Horse-head Loach

[Valkyrie]

While examining my local petshop fish aquariums, I noticed, in the plant tank, a fish I had never seen before. It wasn't advertised, and, I believe, came in with the plants by mistake. I asked one of the employees about it, and of course, he had no clue what it was, either, so he offered it to me for 12 cents, the same price as a feeder fish.

When I got home, I looked it up--apparently it is, beyond a doubt, a Horse-Head/Long-Nosed Loach. Unfortunately, I don't know much about these fish, so I don't know if I should get it. These are my setups:
Option #1:
--40 gallon long, semi-aggressive
--good filtration, soft water, subdued lighting
--sand substrate
--well-decorated with plants/caves/etc, but has swimming room
--Tankmates include: kuhli loaches, a Firemouth pair (not breeding) and Rosy Barbs

Option #2:
--55 gallon long, community
--good filtration, harder water, fairly bright lighting
--black volcanic sand substrate
--more loosely decorated, lots of open swimming space
--tankmates include: Zebra Danios, swordtails, corydoras catfish, and one Pictus Catfish.


Are either of these setups suitable? What do I need to know about these loaches? Any advice, info you can give me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[The-Wolf]

Horse-Head/Long-Nosed Loach.

nice fish, hates its own kind, does a great scavenging job and ignores other fish.
go for it.