# Where to buy Weather/Dojo Loaches and Fancies



## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi All,

I live in Oakville. I am looking for Weather / Dojo loaches for my future tank. I dont want the Gold ones, i want the natural looking ones. The only place i have seen Dojos are at Big Al, but they are the gold ones. Do you guys know anywhere in Toronto / Mississauga / Oakville that may have weather loaches?

Same question, but where can i get nice Fancy Goldfish in the GTA / Oakville area?


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## j0209 (Nov 27, 2010)

Big Als Mississauga usually has them in usually around 4 inches. Bought mine from there and now it's around 8".


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

hey thanks, is it the weather loach that is natural color, or the gold color which look less natural? When in the year did you buy them, and how much was it?


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## j0209 (Nov 27, 2010)

They had brown dojos 2 weeks ago. Selling for around $6.


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## skyedale (Mar 14, 2011)

zfarsh said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I live in Oakville. I am looking for Weather / Dojo loaches for my future tank. I dont want the Gold ones, i want the natural looking ones. The only place i have seen Dojos are at Big Al, but they are the gold ones. Do you guys know anywhere in Toronto / Mississauga / Oakville that may have weather loaches?
> 
> Same question, but where can i get nice Fancy Goldfish in the GTA / Oakville area?


I know it isn't in the area but the LFS in the Steeles/Kennedy area have very nice fancy goldfish at really good prices. There are about 4 stores very close together. I got a Hama Nishiki Pearlscale 4" not including fins for $13.00. Same fish if you could find one is normally $60 -$100. These stores only take cash.

I have a 75 gl fancy tank and majority of my fish have come from this area. Never had any die or not make it through quarantine. All of them just keep growing and eating.

Don't forget about Hillstream loaches. They do well in a goldfish set up.

Judi


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi Judi,

Thanks for the wonderfull information. Would you happen to know the name of the petshops, I am getting the 75g next week probably. And i never knew about the Hillstream loaches, i will research this. Wanted to get dojo loach, my only fear is my tank will be open at top, and dont want them to jump out!!! 

Can you tell me how about your setup, how many goldfish, and what and how many other fish you have in this setup? My aquarium will be planted.


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## skyedale (Mar 14, 2011)

*Goldfish set-up*



zfarsh said:


> Hi Judi,
> 
> Thanks for the wonderfull information. Would you happen to know the name of the petshops, I am getting the 75g next week probably. And i never knew about the Hillstream loaches, i will research this. Wanted to get dojo loach, my only fear is my tank will be open at top, and dont want them to jump out!!!
> 
> Can you tell me how about your setup, how many goldfish, and what and how many other fish you have in this setup? My aquarium will be planted.


Good Morning,

Put a lid on your 75 - gold fish jump!!!! Even if it is a wire top, put a lid on.

Before you start may I suggest that you beg, borrow, steal (just kidding about the stealing) you read Fancy Goldfish - A complete guide to care and collecting, by Dr. Johnson DVM and Richard Hess. It is worth every penny. Amazon.com has it for less than anybody else. I think I paid $27.00 for mine vs. the $52.95 CDN price they suggest.

My 75 is heavily planted and heavily filtered. Goldfish are 5 times dirtier than tropical tanks. This is my personal calculation based on water parameters, filter gunk, water changes compared to my tropical tanks. This means a lot more filtration than you would put in a tropical 75 gal. Goldies also need a lot of dissolved oxygen in the water or you will find them gulping at the surface.

Watch what plants you put in your tank as the goldies will consider a lot of them a free salad bar. I discovered the hard way, the more money you pay for the plant - the more the goldfish will enjoy eating it. Until such time that goldfish can read, forget what the books say about what goldfish will and will not eat.

In addition to the goldfish I have cory cats, true SEA - not flying foxes, assassin snails (don't ever see them as they live in the gravel) and a few surviving ghost shrimp. As the goldfish got bigger they aquired a taste for shrimp cocktail.

For filtration I am currently running a marineland 400 and a 280 one at each end of the tank, one large and one medium sponge filter and one big air disc and a powerhead. Personally I would not purchase marineland again for a goldfish set up. The filter media gets so "gunky" so fast that it seems to kill the impellers if you don't rinse the pads at least twice a week. I recently purchased an Eheim to replace the marineland filters. It is running in the tank, but I am waiting until it cultures bacteria before I decommission the marineland filters.

