Ring Loach?

[Cillana]

My lfs has these cute loaches that are labeled Ring Loaches. They don't know anything else about them.

I think they are either Nemacheilus scaturigina (Dahli Ring Loach) or Schistura beavani (Ring Loach). The pictures I've seen of these species look a whole lot alike.

I noticed a few of you guys had these species. Can you tell me about both since I don't know which it is? I don't want to get any until I know something about them: size, requirements, and behavior. I'll see if I can go back next week and get a picture of one.

 

[Fruitbat]

You're right...Nemacheilus scaturigina and Schistura beavani are VERY similar in appearance. In fact...for some time Schistura beavani was classified as Nemacheilus beavani and Nemacheilus scaturigina was classified as Schistura subfusca (a name now applied to a different loach altogether).

Whichever one you have available, they both behave in pretty much the same way. They are territorial and don't stick together in groups like many of the Botia species. Territorial squabbles do occur but I've never seen them result in any kind of physical damage and they tend to diminish once the dominance issue has been sorted out.

They eat pretty much anything. My S. beavani gobbles down frozen bloodworms, frozen tubifex worms, frozen brine shrimp, frozen Daphnia and flake food. It occasionally partakes in a feast of Hikari algae wafer.

Most Nemacheilus and Schistura loaches stay relatively small...in the 3-4 inch range. My S. beavani is about 2 inches right now and is growing fairly quickly. They seem to like more oxygenated water, which is to be expected considering where most of them come from. All of my Schistura loaches like to hang around where the current from the tank filter flows strongest and this is especially true of the S. beavani.

Hope this helps!

 

[Cillana]

Hmm... well I'm not sure if I'll get one or not. I was thinking about putting some female bettas in the same tank that it would go in. They wouldn't like a lot of current.

I need one of those river tanks. But I have way to many tanks already.

 

[Fruitbat]

Cillana....they don't need THAT much current! Mine do just fine in the discharge from a plain old hang on back filter.

 

[Cillana]

I went back to my lfs and drew myself a little picture. I'm positive it's a dahli ring loach now. Looks like my new tank is going to turn into a loach tank. I've already go 3 yoyos. I'll probably end up with 2 or 3 striatas and a dahli ring loach too.