Substrate Grain Size And Kuhlii Loaches

[iffles]

Hi all,

Currently i have the well-loved argos playsand in my tank, but ive come across some problems with it - im worried about patches of anaerobic bacteria forming in the sand. At the front of the tank awful blackish patches develop that i have to clean away during regular maintenance. This would be no problem except that sometimes bubbles of some mystery gas are produced, which dont smell too nice . I'm not sure if this is harmful to the fish, but also the almost white colour of the sand shows everything on it, and it seems to take away from the colours of the fish (not sure whether the unnatural colour stresses them or if the bright light reflected off the sand makes them dimmer in comparison..?). So im thinking of changing to a black sand substrate, maybe a planted substrate to help the plants? Ive come across the Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Substrate and the Seachem Flourite Black Sand, and would go for probably the eco-complete straight away... except that i have kuhlii loaches (the reason that i went for sand initially), and am worried that it is too coarse for their barbels. The playsand is very very fine (<1mm), but on and online website selling these substrates, listed the eco-complete grain size to range from 1mm-6mm and the flourite to be about 3mm. This is much coarser than what the kuhliis are used to, but i think that they would like a darker substrate because it is closer to their natural habitat's dark muddy one.

So basically my question is: what grain sizes can barbelled (not sure if thats a word ) fish like kuhlii loaches take? And also what other types of black sand/substrates are good for planted tanks/kuhlii loaches?

Thanks in advance

 

[three-fingers]

The anaerobic pockets and "mystery gasses" are nothing to be worried about, despite what a lot of sources say.

I think this myth stems from manufacturers blurbs on packaging saying things like "porous structure stops accumulation of toxic anaerobic gasses" and the like. Some anaerobic gasses are toxic, yes, but become instantly non-toxic upon contact with oxygen (and aquarium water is FULL of oxygen, unless your fish are already gasping).

If the black stuff looks like a film on the top of the sand - it could just be cyanobacteria - basically a bacteria that photosynthesises and grows like algae. To stop it growing back you can try lots of things, adding different species of plant, adding snails that eat it and burrow in the sand, improving flow by adding an additional powerhead, reducing lighting times/intensity etc. - it would be best to ask in the planted section and give all your tanks details with pictures

The best thing for your loaches would be to keep the play sand, as other planted mediums and all black sands ive seen have been larger grain size or sharper.

Khulie loaches would be fine on any of the substrates you mentioned, it's just that playsand is more optimal for them .

Playsand is perfect for a planted tank too, proper planted substrates can help boost plant growth to begin with and are great if you know what your doing, but aren't needed for plants and will soon become depleted anyway - making them equally as good as playsand long-term.

The fish wont be stressed with the playsand either, it's just their bright colours don't stand out as much to your eyes because of the lack of contrast. With black sand, darker coloured fish can become invisible, so it works both ways .

All-in-all it's totally down to your personal preference, the fish and plants would be happier without the disruption of emptying everything out the tank lol.

 

[Tizer]

I have Kuhlis on argos play sand, they are fine. i probably have pockets of gas in there too as the substrate is 10cm deep near the back, but its not something that concerns me.

 

[Crossfire]

My kuhlis love white silica sand. But if you want black sand, try moonsand. Basically same thing, just black. Have you tried a black background for the fish colors?

 

[iffles]

Thanks for the replies

proper planted substrates can help boost plant growth to begin with and are great if you know what your doing, but aren't needed for plants and will soon become depleted anyway - making them equally as good as playsand long-term.

ive decided against a proper planted substrate cos you said the nutrients would be depleted soon - maybe i'll use the JBL 7+13 kugeln fertilizer balls in a normal sand instead, and replace them every now and then

My kuhlis love white silica sand. But if you want black sand, try moonsand. Basically same thing, just black. Have you tried a black background for the fish colors?

i went to my lfs and bought 2 bags of caribsea tahitian moon black sand (the moonsand you were referring to?).
ive taken everything out of the tank and put the black sand in. i really like the effect cos the contrast of the colors of the plants and fish with it

So all i have to do now is buy the fertiliser balls and some more plants, then everything is done

Thanks again for the helpful replies!