Protecting my new Botia from my Geo

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#1
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#1
Hello all,

I just bought a botia yesterday along with a couple of angel fish and introduced them into my tank. I've had a geo in there for a couple of months now...and noticed that he chased the botia whenever he got near him and now the botia seems to spend the majority of his time hiding under the lava rocks I have in my tank. I guess I'm a bit worried that he won't come out of there and eat, or might get hurt by the geo. Should I just add more decor to the tank to allow for more hiding spots for the botia? I don't think the geo will eat him because of his size (~2", the geo being ~2.5"), but I don't want him to get smashed by the geo every time he ventures out.

Before I forget, a semi-related question: will lava rocks themselves damage botias? I believe I read somewhere else that clown loaches have soft skin that can be damaged pretty easily, and since botias are related to them the lava rocks have me a bit worried as well.

Thanks ahead of time for any insight that anyone may provide me!
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#2
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#2
I'm not "bumping" this thread up...but I just wanted to provide an update since essentially now the botia and the geo are playing nice. Yesterday I removed all the decor from the tank, forcing the botia out in the open. The geo lost interest in him I guess, and didn't chase him around at all. I think this made the botia realize he doesn't have to hide under my lava rocks 24/7. I put all the decor back in and now he's just hanging around digging in the gravel and swimming through the holes in the lava rocks.

Unfortunately the geo killed two of my new neons...I don't think I'll be buying anymore of them.
 

jo3olous

jo3olous

Large Fish
#3
Aug 6, 2008
909
1
0
Philadelphia, PA
#3
kinda curious, what is a geo? never seen or heard of the fish before. your loach should be fine, if the geo doesnt get much bigger its gonna outgrow it by a ton anyway later on, then I would say it will own the geo but probably not, clown loaches are pretty peaceful for 'semi-aggressive' fish. They're not actually aggressive, they just do fine with semi-aggressive fish <-- someone tell me if this is wrong
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#4
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#4
jo3olous said:
kinda curious, what is a geo? never seen or heard of the fish before. your loach should be fine, if the geo doesnt get much bigger its gonna outgrow it by a ton anyway later on, then I would say it will own the geo but probably not, clown loaches are pretty peaceful for 'semi-aggressive' fish. They're not actually aggressive, they just do fine with semi-aggressive fish <-- someone tell me if this is wrong
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure this is my loach - I forget which one it is exactly:
http://www.myfishtank.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/181/sort/7/cat/9/page/1

The geo is a type of cichlid:
Geophagus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Like the loach, I forget which one I bought. They have a bunch at my LFS and I just went there one day and picked up a young one. Look really great when they get older, IMO. Mine looks similar to this one:
http://www.petshop-zoomania.com/CICHLIDS/Geophagus Proximus 1.jpg
 

jo3olous

jo3olous

Large Fish
#5
Aug 6, 2008
909
1
0
Philadelphia, PA
#5
whoa that sucker looks like he gets big. (the Geo). And your loach is a YoYo, not a clown (actually a good thing for you) It won't get near as big. As stated in the description you found of it 4-6 inches sounds about right. I think you should keep em. The yoyo might prefer to be in a school with its own kind though.

Yoyo-loaches... <-- argument on yoyo loaches better in schools or solo.
 

PlecoCollector

PlecoCollector

Superstar Fish
#6
Aug 21, 2005
1,430
0
0
34
Clinton, NY
#6
It seems like your Geo was being territorial, but once you rearranged your tank, he lost his sense of territory. Still, I wouldn't suggest keeping a Cichlid like that with Angels and Tetras. Though Angels are Cichlids, they are vulnerable because of their fins.

With the Botia: they're like Clowns in that they have skin, not scales, as you said. So I'd be careful when it comes to lava rock or anything like that that can scratch them. Smoother places to hide, like river rocks or PVC pipes, suit them better. They do do okay living alone, but with them, the more the merrier. He'll probably come out more if you give him some friends.
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#7
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#7
Thanks for the information guys, and I'll keep a look out onto how the geo interacts with the angels. As of now he's swam close to them and vice versa and they seem to have no interest with one another.

