WELCOME TO MY CATFISH, LOACHES AND OTHER BOTTOM FEEDERS SECTION!
Catfish (Order Siluriformes) are a large and diverse group of fishes. They range from being peaceful scavengers to powerful predators, vegetarians to total carnivores. What do they have in common? Most have a highly visible set (or sets) of "whiskers," or barbels, hanging off of their mouth. Barbels act as a sort of extended tongue, allowing catfish to find food in the murky waters that they call home. Beyond that, catfish can be pretty different. Cats are scaleless, but some have "armored" plates that function as scales.
Loaches (family Cobitidae) are also a diverse group, though not nearly as diverse as the cafish.  There are a number of loaches common to the aquarium trade, and some that are not so common. The two stand by favorites are the Clown Loach (Botia maracantha) and the Kuhli Loach (Acanthopthalmus kuhli). Other loaches sometimes seen are the Horse-faced Loach (Acanthopsis choirorhynchus), the Blue Botia (Botia modesta) and the  Skunk Loach (Botia morleti). Loaches are scaleless and so are sensitive to dissolved compounds in the water, particularly metals. For this reason, if a disease occurs in a tank containing loaches, you cannot use medications containing copper. For more information, see health & wellness section.
There's the general overview on fishes dicussed in this section. Here's the links:
CATFISH
Banjo Catfish
Brochis & Corydoras
Channel Cat
Loricariids (Pl*cos)
Shark Catfish
Shovelnose
South American Redtail
Raphael Catfish
LOACHES
Clown
Kuhli
Skunk or Horas
Yo Yo
OTHER
Red-tailed Black Shark &
Other Aquarium "Sharks"
Freshwater Rays
RESOURCES
Age Of Aquariums
Australian Catfish & Loach Forum
Catfish Corner
Loaches Online
Planet Catfish
ScotCat
Yahoo! Catfish & Loach Club
Yahoo! Corydoras and More Club
Yahoo! Looney About Loaches Club
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NOTE: All line drawings in this section belong to me. I drew them myself- just email me and ask if you want to use them! Thanks!