st11x Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 Hi members, I have 6 goldfish and 2 weather loaches. I'm reckon they are loaches after some goggling, but the wording on the tank at the LFS says suckling cats. The storekeeper told me they are compatible, that's why I bought them to add variety to the tank. Anyway, I have observed that they sometimes chase the goldfish around, like an attempt to nib at them. Is this normal or should the loaches be removed? I have noticed on 1 of the goldfish that a little of the gold scales have fallen out, and there are red patches on the body. Thanks in advance. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 How big are your goldfish compared to the loaches? If they are much bigger, may not be a problem, but I find sometimes it's a personality thing; some goldfish are more aggressive, and some loaches are more timid. BTW, you do have hiding places for the loaches, don't you? They may otherwise get stressed and aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E4G13M4N Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 If they are Chinese sucking catfish yes they will chase the goldfish and suck on the body slime, most will even kill goldfish .. If they are weather loaches its not normal for them to chase goldies.. Not that ive kept the WL for 20 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st11x Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Thanks for the replies guys. The goldflish are not big, but about 3x larger than the loaches. I do have hiding places for them, but I have just bought the ornaments, so they are getting used to it I guess. I do notice that the "chasing" and "nibbling" activities have reduced a little. Maybe I should create more hiding places for them? Well, I wish things turn out better as I do not wish to have to remove them, coz I don't have a secondary tank to keep them in. Let's hope they live in peace. Cheers! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Are you satisfied that they are actually loaches? Loaches have several sets of barbels or whiskers, whereas the sucking cats usually only have one pair. Also add plants; Crypts, Java fern and Vals are pretty goldfish-proof. I have a planted goldfish tank, photo of which can be found in the planted tank forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st11x Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Poe, Thanks for the tips. Your planted garden is really nice. I gave up having plants after the goldfish kept uprooting them, now I have plastic plants. I noticed that there isn't any (at least not visible to me) whiskers on those cats/loaches. I have managed to snap a couple of pictures. So I guess they are sucking cats and they should be removed? http://public.fotki.com/matthewsoh/loach/ Thanks Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ConvictsRule Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Hey i have one of them,i bought them as golden chinese algae eaters!! So t hey are Golden Chinese algae eaters and thats the one that ate all of my 8 danios and didint touch the white clouds!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Hello! First of all it's a cute fish - bo swee!!! It's definitely a golden Chinese algae eater. Check this out. Looks like it could turn into a right pain as an adult. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Definitely sucking cats, and definitely will bother goldfish. Use to have them, but not for a while now; they are a real pain to catch too. BTW, you've seen my planted goldfish tank; it is possible, just use a fertilised substrate, and give the plants a headstart to root. FWIW, after the photo, in the past few days my goldfish have decided they did like Ambulias, and have cleaned several stalks of mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st11x Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Thanks guys, Looks like I have to part with them. The goldfish are still my number 1. Yes, they are really a pain to catch. When they first came home, they were chasing the guys around and I had to use the net to "threaten" the sucking cats. I could never get close enough to net them against the glass wall! Cheers! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 Yes, they are really a pain to catch. When they first came home, they were chasing the guys around and I had to use the net to "threaten" the sucking cats. I could never get close enough to net them against the glass wall! It'll be a pain in summer; in winter, I turned off the heating, and they slowed down quite a bit, so were easier to catch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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