sample to sample. The primary colour of fish is usually silver. You can also see the fish with a slight shade of blue. Some also have primary colours, such as gold or yellow.

In addition to this primary colour, there is a distinctive mesh pattern. Random black dots and lines cover the entire body. However, it is down to the stomach. The underside of the fish is often without a pattern and is of a yellow colour.

The pattern creates a net effect. The design is made up of thin lines and dots for some fish, which makes the impact more muted. In other cases, the lines are thick. Many fish also have alternating stripes and spots.

It is believed that this pattern of stripes and dots is the trade name “Yoyo.”
One unique thing about the presence of Yoyo Loach is that it can change over time. It is not uncommon for the base silver to be black in colour. This makes the mesh pattern easier to blend and gives the fish a refined look.

There are some subtle differences between men and women by Yoyo Loaches. Women are round. This is especially true when filling with eggs. Meanwhile, men often have red rashes in their mouths that stand out.

Size

The typical size of Yoyo Loch is only 2.5 inches long as an adult. However, its size may depend on many factors. Diet, tank size, and genetics are the main factors that can bite these fish.

In the wild, they can reach a maximum of 6 inches. A yoyo latch can grow to this size in captivity as well, but you’ll need to give it a very huge tank with plenty of room to grow.

It should be noted that keeping these fish in a large tank does not guarantee that they will exceed their average length in captivity.

Maintenance

Yoyo Loach is very easy to take care of. If you are an experienced aquarist or a person with minimal experience, you should not have any major problems with this species.
These are sturdy little critters that do well under different water conditions!
Of course, it is still essential that you follow the recommended grooming guidelines. This allows the fish to reach their full potential and ensures that they are healthy for many years. The best masters always go the extra mile and are never satisfied with “good enough.”

Tank size

Adult yoyo loaches require a minimum tank size of 40 gallons to stay healthy. Teens do well in 20- or 30-gallon tanks.

These numbers only work if you plan to have a single loch yoyo in your aquarium, which is not recommended. We will reach it after some time.

Most importantly, when it comes to choosing the right tank, it is better. Because the health of these fish is very closely tied to the size of their habitat, you should have enough space to swim comfortably.

If you plan to keep more than one in your tank (which is a good idea), a good rule of thumb is to leave about 15 gallons of space for each additional yo-yo elasticity. A large group of 5 or 6 fish will need a tank that can hold more than 100 gallons of water!

Water parameters

The best way to keep a fish happy is to mimic its natural habitat in the wild. Yoyo Loaches live in slow currents across India. The water is slightly warmer and more acidic.

One of the most important things when taking care of Yoyo Loach is to test the water regularly. Although they may be strong, this does not mean that they will tolerate extreme change.

You need to maintain relatively stable parameters to ensure that the fish is not stressed or sick. The water parameters required for this species are given below:

• Water temperature: 75 ° F to 86 ° F (target for the center)
• PH value: 6.0 to 8.0
• Water hardness: 3 to 12 DKH

Don’t fall for the “hardy fish” trap that other owners make. Just because these fish are not very sensitive does not mean that you can be lazy with water changes or general maintenance. Always strive for perfection!

What to put in your tank

Yoyo Loach is unique in the fact that they are prone to migration. They can spend parts of their lives in rocky streams and without plants. They then move to sandy areas filled with vegetation.

We recommend mimicking the afterlife for your home aquarium. Your fish needs lots of space to protect and hide with plants.

Fill the bottom of the tank with a soft sand base. Yoyo Loach likes to dig in the sand while playing. They can also use their barbell to search on the sand.

Gravel may harden on your delicate chin, so stay on soft sand.

Then use rocks, drifts, and caves to provide space for your fish to rest. If you find caves, limit yourself to those that are almost the same size as the fish. Yoyo Loaches like to feel comfortable, so they often neglect large caves with too much space.

Now you can add live plants to the mixture. Feel free to feel creative and add different types of plants to the tank. Make sure everything is anchored and protected. While they are often not known to uproot plants, it is still a risk.

Arrange the plants around the perimeter of the tank. Leave some space in between for swimming and playing.

Any standard filter is sufficient. As mentioned above, these fish are like slow-flowing water. Therefore, do not use a pump that is too powerful. You can slightly interrupt the flow by directing the outlet of your filter against the glass or placing some plants in the path of flow.

Some yoyo loaches experience strong currents from time to time. To ensure this excitement, you may have an air bubble somewhere in the tank. Fish want to feel the current fast game in the bubble stream, while those who do not ignore it.

Yoyo Loach Diseases

It is difficult to keep the loaches away from disease. When they contract the disease, they will need to be treated differently. Quarantine seems to be the best option.

Yoyo loaches can be affected by Ich. You will notice white patches appearing on your fish’s skin when it has Ich. If you notice these white patches, it is important to quarantine your loach. This is highly infectious and could cause serious illness.

The cotton ball disease can also affect them. This is where the fish develops a layer of white mucus around their gills. The membrane covers the pores of the skin, which helps the fish draw oxygen from the water.

The hole-in-the-head disease is another possible condition that could affect these fish. In addition, unclean water or fungus can cause dents to the fish’s head. It is important to keep your fish healthy by using only clean water. This is because bacteria and fungi are responsible for spreading these diseases.

The loaches live in the bottom water, so it is important to change the water every week. In most cases, the loaches may only require half the medication needed for other fishes. Add the medications and be careful to only take in what is really necessary.

