The Dojo Loach is the type of fish most frequently found in aquarium stores and has some of the most intriguing personalities and behavior. Still, what does it eat? Does a Dojo Loach eat snails? This article has the answers to all of your questions; Let’s check it out!
Contents
What Is A Dojo Loach?
Dojo Loach
Dojo Loach, also known as weather loach or pond loach, is an intriguing fish with a very distinct personality that can be found in streams and ponds all around Asia.
These fish that resemble eels appear in a range of hues. Still, they are most frequently seen in a sandy-tan shade with black and dark brown patches throughout their dorsal area and a lighter white or cream underside. Additionally, the area around their mouths will exhibit barbels.
In general, the males are smaller than the females. However, when seen from above, they appear to have horizontal patterns behind the dorsal fin and bigger pectoral fins.
When fully developed, the Dojo Loach can grow to a length of 12 inches (about 30.5 cm). The typical lifespan of this fish is 5-8 years; some can even live up to 10 years.
Does A Dojo Loach Eat Snails?
100% YES. These fish love eating snails. They will devour every snail that gets in their way.
Snails are extremely nutritious and have few to no negative consequences to your dojos’ health, making them an ideal and safe dietary component to eat. Thus, it is not suggested to keep the snails with Dojo Loaches if you wish to preserve your snails.
Another question people have is: Will Dojo Loach eat rabbit snails? It depends on the size of the rabbit snail. The fish won’t consume a snail if it is bigger than what it can handle. On the other hand, suppose the snail is the right size for your loaches to consume; they will happily do so.
What Do Dojo Loaches Eat?
Dojo Loaches are simple to feed since they are omnivores. They have a voracious appetite and consume nearly everything offered to them. Below is the list of food you can give them:
- Fish food: fish flakes and pellets. These are the most typical options for feeding your fish. This type of food is easy to find and offers the dojos top-notch nutritional advantages.
- Live food: bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimps, snails, and other insects. Live food is an essential part of their diet since it is a great source of vitamins and protein.
- Algae: This is a healthy source of food and one of the best snacks for your Dojo Loaches. You will notice them scrubbing algae from the walls and other features in the aquarium.
- Fruits and vegetables: mango, watermelon, peas, cucumber, carrots, zucchini, etc. Your fish will receive vitamins, minerals, and a number of other essential nutrients from these fruits and veggies.
Giving the fish the proper nourishment will ensure their rapid development and growth. To ensure that your fish receive adequate diversity of nutrients, you might frequently switch out the food you’re feeding them.
Good Dojo Loach Tank Mates
Danios, Livebearers, Barbs, And Other Cold Water Fish
Choosing tank mates for Dojo Loaches is quite easy since they have such a peaceful personalities. The only requirements are that the fish isn’t aggressive and can survive in cool temperatures. Thus, various cold-water fish easily get along with the Dojo Loaches.
Some best recommendations for you are barbs, danios, and livebearers. These fish are rarely hostile and quite energetic, making them the perfect tank mate options for your loaches.
Koi, Goldfish, And Other Pond Fish
Goldfish Are Great Tank Mates
Goldfish make excellent tank mates for Dojo Loaches due to their occupancy of the higher tiers of the tank, which prevents crowding. Plus, feeding won’t be a problem since both fish consume flake food.
Dojos can also get along with koi and other pond fish since they are excellent outdoor pond fish themselves. As long as the water is deep enough, they can survive the winter in temperate ponds with no trouble.
Other Dojo Loaches
While keeping only one Dojo Loach in the tank is conceivable, we don’t advise it. Living with the other fish of their own species is good for your loach. One male or many female bettas may coexist in the tank with your Dojo Loach.
A school of three or more is ideal for these fish to thrive. They would run around or pile up when kept together in a group. They will display more sociability behaviors with their tank mates as they become more at ease and self-assured.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Should A Dojo Loach Be Fed During The Day?
Generally speaking, it depends on which type of food you give your fish. They will eat all through the night and look for food scraps. Here is our feeding schedule for each food type you can use as a reference:
- Flake food: 3 times/day
- Pellets: 3 times/week
- Live bloodworms: 2 times/week
- Dried bloodworm: 2 times/week
- Algae tablets: 2 times/week
- Live brine shrimp: 1 time/week
- Other supplement vegetables or foods: 2 times/week
Are Dojo Loaches Aggressive?
Even though most Dojo Loaches are very calm and even playful among other fish, you might still experience issues with your fish being extremely energetic and biting at fins. However, you can let your hair down if only cold water species are residing in the aquarium with proper tank size and water temperature.
Suppose your fish seem hostile; try feeding them more frequently and including more hiding places. Also, you can add more Dojo Loaches if the tank is big enough in the hopes that a group will lessen the aggression.
Are Dojo Loaches Nocturnal?
Yes, they are. This is why you find them spending the entire night searching for food.
They won’t need a certain kind of lighting, making preparing the tank for them less troublesome. Still, should you want to see them at night, you can try to install some red aquarium lights since the loaches respond best to them.
Conclusion
Does a Dojo Loach eat snails? You now have the answer to this question after reading this article. Snails are good for Dojo Loaches, so make them part of your beloved fish’s diet to satiate their appetites. Besides the diet, we also bring you information about Dojo Loaches to help you take better care of them.
Alex is a pet freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. He attended Colorado State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, which was where he first got some experience in animal nutrition. After graduating from University, Alex began sharing his knowledge as a freelance writer specializing in pets.