As for the goldies I have in the 75:
4-moors - 3"+
1-ryukin/orangda hybrid - 7"+ was purchased as ryukin then developed a wen once it was over 5"
2-blue lionheads - 3"+ heads just starting to come in
4-ryukins (white, orange& white, calico)
3- ranchu
and of course "Bubba" the Hama Pearlscale

Yes I am way overstocked in inches. Keep in mind goldies grow and grow quickly. I am hoping to set up a 200gl in the summer.

I have another 20 gal goldfish tank. This is the waddle tank. It is for goldfish that are too slow moving to compete in the 75 for food. The star of this tank is my 5" diameter pearlscale golfball. Pearscale golfballs are an example of genetic engineering gone amok. Think of an orange golfball with a mouth and really tiny fins and that would be this fish. The other goldfish in the tank is a panda oranda that has never done well. Doesn't grow anything other than the wen. Odd looking fish. I have 2 weather loaches and 2 hillstream loaches and algae eating shrimp in that tank.

Other thing to remember about goldfish is that if is fits in their mouth they will try to eat it. Only put in other fish that will grow as fast as the goldies. On two occassions now I have had to use tweezers to remove smaller fish from the mouths of ryukins. I had one ryukin die due to chocking on a small cory. Both fish died.

Keep in touch. If there is anything I can help you with just e-mail. Fancy golds are not quite as easy as everyone would lead you to believe.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I really am quite passionate about my goldies.

Judi

I will PM you about the filters and plants and and fish I am considering rehoming.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

Judy,

Thank you so much for your passionate response, it is quiete appreciated and desired on my end. I currently have an overstocked 10G tank with two fancies, waiting for my 75 G in a week or two, though probably a few more weeks for setup.

For the top, i wanted to have it open because i was going to put some plants that are terestrial but have roots in the water. Also, as I am buying a 75 G aquarium bare Tank from Big Al (it is 110$), it doesnt come with a top. If it did, then i liked your idea of "wire top", i could use sowing wire and tie some wires around it, thus allowing plant to come out, yet lowering chances of dojos jumping out. My current fancies never jumped out. I am more worried about the dojos jumping, though i never owned any. As for the other loach, i like their bottom feeding style, not sure how many is ok to have so they dont feel lonely, yet have the minimum amount with 6 fancies. I'd like to see your plants and fishes if you have pictures.

Also, can you pls tell me why you recommend the "Fancy Goldfish - A complete guide to care and collecting, by Dr. Johnson DVM and Richard ", do i really need it? Like to hear what is special so i may consider buying from Amazon as well if it will be usefull.

Here is the setup i am thinking:

*Fish* 5 - 6 Fancies goldfish
2-3 Bristlenose Plecos
Maybe: 3 Dojos loach, 2-3 hilstream loach 
5-6 guppies (if goldfish try to eat them, they will be switched to my 10 gallon tank, currently i have 2 that are living fine with the fancies, if overtstcoked, will keep them in 10 gallon tank)
I am scared this may overstocked as is. So the dojos is not for sure yet, but they seem so cool.

*Filter: * Eheim 2217. Was thinking of also getting a Aqua 110, but then i read this removes all the co2 for the plants, which need it to produce oxygen, so might not get this as a second filter.

*Plants (i would buy the more expensive ones from other aquariest pll that are selling extras for cheap): *Hornwort (doing very well now)Java Fern (not doing so well, but not being eaten either, may need fertilizer, or maybe my Aqua 20 is removing too much CO2)
Java Moss (surviving)
Anacharis
Vallisneria
Anubias (maybe)
Risky Plants that i will experiment with: Pigmy Chain Sword, Pennywort, Hygrophilas, Watersprite.
(Note: these are my option of plants, wont have all of them, only some)

I may have to lower the water level a bit to accomonate for ground plants and not let the fishes jump. Ground plants are: Lucky Bamboes, Pothos, etc..

Light: LOW, will put a shop light from home depot, 6500K light, 2 x T8 bulbs at 33 watts each.

Substrate: Sand (preferably black, but as its so expensive, may try the play sand.

Water Change Expected: 30 -50 % change 1 - 2 times a week. Currently in my overstocked 10G, i do it every other day about 50%, untill i can get the 75 gallon soon.


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