Yoyo Loach Care Guide

Yoyo loaches prefer to sleep throughout the day, so make sure you have plenty of hiding spots and plantations to keep them happy. The yoyo loaches come active at night and will swim and play all night. To keep them happy, diffuse the light and set the tank up so that only a few light streaks are allowed into the tank at night.

If you let strong light in, your loaches will be surprised. However, their adaptation to living in tanks means that they become more comfortable with the lighting. As a result, they will eventually start to come out during the day.

Loaches are fish that live at the bottom of a tank. If these substances remain in the water, they can cause harm to the fish.

You can use good quality water filters. However, it is important to ensure that the loaches do not get caught in the filter. They have a tendency to jump out of the filter. It is essential to make sure that the filter does not have cracks or openings.

Yoyo loaches prefer slow-moving water, but they also need lots of directions. So make sure you have motors that can create similar currents within your tank.

You can also use scraped coconut shells to make caves in your aquarium. The fish will love to live in these homes. To provide additional hiding places for loaches, you can add many PVP pipes to your tank.

Life span

On average, Yoyo Loach’s age in captivity is between 5 and 8 years. This is a good guess. However, many experienced aquarists have seen their fish live longer.

At the high end of the spectrum, these fish can flourish for about 20 years! In these cases, the fish usually live in large, carefully controlled habitats.

Water conditions, diet and many other factors can affect the lifespan of your fish. Proper maintenance and care of the tank is a must if you want to maximize its life and keep it healthy.

Does Yoyo Loach Get Aggressive?

Yoyo loach is usually a peaceful species, but sometimes they can get aggressive with their own species in the tank. They like to hide out in the grass. Because they are omnivores, they have the teeth to bite meat as well as grass. Their aggressive behaviors could be because of mating as the fish gets aggressive for mating.

Also, it could be over food, if sometimes delayed food can get them to do so. Their color turns greyish if they are in an aggressive mood. Otherwise, they are peaceful species and can get along with other fish in the tank.

Disease potential in Yoyo loach.

The worst thing about having yoyo groupers is that they are usually the first species to be affected by the disease in an aquarium.

The reason for this is that the skin of these fish has very small scales. They do not provide as much protection as the scales of other fish.

Therefore, they may be affected by the parasite and fungal infections earlier than others in the tank. Not only that, but they are also sensitive to drugs.

Fortunately, none of the diseases are specific to Yoyo Loach. You will be worried about common freshwater diseases like mine.

If you experience symptoms of a disease, consider moving the fish to another tank for processing. There you can safely use medicines or natural remedies to cure your fish without harming others.

The most effective way to reduce the risk of disease is to ensure that the water quality in your aquarium is excellent. Clean water produces healthy fish.

Food and Nutrition

Yoyo Loach has a great appetite. You need to eat many small meals throughout the day to stay healthy. But you should also beware of overwriting! These fish will eat until they get sick.

Fortunately, you can feed almost anything to Yoyo Loach. They are very opportunistic and can easily accept dry food. Only use lychee lozenge or platelets.

These fish barely reach the surface, so stick to food that sinks to the bottom.

In addition to dry foods, you can supplement your diet with live and frozen foods. They like snacks like salted shrimp, earthworms, and more.

Yoyo Loach also eats snails. You have teeth in your throat that make an audible click on food. These fish feed freshwater snails to your aquarium and reduce populations.

Behavior and nature

It is a common misconception that yoyo groupers are shy. Although they can spend time in caves and plants, they will have no problem playing if they get comfortable in the environment around them.

For this reason, they are one of our most popular freshwater species.

They grow in groups of 4 or 5 fish. You will see that they will get up and play. Unlike other groups, this species is not nocturnal and will be quite active during the day.

For the most part, yoyo groupers show no signs of aggression towards other peaceful fish in the aquarium (although they may be slightly curved). However, you may notice some fighting within the species.

These fish bite “weak” yoyo groupers. So it is a good idea to make a big group. Including more Yoyo Loaches in the tank is less likely to cause internal combat between groups.

Yoyo Loach Tank Mates.

As we said earlier, a small group of Yoyo Loach is prominent. They do best when they are in a group.

However, it is good to present as well as other peaceful species.

Yoyo Loach do best when challenged by their tank mates. You need other fish to interact. Therefore add other fish of similar size that cannot be considered food. Avoid invasive species that show aggression.

These fish usually stick to the bottom and center of the aquarium. Therefore it is always good for other species to occupy the top of the tank.

Here is a list of the most common Yoyo Loach tank companions to get you started:

• Glass catfish
• Corey Catfish
• Angelfish
• Clown Loach
• Different types of goldfish
• Plecos (Brislenose or Clown usually works)
• Molly fish
• Congo Tetra

Always keep an eye on your fish when they are presented to you. Just because the two variants are generally compatible does not mean that it will work 100%.

Yoyo loach Breeding

Do not expect your pain to breed in your aquarium. There are no established methods of farming for these fish.

The reason for this is that they migrate into the wild during the breeding season. The female may fill with eggs, but the eggs will not be fertilized in captivity.

Professional breeders have had some success in breeding these fish. However, most of the specimens you see in the market are wild.

If anyone finds a way to safely and reliably breed it in a home aquarium, we’ll add it to this guide.

Final thoughts

Now that you know the basics of caring for Yoyo Loach, this is for you! These fish are a lot of fun, and you will definitely spend a lot of time watching what they do.

This is one of the types that we recommend the most. No matter how long you have been in the aquarium, it is a very easy fish.

If you have any suggestions for additional information to add to this guide, we would love to hear from you. Just contact us using the contact form on our website, and we will get back to you as soon as possible!