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Yoyo Loach
Botia almorhae
Animalia›Chordata›Actinopterygii›Botiidae
📍 Indus & Ganges, South Asia
The yoyo loach gets its name from the Y-O-Y-O pattern visible on juveniles. Active, social, and entertaining, it is one of the most popular loaches in the hobby. An excellent snail hunter that becomes bolder and more colourful with age.
Care Guide
Diet
Yoyo loaches are omnivores that require a varied diet of sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, and live foods like small snails and shrimp. Supplement with blanched vegetables such as zucchini and spinach 2-3 times weekly. Feed small amounts once daily, removing uneaten food within 2-3 hours to maintain water quality.
Behavior
Yoyo loaches are highly social and active fish that become increasingly bold and colorful as they mature. They are playful diggers and bottom-dwellers that spend most of their time foraging and exploring substrate, making them entertaining to observe. While peaceful in established groups of 4 or more, they may display mild aggression toward other bottom-dwellers or show territorial behavior if kept in insufficient numbers.
Breeding
Breeding yoyo loaches in captivity is extremely difficult and rarely successful in home aquariums. They require specific environmental triggers including seasonal temperature fluctuations and large, heavily planted tanks to spawn. Most specimens in the hobby are wild-caught or commercially bred in specialized facilities.
Tank Mates
Similar size and bottom-dwelling habits; may compete for food but generally compatible
Mid-water swimmer with matching water parameters; peaceful and non-competitive
Nocturnal bottom-dweller; minimal interaction but requires similar tank size and conditions
Compatible bottom-dweller with identical water requirements and peaceful temperament
Small, peaceful mid-water fish that won't compete with loaches for bottom space
Yoyo loaches are aggressive snail hunters; may predate on assassin snails despite their hardiness
Common Diseases
Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis)
White spots on body and fins, rapid breathing, lethargy, rubbing against objects
Raise temperature gradually to 28-30°C, perform daily 25% water changes, use aquarium salt (1 teaspoon per 5 gallons) or commercial ich treatment for 7-10 days
Fin Rot
Frayed or deteriorating fins, discoloration at fin edges, lethargy
Improve water quality with frequent partial water changes, maintain optimal temperature, use antibiotic medication if severe, remove sharp decorations
Bacterial Infection
Open sores, ulcers on body, cloudy eyes, loss of appetite, fin damage
Perform 50% water change immediately, maintain pristine water conditions, use broad-spectrum antibiotic medication, isolate affected fish if possible
Parasitic Infection (Flukes)
Excessive scratching, rapid gill movement, mucus coating, weight loss
Use anti-parasitic medication containing praziquantel, perform frequent water changes, quarantine new fish before adding to main tank
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Quick Facts
- diet
- Omnivore – sinking pellets, snails, bloodworms, vegetables
- lifespan
- 8–12 years
- max size
- 16 cm (6.3 in)
- tank size
- 40 gallons minimum
- school size
- 4+
- temperament
- Peaceful in groups; playful
Water it likes
- ph
- 6.0–7.5
- ammonia
- 0 ppm
- nitrate
- <20 ppm
- hardness
- 3–12 dGH
- temperature
- 75–82°F (24–28°C)