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Yo-Yo Loach

Botia almorhae (aka Botia lohachata)

Natural Range: India, Nepal, Bangladesh

Estimated size at shipping: 1-1.5"

Max Size: around 4-5"

Sold as: Unsexed

Overview:

This is one of the few fish species that communicate using sounds audible to humans. If you have a group of these fish and listen very carefully during feeding time, you may hear their "dinner conversation," which sounds like a soft clicking noise. These highly communal fish use sound, and many other interesting behaviors, to keep in contact and manage their social hierarchies. Displays, dances, and occasionally combat are used to manage their social structures. These are fascinating to watch but can stress subdominant fish if they are kept in inadequate numbers. To mitigate this, and to best observe their fascinating social behaviors, this is a fish that is best kept in groups...the more the merrier.

This "species" is actually a complex of 5 or more species which are rather poorly understood to science. Many of them are not yet scientifically described. In addition, they have a wide natural range with many distinctive populations. Because of this, the patterns on these fish are highly variable and not all of them have the pronounced "YO-YO" pattern which appears on many juveniles. This pattern typically morphs as the fish age, often becoming highly reticulated.

Setup Considerations:

These are some of the hardiest of aquarium fishes and are generally quite easy to keep. In nature, they are found in rocky stream pools where they use their sensitive barbels and specialized mouths to scour nooks, crannies, and crevices for food. They enjoy squeezing into the small spaces among the rocks and will benefit from hardscapes offering such retreats in the aquarium.

Diet: Omnivore

These loaches are voracious eaters which get excited when they smell food in the water. Watching their antics as they form a mob at feeding time is highly entertaining. These bottom feeders are not picky and will eat any standard aquarium fare as long as it sinks.

Current Price: $9.99

Stock Level: 34

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