Dojo loaches in koi pond
>I have a question about the dojo loach. I live in North Carolina and I have a 700 gallon koi pond with about 8 koi and 7 goldfish with 2 500gph pumps and filters.  I just put 9 Dojos in.  Will they live through the winter in this climate? >>Any measures to ensure the cyprinids are alright are appropriate for the Dojos.  I do believe you may soon reach your limits of fish load, though.  The loaches, if thriving, may add quite a tax on the system, though certainly not as great as the koi themselves. >Sometimes my pond is frozen with about 2 inches of ice on it. Will the loaches be able to live through that like the gold fish and koi? >>Not having had direct experience with freezing, and VERY little with snow, I give a qualified "yes".  If someone in your zone knows otherwise then I hope they will offer their advice.  I'm assuming your pond is both sufficiently deep and circulated/heated during winter months to prevent complete freezing over of the entire pond surface.  Marina

Golden Dojo in a pond
Hi,
<Hello>
I'm a little confused about the difference (as far as temperature) between
the Spotted Dojo and the Golden Dojo. On your site it says "The Spotted Dojo
or Weatherfish is less tolerant to temperature change and range", so that
would mean that the Golden Dojo is MORE tolerant of temperature change and
range?
<No, though Misgurnis anguillicaudata is both the common and the xanthic variety of Dojo or Weatherfish, the "normal" condition seems to be hardier>
My thinking is more used to goldfish, so I would think the fancier the fish
the less hardy they are.
<You are correct>
So I'm guessing it's just a typo.
<The Spotted Dojo is another species... Cobitis taenia I believe>
I just want to be
prepared so that when I go to get a couple Dojos if they happen to have a
Golden one I would like to get that for visibility.
Also, I was wondering how many would be good. I have a 1000 gallon pond with
18 fish (comets, shubunkins, fantails, and a sarassa) with 3 small koi about
to join them. I would definitely want to get at least 2, at most 4, but
would 4 be too much?
<Not too many>
I'm also a little worried about them getting out of the
pond. I've read that they have a tendency to jump out of aquariums and
sometimes crawl on the floor.
<Not really a common problem in ponds>
Any other tips for Dojos in ponds would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
<Bob Fenner>

What type of loach?
Hi,
<Howdy>
I have a 1000 gallon outdoor pond, and I over winter the fish in the pond
(we've only lost one fish, maybe, we just haven't seen it yet).  So far I've
only seen one loach on your site that will be able to survive the winter,
the dojo.  Is there any other kind of loach that will be able to handle near
freezing temperatures?
<Not really. Most loaches are tropical, a few cooler water...>
Also, I am having trouble with the term minnow. Is it just a small fish that
will always stay small, or is it just a different name for a fish that will
eventually grow bigger (like a carp or other wild fish)?
<Mmm, strictly speaking "minnows" are "egg-laying toothed carps" of the family Cyprinidae... this is the largest family of freshwater fishes (more than 2,000 species), second only to the Gobiids in the sea in size... some get very large indeed (more than 2.5 meters in length)...>
Same with the
Guppy. I'm asking this, because I would like to have a variety of fish in my
pond including a school of small fish. I don't really want them to grow
bigger. Is this possible? I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to other
kinds of fish besides goldfish.
<Keep studying my friend. Please take a look through our pond subweb: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Mike