# Question about Yo YO loaches



## comatoast (Mar 11, 2009)

Not sure about YoYos vs. shrimp- my dwarf chain loaches don't bother my Amanos, though. As far as your snail problems go, the YoYos will take care of that for you in short order.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Your shrimp will be gone and your snail problem as well. Mine never really bothered my plants at all.


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## Captgreg87 (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks for the reply guys, 

Do you think its just worth it then to go ahead and get the locahes? Over a long term period I feel those would be a better suit for a community tank, especially since I willbe adding some larger fish, Angels, Rosline Sharks. Just looking for a gernal opinion, ghost shrimp or loaches?? l


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Your loaches will definately eat your ghost shrimp. And all of your snails. Mine never bothered my plants other than being boisterous and busy, knocking the plants around before they had a chance to get rooted.


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## Captgreg87 (Jan 24, 2012)

Ok I know this is going to sound sad but when I told the gf about the end of the ghost shrimp she went nuts because she loves them, my god lol b ut another questions since my LFS is out of Yo Yo's. Is there any loaches that you know of that wouldnt harm shrimp? or is this a loosing battle?


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Losing battle my friend...but you could always tell her that you could get a 10 gallon tank for the shrimp and maybe some CPD's! Great opportunity to get another tank.

...And I would get some YoYo's..they are an awesome fish to watch.


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## Batch (May 10, 2007)

Captgreg87 said:


> Ok I know this is going to sound sad but when I told the gf about the end of the ghost shrimp she went nuts because she loves them, my god lol b ut another questions since my LFS is out of Yo Yo's. Is there any loaches that you know of that wouldnt harm shrimp? or is this a loosing battle?


There are several shrimp-safe loaches. Think smaller loaches! (My rosy loaches aren't much bigger than a RCS)! If you are looking for a Botia species for snail control, I would consider Botia Striata (Zebra Loach). They are smaller and a LOT less rowdy than yo-yos. My yo-yos are pretty rough on plants (especially true before they were fully grown). Do some research at http://www.loaches.com/species-index to help you decide. Make sure you get a group of them as they are quite social.



batch


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## ycbs (Jan 30, 2008)

I keep yoyo loaches and dwarf chain loaches with ghost shrimp, amano shrimp and nerite snails. Never a single shrimp or nerite to them. Now, pond and ramshorn snails are a different story. Yoyos annihilated them. I don't know if I would try them smaller shrimp like RCS, though. I think the adults would probably be fine, but the babies may become food. 

I like the dwarf chain loaches more. They are more consistently active. My yoyos are cool, though. I have a cichlid stone cave and one of my yoyo treats it like his own little doghouse. I have it so the hole faces the front of the tank, and he gets in there with just his head sticking out, just like a dog lying in his doghouse. My kids love it. The yoyos do tend to annoy my other fish more, though. They don't harm them at all, but they do get 'playful' at times and want to chase some of the other fish.


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## sguthrie (Jun 22, 2009)

dewalltheway said:


> Losing battle my friend...but you could always tell her that you could get a 10 gallon tank for the shrimp and maybe some CPD's! Great opportunity to get another tank.
> 
> ...And I would get some YoYo's..they are an awesome fish to watch.


I agree. I wouldn't risk the shrimp or girlfriend for them, but if you can relocate the shrimp, then some loaches (yoyo or other appropriately sized ones) would be a lot of fun for you. I haven't seen many fish as entertaining to watch as the yoyos I used to have. it was like watching the shriners at a parade.


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## wetworks (Jul 22, 2011)

I have kept YoYo loaches and shrimps with no trouble. YoYo loaches are a pretty small species, and not super aggressive, though they may aggravate your other fishes with their erratic behavior. Zebra loaches and Dwarf Chain loaches are also a good bet, and the Burmese Border loach (Angelicus?) are all species that would work well for snail control in a planted tank. I honestly do not see any of these loaches bothering your shrimps- they would have to be huge (4+ inches) in order to pose a threat to adult shrimps. Juvie shrimps, however, are a different story.


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## QuoVadis (Feb 5, 2012)

Think about the size of the loaches mouth. They are not that big. It would have to be a fully grown loach I think to eat ghost shrimp. At least if they are the kind of ghost shrimp they sell at Petsmart, those things get big! My Zebra loaches never got over 2.5 inches (my oldest one I've had probably 8 years) and at least at this size they never even bothered Cherry shrimp, except maybe the babies. Dwarf chain loaches can also be kept with shrimp, and I wouldn't be surprised if Yoyos or Angelicus could be kept with bigger shrimp likes ghosts, for sure they could when the loaches are juveniles.


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## Batch (May 10, 2007)

QuoVadis said:


> Think about the size of the loaches mouth. They are not that big. It would have to be a fully grown loach I think to eat ghost shrimp. At least if they are the kind of ghost shrimp they sell at Petsmart, those things get big! My Zebra loaches never got over 2.5 inches (my oldest one I've had probably 8 years) and at least at this size they never even bothered Cherry shrimp, except maybe the babies. Dwarf chain loaches can also be kept with shrimp, and I wouldn't be surprised if Yoyos or Angelicus could be kept with bigger shrimp likes ghosts, for sure they could when the loaches are juveniles.


My experience is that the yo-yos don't need to swallow them whole. They just each grab a limb and tear the shrimp apart. Mine never seemed to bother the amanos tho... So caution is urged. Unless of course the ghost shrimp are supposed to be food (my LFS sells them for 25 cents). 

Anyhew, I wasn't trying to talk you out of yo-yos, just set up another tank for them  (Which is exactly what I did). Yo-yos are some of the coolest fish to own.

batch


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