Are you looking for an exciting addition to your freshwater aquarium?
Look no further than perhaps a group of Yoyo Loaches (Botia almorhae)!
These fascinating bottom-dwelling fish hail from the waters of the Indian subcontinent and so also go by the name of the Pakistani Loach and Almora Loach in some circles.
They actually get their unique common name from their jumping action seen in the wild, where they favor still and slow-moving waters.
These fish have a lot of personalities which makes them a popular choice for fish enthusiasts in addition to their striking good looks.
We’ll take a look at what makes these little fish so interesting and that little bit more unique to spot in home aquaria as we go through this article.
Yoyo Loach Behavior
Yoyo Loaches like to live with other of their kind and are generally peaceful in nature, able to get along with suitable tank mates.
If you keep one solo in a tank with other types of fish, it can display signs of aggression if it feels threatened. Much better to have a group of them so they will feel more secure with a school of their own kind, which will keep them peaceful and easy to raise.
These fish are most certainly social and will establish a hierarchy amongst themselves with a definite pecking order. What do we mean by a group when we say get a group if you plan on having any? Minimum of three.
Because they are so naturally peaceful when kept with appropriate loach company, they should be kept alongside other peaceful fish, or they will become stressed.
Stressed loaches will tend to flee and hide, with some reported to hide permanently or not eat due to stress levels.
Loud, noisy conditions will also spook these fish, so your tank should be somewhere that will not have a lot of loud music or blaring television that will cause them additional stress.
These fish are active in the daytime, unlike most other loaches, which are nocturnal. You will observe them looking for food in your chosen substrate and actively swimming in more open areas.
This type of fish will provide a lot of interest and color to the bottom layers of your tank and give it some energy.
Yoyo Loach Lifespan
If you cater to the needs of your Yoyo Loaches, you could expect them to live for around 5 – 8 years.
We will discuss more on tank requirements a little later in this article.
Yoyo Loach Appearance
This is where the Yoyo Loach is pretty outstanding for the hobbyist.
They have an appearance that looks primarily monochromatic, all black and silvery-white, but they actually have some beautiful blue elements to them.
They are long and slender-bodied, with a silvery-white base color. This is then punctuated by black markings that from the side resemble the letter ‘Y’ repeating along the body, and in-between those markings are black spots.
Some say it almost looks like they have the word Yoyo written on their sides which is a fun thing to point out to any guest observers.
This leopard or zebra type of pattern looks really gorgeous in a group for any tank, so they are sure to have many admirers.
Being a bottom dweller, Yoyo’s have a downward-facing mouth and four short barbels similar to catfish that help them find their way around and search for food items.
Fins are small and mostly transparent except for translucent black striping that may be present on some or all fins with varying degrees of visibility.
At full maturity, Yoyo Loaches can grow up to around 2.5 inches in length in captivity, depending on tank size.
Care must be taken if you are moving around these fish as they have sharp rays in their fins that can tangle in collection nets or cause a sharp prick to the hands.
Quite a show-stopping fish!
Yoyo Loach Habitat And Tank Requirements
As always, we want to achieve optimum health for fish we keep in captivity by closely mimicking their natural habitat.
In the wild, they enjoy the slowly flowing waters of the river systems they inhabit, so we want to keep water activity on the lower end of the scale.
Although considered a smaller-sized fish, they should not be kept in inadequate space, and we will look at tank size further down.
Let’s look at some specifics that are needed to provide these bottom dwellers with a great quality of life that best suits them for optimum health.
Tank Conditions
Yoyo loaches are super easy to care for, which is partly why they enjoy enduring popularity for hobbyists.
Recreating their habitat isn’t too tricky to do, and they are rather hardy when it comes to water parameters.
Even though they are hardy, that doesn’t mean they will tolerate temperature swings, so a heater to keep things stable is recommended.
They are not keen on much active water flow, so water movement should be minimal, and you want to keep filtration calm. However, water quality should still be on the warmer side; cleaning and filtration will be necessary.
Extra air stones can be fun for the more curious Yoyo Loach, and some will play in the air bubble streams, yoyo-ing, while others will ignore it. Mixing it up for them can be fun.
In terms of vegetation, these fish love an abundance of plant life for their secretive, shy nature and to keep their stress levels on an even keel.
Plants in your tank setup should include anchored varieties and a wide variety of freshwater vegetation. The best way to design your layout would be to have plants around the perimeter while the center stays open for swimming and play.
Rocks, driftwood, and caves that are close to the size of an adult Yoyo are great for exploring.
