Pampering my Loaches

[BabbleFish]

Ok. I have three black khuli Loaches ( Pooch, Mongrell, and Poodle ) currently residing at the bottom of my female betta tank. They don't have many places to hide, or aparently no places GOOD enough for them to hide in, as they've seemed to exiled the variouse live plants i've boughten for the tank. I understand that i ought to get a more cave like hiding place for them. anyone have any good home made 'quick fixes' that provide the shelter my loaches need, but don't make my tank look too dumpy either? I dropped a few loosely piled plastic sea shells into a dug out corner of the tank and that's where they reside mostly, but i wonder if this is too little.

From what i understand the loaches are bottom feeders, at least this is what the petstore led me to beleive. ( please excuse my doubt in the knowledge of my local pet stores, as they've sold me 'fresh water fiddler crabs' that promptly died. lets see, hmm... maybe because they are a brakish water creature? ' as well as an egyption spiney mouse that they insisted didn't need a heater or anything bigger then a five gallon tank. ) SO, other then simply feeding my fish and hoping the loaches receive the nutrience they need, what should i feed them? is their any special 'treat' they would enjoy? Is it normall for them to fly all about, squiggling like they had just descovered their boddy was so wigglefull?

And one more thing, i read somewhere in my research that they should be kept with at least 5 other loaches. I bought the one, went back and bought two more a week after i had him (i like to make sure i can take care of a species without it dying in the first week before buying a second.). Is three too little? the Tank is a ten gallon with four female betta in it, and one male betta who has his own small portion enclosed within the tank. I think more then four Loaches would be too many for the tanks size and the numbers of it's other inhabitents, but if it would make them much happier to be in larger numbers i'de gladly move the trio to their own tank with a few comrads ^_~

I lied, this'll be the 'one more' thing. What about mixing loaches? like i said, i have three black khuli loaches, would it be an unwise idea to throw in a pair of clow loaches or maybe even a horse head loach if i provided a bigger tank?

If you have any info deemed usefull for the keeping of loaches, i'de love to hear it.

~Liz

 

[SirMinion]

Change the gravel to sand and place a small peice of boiled bogwood in there and your loaches will send you chocolates and flowers in thanks.

Khulis love to burrow under things.

 

[Rubicon]

I'm down to only one Khuli as the other two met an untimely end some time back. First one either swam or got sucked up the intake for my aquaclear mini and didn't live too long after I freed 'em. Second one mysteriously died a couple weeks later, no idea why.

Either way, the only other loaches I have in there are two dojo's ( Zoidberg and Doofy ) and they seem completely indifferent to eachother. As far as a hidey hole, you can buy some ornamental cave type things that look like tree stumps or whatever. 10 bucks, I'd call 'em cheap. They're hollow with one or two entry points and my dojo's love the two I've gotten for 'em. Each claimed its own.

If you want to make your own I found an interesting idea on an old post in the DIY area. Get yourself some aquarium silicone, and chop the domed end(s) off a 2 litre pop bottle. Cut some entry points, slather outside with silicone and roll it around in the same kind of gravel as is in your aquarium. it'll look like a mound of gravel that just happens to be hollow. I'm gonna try this later this week.

Oh and yes, I'd say it's normal for Khuli's to be squiggly. You ever try to net one?? Good luck

 

[David]

Only add clown loaches to the tank if it's really big (over 30 gallons for juvies, over 60 for adults). this is also dependent on how many you have. Currently I have 2 juvies in my 46 gallon. I don't really know anything about kuhlis though, sorry.

 

[TechnicolourBetta]

oops. this is my sister's SN. *edit*

 

[BabbleFish]

thanks for the responces! I've cleaned out my tank, moved the plants around and whatnot, but also i added a small palm sized clay jug. The loaches all fell in love with it, and Citratronic the Orange Flavored Robot (that's one of my femme bettas) seems to enjoy peeking her head into the 'caves' it creates.

Sand huh? I have sand in one of my betta bowls, but i find it very disagreeable. Already i've found so many beatle exosceletons in the stuff and that it makes me very nervouse. And i find that it looks grimey, as well as being a pain to clean up. Perhapse i could dig out the gravel that is surrounding the jug and replace it with sand, but leave the rest of the tank with its' gravel?

well! i'm glad i asked about the other loaches! I will avoid clown loaches, as i won't have room for a tank that size for a while.
Rubicon, how big to dojo's get? and Zoidberg is an awsome name I'm a futurama geek. netting one? yeah, tell me 'bout it! my 'netting' adventures alwayse end up with the loach flinging himself out of the tank and me scrambling on the floor screaming 'it's okay, hunny! It's okay! It'll be allright, baby!" .


I see no one has commented on the number of loaches, does this meen that 3 is an approved number?

also, foods, anything special i should be buying?


again, many many thanks for the responces!