Weather Loach
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
The 'living barometer': becomes frantically active before storms, sensing atmospheric pressure changes — a behavior that earned its name in every language. Snake-like body up to 25 cm, with tactile barbels. Extremely hardy: tolerates temperatures from 2 to 30 °C, survives in nearly dried-up muddy pools. Buries itself in sand during the day, emerging at dusk. One of the most fascinating cold-water fish.
Température de l’eau
10 - 25 °C
Valeur du pH
6.5 - 8
Type d'eau
Eau douce
Niveau dans le bac
Fond
Taille adulte
25 cm
Volume minimal du bac
>= 100 L
Groupe minimal
>= 2
GH
5 - 20 dGH
KH
2 - 10 dKH
TDS
95 - 400 ppm
Conductivité
148 - 625 uS/cm
Description de l'espèce
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Far East (China, Japan, Korea, Siberia). Survives in muddy swamps, asphyxiated rice paddies, slow ponds, and turbid canals, enduring almost any environmental abuse.
Taxonomy and Morphology: Weather Loach / Dojo Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). Eel-like Loach. Very elongated sausage-like body, covered with a thick layer of slimy mucus, mouth surrounded by 10 thick sensory barbels to rummage in the mud.
Social Behavior: Curious and intrusive. Spends its time rummaging through every crevice. Reacts frantically to barometric changes (hence the name Weather Loach): before thunderstorms it will swim wildly up and down the glass in a hyperactive manner.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Swamp camouflage: light brown thickly speckled with dark/olive spots all over the body to blend in with the sand and dead leaves. There is a bred "Gold" form. Males have longer and thicker pectoral fins, females are massive.
Soins, reproduction et cohabitation
Aquarium Setup: Soft substrate is mandatory. Deep sand (not gravel) to allow it to bury itself, leaving only its eyes out. Impregnable lid: it is an escape specialist (even crawling out of the tank). Tank of at least 120 cm (48 inches) due to its size.
Diet and Feeding: Omnivorous trash can. Will eat whatever leftovers fall to the bottom, snails (Planorbis), chopped earthworms and wafers for bottom feeders. The mouth sucks and filters expelling the sand from the gills.
Water Quality: Cold/temperate water fish. Can spend the winter under the ice in ponds. Should never be kept stably above 24-25°C (75-77°F) indoors so as not to drastically reduce its life expectancy (10 years).
Compatibility and Cohabitation: Unsuitable for the classic tropical. Must be paired with hardy and cool fish like Goldfish, White Cloud Mountain Minnows (Tanichthys albonubes), Danios or in isolated large tanks. Not aggressive, but its nocturnal hyperactivity and size frighten delicate fish.
Aquarium Breeding: Very rare in the absence of hormonal or rigid seasonal stimuli (winter cold followed by warm swings and spring rainfall). They release thousands of eggs in open waters or on plants.
Risks and Diseases: Breathless. If the water becomes polluted or anoxic (oxygen-deprived), this loach can survive by swallowing air at the surface and absorbing oxygen through the blood vessels of the intestinal tract.
Origine et répartition géographiques
Far East (China, Japan, Korea, Siberia). Survives in muddy swamps, asphyxiated rice paddies, slow ponds, and turbid canals, enduring almost any environmental abuse.
Origine
Asie de l'Est
Profil de poisson
- Tempérament
- Active
- They possess an incredibly peaceful, clownish, and inquisitive temperament. They are completely devoid of aggression but their large size and frantic, erratic swimming can sometimes startle more sensitive fish. They often become quite tame, learning to recognize their owners and even accepting food directly from the hand.
- Régime alimentaire
- Omnivore
- They are omnivorous scavengers that will enthusiastically eat almost anything that reaches the aquarium bottom. A staple diet of high-quality sinking pellets or wafers should be supplemented with fresh vegetables and frozen meaty foods. They are notoriously gluttonous and will happily vacuum up uneaten food left by other fish.
- Espérance de vie
- 7-10 years
- Taille adulte
- 25 cm
- Ratio des sexes
- Group
- Sexing is difficult, though mature females are generally plumper and larger than males. They are highly social creatures that enjoy the company of their own kind and should ideally be kept in groups of three or more. They will frequently rest together in comical 'cuddle puddles' on the substrate.
- Fréquence d'alimentation
- Once daily
- Feeding them once or twice a day is sufficient, as they spend the rest of their time constantly foraging for leftovers. Because they are so voracious, care must be taken not to overfeed the entire tank just to satiate the loaches. Their enthusiastic feeding behavior can sometimes intimidate more timid bottom-dwellers.
- Charge biologique
- Medium
- The Dojo Loach, or Weather Loach, is a large, active fish that produces a substantial bioload. Their messy eating habits and large size demand robust filtration to maintain water quality. Frequent gravel vacuuming is necessary to manage the detritus they continuously stir up from the substrate.
- Courant
- Strong
- They are adaptable to various flow rates but generally appreciate moderate water movement that provides high oxygenation. They are known for becoming highly active and swimming frantically when barometric pressure drops, hence the name 'Weather Loach'. Providing air stones or strong surface agitation is highly beneficial.
- Risque de saut
- Yes
- Dojo Loaches are notorious escape artists and represent an extremely high jump risk. Their powerful, eel-like bodies allow them to easily wriggle out of tiny gaps or leap out of open tanks. A heavy, tight-fitting lid with all openings securely covered is absolutely mandatory to prevent them from drying out on the floor.
- Reproduction
- Oviparous
- Breeding in the home aquarium is very rare and difficult to trigger intentionally. They are egg scatterers that require specific seasonal changes in temperature and water parameters to induce spawning. In commercial settings, they are often bred using hormone injections.
- Compatibilité et compagnons
- With caution
- They are highly peaceful, sociable scavengers that make excellent additions to large community tanks with cooler water. They can be safely kept with goldfish, white cloud mountain minnows, and peaceful barbs. Avoid keeping them with aggressive cichlids or fish small enough to accidentally be swallowed during their frantic feeding frenzies.
- Niveau dans le bac
- Bottom
- They are predominantly bottom dwellers that spend their time resting on or burrowing into the substrate. A soft sand substrate is absolutely essential, as sharp gravel will severely damage their delicate barbels and scaleless bodies. They will occasionally dart to the surface to take a gulp of atmospheric air.
Modèles et paramètres scientifiques
FishBase
Fenêtre sur les données scientifiques officielles de l’espèce
FishBase v25.04Données synchronisées le : 15/06/2026
- Niveau trophique
- 3,1 ± 0,4 se
- Résilience
- Moyenne (1,4 - 4,4 ans)
- Singularité phylogénétique (PD50)
- 0.502
- Relation bayésienne longueur-poids
- a = 0.00457, b = 3.09
- VulnérabilitéVulnérabilité faible à modérée (31 / 100)
Galerie d'images
Images sous licence liées à l'espèce ou, lorsqu'elles sont indiquées, au taxon représentatif le plus proche.
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