I wouldn't mind getting some more yoyos if my tank can handle it...I'm worried about over stocking my tank though. Would two more be enough to make them happy? I like the look of clown loaches a lot as well, would I be able to get two of them and two more yoyos?

On a side note, with me be worried about him getting chased around by the geo I bought a goofy castle yesterday for him to hide in. He has yet to go near it. D'oh!
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#9
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#9
*sigh*

I got home from work yesterday and my yoyo was no where to be found. I checked under all the decor I had and couldn't find him anywhere. Alas, I believe he may have been another victim of the geo.

At this point I'm a bit frustrated as I was hoping to have a nice community tank...and the geo seems to have other thoughts. I'm not sure what fish I should "try" next, I don't want to put another fish in there to be another late night snack for the geo. Anyone have any suggestions for a bottom feeder similar to a loach that could work well with him?

I'm also wondering if its the fact that maybe the geo doesn't have a true hiding place of his own that makes him so aggressive. Right now I have two tall fake plants, one small fake plant and three lava rocks (all of the same shape). Oh, and I also have a small castle I bought that he can't fit in. Should I make a cave out of some rocks for him to hang out in?

I'm getting a bit discouraged now...any help would be greatly appreciated. :mad:
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#11
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#11
I didn't actually see the geo munching on him, but I'm guessing it was him.
The geo is like 2.5" at most, probably more like 2.25 and the botia was about 1.5".
 

jo3olous

jo3olous

Large Fish
#12
Aug 6, 2008
909
1
0
Philadelphia, PA
#12
yea i really have no idea how the geo fit the loach in his mouth, thats not that big a difference... maybe it jumped into the filter? is your tank sealed off? loaches like to play dead a lot and hide in really tight places you wouldnt think they would fit in
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#13
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#13
Interesting point. My tank is pretty well sealed off, and I'll check the filter tonight. I guess he could have gotten pulled up the suction line...

Thanks for you help thus far.
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#14
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#14
Quick Update: He's alive!

I don't where this yoyo hid the past couple days, but he came out swimming last night and then after I moved a few things around went back to hiding. So the geo hasn't eaten, which is a good thing. But I'm a bit concerned about him not eating...since he's hiding all the time. I left some pellets in the bottom of the tank last night for him to eat up but they looked like they were still there this morning. I'm not sure what the next best step for me to do is...could he be stressed because he's the only yoyo in the tank? Would buying 2 more yoyo's help him relax a bit and swim around more often? Or is he still just getting acclimated?

I'm relieved that he's alive. I thought my geo was really just gonna tear apart my tank for the foreseeable future.
 

misterking

misterking

Superstar Fish
#15
Aug 12, 2008
1,124
0
0
Manchester, UK
www.facebook.com
#15
I agree that a couple more yoyos would help him relax. It's the same with all loaches, they feel much more secure with a couple of members of their own species, luckily yoyo loaches arent big and so you can keep a few comfortably.

And if I'm honest, I don't reckon you'll be having the peaceful community you want with a geophagus in there... They are still moderately aggressive at the best of times, and as he grows (up to nearly a foot if space allows), so will his mouth, and all those tetras will be a free meal. Also, within time, it will severly outgrow a 29 gallon. I would personally separate him to his own tank and put a couple of smaller, much less aggressive cichlids in there such as rams or some form of apistogramma, or if his own tank isn't an option, I'd probably take him back to your LFS, your other fish are moving targets for it.
 

kaneda33

kaneda33

Small Fish
#16
Jan 15, 2008
29
0
0
#16
jo3olous

jo3olous

Large Fish
#17
Aug 6, 2008
909
1
0
Philadelphia, PA
#17
As they grow to a reasonable size, a tank of 55 gallons or larger is necessary for a pair. They are comfortable in larger groups, so they do well in larger, species-only tanks, but care should be taken to make sure there is enough room for each fish to dig without banging into a tankmate. The tank should be wider rather than taller, giving as much substrate surface as possible for foraging.


I dunno man, if thats the right fish you should read the entire post and take all the info to heart. In your case your tank right now is just way too small to keep it -__-
 

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