Pond loaches are quite active, athletic swimmers, with their activity levels, allegedly, being influenced by oncoming storms or changes in
barometric pressure (hence the name "weather" loach). They are generally active throughout the day, only resting intermittently, but become notably
crepuscular and
nocturnal as the day progresses, foraging and swimming more actively in the hours between sunset and sunrise. For this reason, many
aquarists and keepers will adjust their fishes' communal feeding time to be in the evening, an important point to consider if cohabitating pond loaches with other species. When not resting out-of-sight, pond loaches can often be seen lying on the surfaces of larger-leaved plants (such as
Anubias,
Echinodorus or
Nymphaea sp.), on driftwood, or on smooth rocks, and often in comedic or ridiculous positions. They may even appear lifeless, lying on their sides or back, before suddenly springing back to "life" and continuing with their routine behavior. This "playing-dead" style of rest is also well known from other related species, like the clown loach (
Chromobotia macracanthus). The pond loach is an exceptionally peaceful, hardy species, capable of withstanding unheated aquariums, and preferring to live in outdoor ponds. Not being a tropical species by nature, water temperatures above are not recommended for, and can cause respiratory issues, fatigue, and even death, in pond loaches. For this reason they make a viable companion species for goldfish, which also are a cold-water species. They show virtually no aggression or hostility to any other tankmates, including their own kind, mostly minding their own business despite being a highly sociable species; if housing multiple individuals, which is usually recommended, pond loaches will often "cuddle" and rest huddled-together. The species is widely sold at pet stores and local fish shops. Given their somewhat "goofy" and cantankerous nature, they are not particularly aloof or shy, and thus can develop a "friendliness" towards their caretakers, swimming around their owner's hands and arms, allowing for physical contact and even hand-feeding. The larger a pond loach matures, the more muscular and likely to
breach the water's surface they become; due to their jumping prowess, the average aquarium cover should be secured with tape or additional sheets of acrylic or plastic, or panes of additional glass. If kept outside, proper netting over the water feature may be required. If a pond loach successfully jumps from the water (and is not subsequently caught by a bird or other animal), it may crawl on the ground for some time, breathing atmospheric oxygen, before eventually suffocating. Despite their ability to move terrestrially between shallow bodies of water in the wild, something many species do (like
killifish), they do not have the same respiratory adaptations as, for example, the
lungfishes or
mudskippers. Also, in an indoor aquarium setting, care must be taken to cover any tubing or pipes that are large enough for a loach to fit inside of, as they may even travel up filtration tubes and become stuck in the filter itself. Pond loaches enjoy digging and burrowing themselves in the substrate of their tank, so make sure that your substrate is fine enough for them to dig in. If you keep live plants in your tank, they will be uprooted by the loaches, so it is a good idea to weight your plants. The pond loach is also peculiar in that it will sometimes bury itself in the substrate during times of stress. This often surprises new owners, as the fish will "disappear" shortly after introduction to the tank only to "reappear" later. Because of their alleged appetite for
snails, these loaches are commonly perceived as helping to alleviate snail infestations in fish tanks; however, due to their sensitive
barbels, and substrate-sifting method of foraging for buried worms and hidden
brine shrimp, pond loaches are not nearly as effective against mollusks as the related
botiid loaches. Botias possess notably different, downward-pointing snouts with visibly fewer barbels, as they are more active hunters of prey than the bottom-dwelling pond loaches. The botias have evolved perfectly shaped snouts to fit inside a snail's shell. The pond loaches prefer a water
pH of 6.5–8.0, but, as a temperate-climate freshwater species, will tolerate far more acidic conditions, even for extended amounts of time, with little negative reactions. This makes the pond loach a great choice for first-time aquariums and for those who want a hardy fish tank able to withstand a few mistakes. This fish should be kept in groups of at least three, as they like to be in physical contact with each other and feel each other with their barbels when they rest. There are some hybrid varieties bred in captivity, like the golden dojo and the peppered strain (not to be confused with the
peppered loach). Sometimes the pond loach (especially the golden variety) is mistaken for the
kuhli loach. The kuhli, however, likes warm tropical temperatures, will tolerate more acidic conditions, and matures at a much smaller . Although these two species have numerous differentiating traits, individual kuhli and pond loaches may resemble each other while young and at the usual age and size of what most fish stores market. ==As food==