Maybe not YoYo Loaches?

[A201]

About five years ago, I bought a group of what were advertised to be YoYo's from Petco.

They were tiny juveniles. All displayed the normal YoYo. "Yo" color pattern, although the "Yo" pattern varied between each Loach.

YoYo's go through continuous color pattern changes until adulthood. My Loaches were no exception. The pictured Loaches are adults. Both about four inches long.

It's apparent that they aren't the same species and I'm not even sure if either are YoYo's. I think the Loach with the blue spots and broken stripes might be an Angelicus Loach. I have no clue about the second Loach.
What do you guys think?

 

[FJB]

Don’t know what species they are, but not yoyós, and not the same. Beautiful, especially the second one.

 

[A201]

I made a lucky score with those two. Got more than I paid for. Lol.

 

[Fishman Dave]

As you suggest, the top one is botia kubotia and I think the bottom one a particularly reticulated individual of botia rostrata

 

[A201]

I think you are absolutely right. I found a pic online of a Botia Rostrata, with a reticulated pattern. It's a match.

Now, instead of upping the YoYo group in my tank, I'll be adding
Botia Kuboti and Botia Rostrata. Lol.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Midwater]

IMO it is either Rostrata or Histronica. Both are great loaches, I think look better than Almorhae.

 

[tiger15]

How are their behavior. I am currently growing out several yo yo and they are not aggressive. Previously, I had "Pakastani" loach that look similar and are supposed to be synonymous to Yo Yo yet more aggressive. They also loved to squeeze into crevices, climbed up water fall into my HOBs, and flatten up their body on sand to avoid capture. The Yo Yo I have now behave differently.

 

[Something Fishy Here]

I love loaches and you have some beautiful specimens. A couple decades back i had a tank with 6 yoyos and 6 striata and a few chain loaches. I thought they would all play together. Though they didn't divide territories, they all roamed the whole tank they really only interacted with thier own kind and would chase and follow each other but largely ignored the other types and treated them as moving background. It was interesting to watch though and i often think I'll have another loach tank of some sort again.

 

[A201]

I keep the pictured Loaches together with a Berdmorei Tiger Loach and four Y. Modesta Loaches.

The Modestas are big, thick, and extremely boisterous at feeding time. Not really aggressive towards other Loaches.

The Berdmorei is a solitary loaner. He's territorial, but not a killer.

The Kubotais and Rostrata Loaches get along fine with all tankmates.

All the Loaches are Unbelievably great scavengers, keeping the substrate in good shape.

 

[tiger15]

The behavior of loaches is highly variable depending on species and how many you keep. I kept many clown loaches before, and they were always social and peaceful. I had a pair of Modestas before, despite similar body shape and size as clown, they were extremely aggressive towards each other, often dashed out to battle one another making loud clicking sound. My former pair of Pakistani were aggressive at each other, but my current group of Yo Yo are peaceful. Perhaps keeping more than 2 will reduce conspecific aggression. I also currently have a solo Berdmorei, reading that they are aggressive and can grow large. The Berdmorei chased away my Yoyo whenever they came close, but showed no aggression towards other fish.