Their barbels can be sensitive, so avoid sharp gravel or anything that might catch or scratch them as they hunt for food.
Speaking of a substrate, you will likely want to show off your group to their finest so use a lighter, soft, sandy substrate where possible which will offer the highest amount of contrast for your loach group.
A snug-fitting tank lid is also a point to mention here as these fish can jump!
Water changes will need to be weekly and at least 25% changed over.
Water conditions should be noted and maintained as follows:
- pH of 6-8
- Water hardness between 3 -12 dGH
- Temperature between 75 – 86ºF (24 – 30ºC)
- Lighting needs to be adequate to keep lush live vegetation happily growing
Tank Size
The minimum tank size needed is 40 gallons for a single one and another 15 gallons for each fish after the first. They may be small, but they need a lot more space than you would expect, and this is often a surprising aspect for prospective owners.
Since you shouldn’t be aiming for a single Yoyo anyhow, as we already discussed, you can expect to have a large tank size of around 100 gallons if you plan on a group of 5 or 6.
So size and grouping matter if you plan on having this species for optimum health and growth.
Choosing Tank Mates For Yoyo Loaches
When it comes to finding friendly species for your Yoyo Loaches to cohabit with, there are actually quite a lot of options.
Any tropical freshwater fish that are suitably non-aggressive will tend to do well. You will want to keep them alongside similarly-sized fish to avoid anyone looking like a potential meal.
Some excellent tank mate pairings would include:
Ones to avoid are Tiger Barbs, Bettas, aggressive Cichlids in general, Tiger Fish, and Peacock Bass.
Unless you have Bladder snails that need getting rid of, don’t add snails or other invertebrates to their tank community as they will invariably get eaten.
Notes On Feeding Yoyo Loaches
Captive Yoyo Loaches are happy eating dry and live or frozen foods, flakes, and pellets, which means just about anything and everything.
They need diverse diets to give them their needed plant nutrition as they are not much for grazing on live plants; just ensure that their food gets to the bottom and sinks. It’s unlikely you will ever need to do much in the way of food cleanup with a group of Yoyos!
Yoyo Loach Common Health Issues
Yoyo Loaches are well known for being one of the first fish in a community to show any signs of disease if there are any unintended nasty elements in your setup.
The reason for this is their very thin, small scales which makes them susceptible to infection and also more reactive to medications.
Most freshwater fish are susceptible to Ich (White Spot Disease), which, as the name implies, is easily distinguished by white spots on the body due to a parasitic infection.
Ich is treatable when caught early and suitably medicated. If left untreated, Ich is usually fatal.
Another disease that can occur is Fin Rot which is transmitted by a pathogen that causes sores on the fins and fin walls. Fin Rot is treatable with antibiotics and aquarium salts if you spot it early enough.
Fish Fluke is a disease caused by parasitic worms. Fish become lethargic as the worms take their nutrition and create issues with their organs. If diagnosed, there is medication to help treat, but a full water change will be required to eradicate.
All of these issues are a good reminder of why maintaining good water quality is important and knowing where your water sources are coming from when doing tank changes.
Quarantining sick loaches is a must so that the medication can be dosed appropriately, but ensure that your ‘hospital tank’ has the same parameters and water conditions as the main one.
How To Breed Yoyo Loaches
Yoyo Loaches are not a species that you are likely to ever breed in captivity unless you are very experienced in the hobby and have an unimaginable amount of tank space.
This is because these fish migrate to spawn upstream, and this migration is a reason that breeding in captivity is almost unheard of.
Which, in a way, is sometimes a nice problem to not have to deal with compared to other freshwater species that reproduce continuously. It can be difficult to deal with fry, have breeding tanks, and then deal with unwanted fry if you haven’t been able to remove eggs before fertilization.
This makes them a fun, easy to own, quite a long-living fish that, if you purchase as a juvenile group, will be great to observe. You can watch them establish their hierarchy, play, and watch personalities emerge, all without the hassle of breeding aggression.
Are Yoyo Loaches A Good Idea For Your Tank?
We certainly think they are.
Their easygoing nature and easy-to-please tank conditions are great for a novice. Their two-tone looks look sharp in a tank setup, and their social nature makes them fun to watch and observe.
They are active during the day compared to other Loaches that are nocturnal, which is what makes having Yoyo Loaches a lot of fun.
Adding a group of Yoyo Loaches is an easy way to add a truly show-stopping fish to your tank and without a great cost or a lot of extra effort. They provide some really unique behaviors combined with good looks.
Let the Yoyo join your tank community and let the fun get started!
