Weather Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)
The Weather loach might not be the most striking of fish, but its charming behaviour and lovable personality more than make up for such a shortcoming.
Weather Loaches are a peaceful, active and hardy fish that are often brought as a starter fish for the aquarium. They can become relatively tame, sometimes allowing hand feeding and physical contact.
You can keep these fish singly, but they seem to fair better when housed in a group of at least three of their own species. The Weather Loach does best alongside medium to large-sized, active fish that swim at higher levels in the aquarium.
The Weather Loach comes in a variety of different colours ranging from a brassy, almost metallic colour to a dull brown. Some fish are strongly marked, while others have almost no markings beyond light speckling. A golden variety is available, which retains some of its black pigmentations but loses its colour and has dark eyes and very occasionally you can see true albinos.
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| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Misgurnus anguillicaudatus |
| Other Names | Dojo Loach, Oriental Weather Fish, Pond Loach |
| Classification | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Cypriniformes |
| Family | Cobitidae |
| Genus | Misgurnus |
| Origins | Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, South Korea , Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Bottom |
| Difficulty | Beginner - Intermediate |
| Shoaling | No |
| Best kept as | Trios |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Layer |
| Lifespan | 4 - 5 years |
| Water Parameters | |
|---|---|
| Water Type | Freshwater |
| PH | 6.0 - 8.0 |
| GH | 1 - 12 |
| Temperature | |
|---|---|
| 50 - 77℉ 10 - 25℃ | |
Feeding
In the home aquarium, the Weather Loach will readily accept most good quality dried foods such as granules, flakes and sinking pellets. These modern food products have been developed to provide all adequate nutrition to maintain your fish's health and dietary requirements.
Providing additional foodstuffs such as live, frozen, and freeze-dried meals such as bloodworm, daphnia, and tubifex once or twice a week will provide additional benefits to your fish's health and well-being but is not a must for this fish.
It should be noted that bloodworms should only be given as an occasional treat and should not be used as the staple diet as they are difficult for fish to digest and can potentially cause blockages.
This fish is an omnivore in the wild, meaning it will consume some vegetable matter. Although most modern fish foods take this into account and include them in their products, you can still supplement your fish's diet with blanched vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and zucchini. Ensure you do not overfeed your fish and remove any leftovers the following day.
Sexual Dimorphism
It isn't easy to distinguish males from female Weather Loaches. However, from above females are noticeably plumper when loaded with eggs than the males, and the males tend to have larger and longer pectoral fins with a thickened second ray.