TankBud

Weather loach

Misgurnus anguillicaudatus

Also known as dojo loach

FreshwaterFish

Weather loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)
Imperial Tropicals · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
50–73°F
10–23°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
11 in
28 cm
Minimum tank
55 gal
210 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg scatterer · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cobitidae
Origin
Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam

Overview

The weather loach, also called the dojo loach, is a long, hardy, eel-shaped fish for the bottom of a cool or unheated tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

The weather loach takes its name from the way it reacts to the fall in air pressure before a storm. It often grows restless and swims up and down the glass. Aquarists have long treated that burst of activity as a rough forecast of coming rain.

Caring for the weather loach

Give a group of weather loaches a tank of at least 55 gal (210 L), since they grow long and appreciate floor space. Use a deep, soft sand or fine-gravel bed for burrowing, with plenty of cover from wood and plants. Fit a tight lid.

Weather loaches are temperate fish that prefer cool water, at 50 to 73°F (10 to 23°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. They do not need or want tropical heat, and they do well in unheated or coolwater tanks. Keep the flow gentle. They tolerate a wide range of conditions.

They spend their time on the bottom, nosing through sand and rooting under wood and plants for food. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, blackworms and sinking vegetables.

Weather loaches are peaceful and genuinely social, so keep a group of three or more. They are calm enough for a community of similarly sized, temperate fish. They spawn in ponds and tanks, scattering adhesive eggs among plants, and give no parental care. Breeding them is a moderate challenge.

Good to know

Misgurnus anguillicaudatus is a member of Cobitidae, the true loaches, and one of the largest of them. It has a slender, eel-like body and several pairs of barbels around the mouth. It can breathe air by swallowing it and absorbing the oxygen through its hindgut, an adaptation for low-oxygen mud.

In the wild

The weather loach is native to East Asia, across Korea, Japan, China and Vietnam. It lives in slow rivers, ponds, ditches and rice paddies with soft, muddy bottoms.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The weather loach is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a weather loach need?

A weather loach needs at least 55 gal (210 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a weather loach need?

A weather loach is comfortable at 50–73°F (10–23°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a weather loach eat?

A weather loach eats sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, blackworms and sinking vegetables. It noses through the sand and roots under wood and plants for food.

How big does a weather loach get?

An adult weather loach reaches about 11 in (28 cm).

How does a weather loach breed?

Weather loaches spawn in ponds and tanks, scattering adhesive eggs among plants. They give the eggs no parental care, and breeding them is a moderate challenge.

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