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Zodiac Loaches
Also called Batik
Loaches
Click
here
now to buy Zodiac
Loaches. |
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Click on the picture
just above to see an
even bigger picture. |
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Click
here
now to buy Zodiac
Loaches from us. |
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Scientific Name:
Mesonoemacheilus
triangularis |
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Comments
Zodiac Loaches are cute, energetic, and hardy. They
are territorial and ornery
to each other but not aggressive
to other species and will not be bullied by other more aggressive fish.
Most loaches are nocturnal, but
Zodiac Loaches are not.
So you will see them out
and about your aquarium,
while the lights are on
and that's good.
The name Zodiac Loach was given to these fish by imaginative people, who
claim they can read
signs of the zodiac in the dark markings on the sides of these fish, but not everyone seems to
be blessed with enough imagination to see the
those signs.
Other imaginative people
think the patterns on
this fish look like
batik, and so have named
this fish the Batik
Loach. Both Zodiac and
Batik seem like fun
names. So even though I
cannot see the
resemblance, I do like
saying the words
"Zodiac" and "Batik",
which also seem to have
unique combinations of
letters, and that's good
too! ;^ }
Unlike many species of
Loaches, this species
has been spawned. Click
here to read a very
well written article
about that spawning.
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Appropriate Home
Zodiac Loaches live in
streams with flowing
water. It might be best
to try to simulate this
water flow in their
aquariums, but it is
essential to have very
clean and fresh water.
So be sure to have a
filter with a bio-wheel
to rapidly digest all
the fish waste from the
water, and be sure to do
frequent partial water
changes. I keep my
Zodiac Loaches in a
29-gallon aquarium with
an Eclipse Aquarium Hood
that has a built in
bio-wheel filter.
A thin layer of
gravel
may be good but be sure
that gravel is a maximum
of about 1/4-inch thick.
This fish lives in water
that varies in
temperature from about
70 to 80 degrees during
the year. So their
aquarium probably needs
an
aquarium heater
adjusted to
this temperature range. Click
here for more about warm water aquariums.
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Most Loaches, Eels,
and Sharks
love Cichlid Stones,
which are natural
looking ceramic aquarium
caves . Click
here for more about
Cichlid Stones.
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Recommended Diet
We highly recommend
premium aquarium fish
foods. Zodiac Loaches
prefer to swim quickly
around the aquarium,
eating sinking bits of
premium flake food. We
used to feed our fish live or frozen food
a couple of times a
week, but now the
premium aquarium fish
foods are so good that
it is actually better
for the fish to just
feed premium fish foods. Click
here to read more about feeding fish.
Click
here to buy
one type of premium fish
food.
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Zodiac Loach Picture
Gallery |
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Shown above
is a series of pictures
of the same Zodiac Yoyo
Loach that measures
about 1.5" long. It
loves to relax on an
EcoBio-Block.
Click
here for
more about these blocks. |
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Compatibility
Zodiac Loaches
are territorial and
aggressive toward other
Zodiac Loaches. To keep
more than requires more
area on the bottom of
the aquarium and more
hiding places. As with
many territorial
species, it is probably
best to keep just one or
several but not just a
few. That means keep one
or at least six. Good tank mates for
Zodiac Loaches: one
Red Tail Shark or one
Rainbow Shark,
several
Bala Sharks,
Barbs,
Danios,
and
Rainbows.
Click
here to read more about several groups of compatible fish.
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Size and Life Span
Zodiac Loaches rarely grow larger than
2.5" in an aquarium and can live
for many years.
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