Bully Loach

[Deborah]

I have three Botia striata (Zebra Loaches) and one is something of a bully. The smallest botia, by just a bit, is getting very skinny and has a couple of scars. I think the bully is just harassing him so he can't eat.

My question is: would getting another striata help diffuse the situation? (There are lots of hiding places in the tank already - thick clumps of java fern and moss, etc.) I think another fish might help - but then again I might just want an excuse to buy another fish .

[OodleyBoodely]

If your tank is big enough, adding 2 or more additional loaches may help. As with any schooling fish, there needs to be enough numbers for each individual to 'get lost' in the herd to avoid the bully. I've noticed with many other schooling species, that if the number is too low, a bully will emerge to make life intolerable for one or more weaker fish. Removing the bully may work for awhile, but most likely a new bully will eventually emerge to take its place. If you have room, 10 + is a good number to start with. With the smaller schooling types, I like to start with a dozen. This may not be possible with larger species, but adding a couple more, especially if you can find one larger than the bully, might help.

[Deborah]

I've got the tank pretty full as it is but I think there will still be a little water left if I squeeze in two more loaches. While a school of a dozen botia sounds great I don't have enough room

[Alice]

You should post a pic of your tank Deb; it looks great.

[Deborah]

Thanks, Alice! Now that the brush/beard algae is sort of under control I'll try and do that (have to borrow a digital camera, however).

Last night I bought two tiny Zebra Loaches (cute, cute, cute). The Wet Spot (LFS) didn't have any large ones. I also bought some live black worms and overfed the tank with them. That seemed to distract everyboday and the runt loach looks a little fatter this morning.