Weather Dojo Loach

Overview

Everything you need to know about Weather Loach, at a glance:

• Common Names: Dojo Loach, Pond Loach
• Scientific Name: Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
• Max Size: ~30cm
• Temperature Range: 10-25°C
• pH Range: 6.0-8.0, though 7.5 is ideal
• Compatibility: Peaceful, best kept in small groups
• Area Of Origin: East Asia
• Suitable Foods: Omnivorous, will readily accept variety of fish food
• Special Requirements: Need some hiding places to make them feel more secure

What is a Weather Loach?

Weather Loach are oddball fish known for their personable natures and erratic swimming behaviours. They’re native to streams and ponds across East Asia, but they’re now found worldwide thanks to their popularity in the fish keeping hobby.

Weather Loach are named after their ability to ‘predict’ oncoming storms. As atmospheric pressures change prior to a storm, Weather Loach will swim erratically all over an aquarium or pond. They’ll even start swimming in a vertical motion if the pressure change is particularly great.

Weather Loach are characterised by their long, slender bodies, small fins and barbels that protrude from their upper and lower jaws. Unlike most other fish, Weather Loach can breathe atmospheric air and survive for several hours outside of water. They’re also known to burrow into and hide in soft substrates.

There are several different varieties of Weather Loach. The most common varieties are olive green, light brown, or grey in colour – just like those found in the wild. There’s also a rarer, Xanthic variety characterised by its golden colours and distinct red eyes.

How do I care for Weather Loach?

Weather Loach are hardy, easygoing fish – two qualities that make them a fantastic choice of fish for first-time fish keepers. That said, they do need a degree of specialist care to really thrive, just like any other type of fish.

An important thing to consider if you’re planning on keeping Weather Loach is space. As adults, Weather Loach often exceed 20cm in length, so they need to be kept in either a large aquarium (200L+) or a small to medium-sized outdoor pond.

Weather Loach also need a lot of hiding spaces to make them feel secure. The more hiding places you offer them, the more outgoing and personable they’ll be. To create hiding spaces for your Weather Loach, add some hardscape and hardy aquatic plants to your aquarium.

Another important thing to consider is substrate. Weather Loach will root around and dig into your substrate, so they need to be kept on a fine sand/gravel that won’t damage their delicate barbels.

As social fish, Weather Loach benefit from being kept in small groups. If you have the space available in your aquarium/pond, try to keep them in groups of at least three to five individuals. By stocking more Weather Loach together, you’re more likely to see them exhibit interesting, natural behaviours.

While they may be able to tolerate a wide range of aquatic settings – including cool water envrionments – Weather Loach prefer stable water parameters. To ensure stability, clean your aquarium/pond regularly and perform regular water changes. Also make sure you have a suitable filter to process the waste that your Weather Loach produce.

When it comes to food, Weather Loach aren’t fussy and will accept a variety fish food. That said, as bottom feeders it’s recommended that you offer them some specialist sinking foods to make sure that they’re not forced to compete with other, surface-feeding fish in your aquarium/pond.

How is this Weather Loach delivered?

All of our aquatic animals are dispatched from our livestock distributor and delivered directly to your doorstep. Our distributor dispatches and delivers livestock packages Tuesday through Friday to avoid animals being in transit over the weekend. To further minimise time spent travelling, all livestock deliveries are made before 1pm on the day of delivery.

After placing your livestock order, you’ll receive all the information needed to track your livestock order via email. If you have any problems regarding delivery, or concerns about the health/wellbeing of your animal(s) upon arrival, please contact us, Swell UK Ltd, immediately, or at least within 48 hours of receiving your livestock order.

Any other, non-livestock items that you purchase alongside livestock will be sent via standard or express delivery and arrive at your delivery address in a different package. This means that, depending on when you place your order, you may receive your non-livestock items before or after your livestock package.

For a detailed breakdown of when you can expect to receive your livestock package depending on the day you placed your order, be sure to check the delivery details in the specifications below.

How do you acclimate a Weather Loach to an aquarium/pond?

It’s very important that you acclimatise new fish to your aquarium. This is the process of gradually adjusting an animal to its new environment and it’s especially important in an aquatic setting where sudden changes in water temperature, pH, and nitrates can cause stress, illness and, in some cases, even death.

To acclimate your new fish, place the bag into an empty bucket and open it. Then, add a small amount of aquarium/pond water to your bucket every few minutes until the water temperature in the bucket matches the water temperature in your aquarium. Do this for at least 20 minutes.

If you don’t have a bucket to hand, then you can simply float the bag containing your new fish in your aquarium/pond. If you’re adding your fish to an aquarium, always turn off your lights to reduce stress. Also, avoid adding dirty water from the bag into your aquarium by netting your fish.

You should always set up your aquarium/pond and make sure it’s ready for fish prior to purchasing any. It’s also a good idea to let your filter mature for a while before adding fish

Above photos are for illustration purposes only; livestock received may not exactly match those photographed.