stocking 2nd tank... loaches?

hunnysnax

hunnysnax

AC Members
Nov 26, 2005
94
0
0
40
sydney australia
Hey guys!!!

grr i just typed up my whole message and lost it lol i'm an idiot

anyways heres my situation:
i have a 120L (30 gallon) 3ft tank with 2 pearl gouramis, 2small angels and 2 medium sized bristlenose. about 2 months ago i bought 8 neon rainbowfish. They started dropping off like flies almost immediately and by the time i had my mums old 40L (10 gallon) 20 inch tank up and cycled there were only 2 neon rainbows were left, and one was looking quite injured.

within 2 days of putting the neon rainbows in the 10 gallon the injured rainbow died. :( i kept the other one by herself for 2 weeks and she was looking quite healthy (if a little lonely) so i decided to set up the 10 gallon around her in a happy little home.

i planted it up and added a chinese hillstream loach which is sucking around the tank quite happily and a plan to get 3 more neon rainbows for her to school with.

why i'm here is that when i was at the fish store i fell in love with 3 little reticulated loaches ( aka pakistan loach, yoyo loach) who were playing and chasing eachother around and around. I asked the guy at the store and he said they were new and he wasn't absolutely sure how big they got but he thinks that they get to a max of 10cm (4 inch) and would go fine in my tank, though they may not get quite as large. so i got them *blushes*.

well i got home and jumped on the net to get care information for my new loaches and low and behold the first site i went to said they got to 23cm (9inches) :eek: !!!!!!!!!! i nearly fell off my chair!! anyway i looked around a bit more and i can't find a straight answer!!! i'm getting results anywhere from 5cm (2inch) to 23cm (9inches). the most common are 10 cm(4in) or 15cm(6in). the min tank size also varies from a 40L (10gallon) to a 6ft tank (how many gallons would that be!?! 60? 70?? 80!?!) :pc:

frankly i'm so confused!!! does anyone know anything about my sweet little loaches? i can always move them to my 30 gallon and get smaller loaches for my 10 gallon. i know my 10 gallon will be a little full with the 4 neon rainbows and the loaches but i'm prepared to do twice weekly water changes.

any loach lovers out there give me a yell and let me know whats going on with my yoyos!!!!

*watches yoyos dance around her tank and waits for a reply*
 
>< STUPID FISH STORE!!!!! :rant:

:mad2: why don't they tell you these things!!! :( i was told that a pair would be fine in anything 20 gallons or larger and the absolute max for an angel was 6 inches and that was rare!!!!! fish are surposed to be relaxing but i'm getting a cycle of happy/excited then angry then unhappy then stressed then i think i fixed the problem and i'm happy and the cycle begins again!!! at the moment they are tiny so they i'll see how they go. if i start getting issues then i'll take them back and look into loaches ;)

so will the loaches be right in the little tank? the site says 30 gallons so i guess not. does anyone know of loaches that will go in a little tank happily?? or have experience with yoyos in a small tank!

help meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
 
Kuhli loaches can be kept in small tanks. They'd be fine in your 20 gallon!
 
hunnysax,
It is a good think you found this forum. One of the golden rules here is "never listen to the people at the stores." They are there to make money. They are usually ill-informed at best. If you have any questions about fish or anything having to do with the hobby, come here and ask. There is a great species profile link here that you should definitely make use of, as well as the brains and experiences of the other members of this forum. Unfortunately, a lot of us fell into the same "oh, sure, these will all fit" trap. Hang in there. It will all work out. Oftentimes, the mistakes turn into a beautiful tank, and then an addiction. :D
 
Also, Hate to be the bearer of Bad News, But 2 angels in a 30gal. Is going to be a problem! Angels will grow To 9" (23 cm) long and 15" tall (38 cm) and need A tank measuring 48" (122 cm) with a capacity of 55 gallons (209 L) is adequate, although larger tanks are recommended.
Click to expand...

Er... No. Angels get about 6" long. A 29 is plenty for a pair of them.
 
get a couple of dojo loaches, also known as a weather loach, we had 2 (one died) and they are funny critters to watch, nice looking too
 
i luv my clown loaches but they can get 8-10" i hear..my biggest is prolly 6" max. ive never been able to find other loaches...my local store only sells clowns and spotted dojos tho they say the dojos are more cold water fish so i put them with my african clawed frogs which i kno they are soposed to be in warm water but i got them at like 8 years old and i never knew that. they started freakin out when i put thme in a warmer tank and out kept knocking the lid off so i put them back in the cold. do angels really get that big?? i wanted to get a pair and put them with a betta... i have 3 other tanks they could go with but ones cold water and the other two have chichlids and semi-aggressive little buggers...i need to know if their are eny fish that get at max about 6" and grow fast that can also go with a betta cuz my betta charlie kills anything thats not bigger than him and beats up anything not twice his length..tho he get lonley when he kills them all...just kinda slumps down on some plants...*sigh**sigh again* are bettas picky cuz when i got charlie he spazed out in a tank with like neutral ph and had been treated with some special started liquid then go used to it and i wanted to switch him for a 10g to a 29g tank but im very impatient..i guess i could put him in there and if he has problems i can take him out but i dont want to stress him
 
ooooooooooooh i don't know what to do... thanks for the suggestions guys. kuhli loaches are weird. they kinda creep me out... bringing back childhood memories of leechs *shudders* like a cross between a snake, an eel and a leech! do they get less creepy when they get bigger?

the yoyos are worrying me a bit... they are hiding behind the teapot(my ornament) sorta rolling ontop of one another... are they fighting or playing... they've gone all pale so i think they are fighting... is it because they don't have enough room??? i'm worried!!! will they go with my gourami's and angels and bristle nose?

do kuhli loaches click? thats something i like about the yoyos hehe and would the kuhlis hide all the time or do they swim around. if i have fish in there i want to see them!!!!

would zebra loaches go in the 10 gallon or is that the same problem? thay click ;)

i've never seen a weather loach... what are they like? active? hide alot? do they click?? :D

ooooooh someone tell me what to do!!! i'm no good at decisions!!!!!!

hayley

ps. fantastic about the angels!!!! *relief takes over the stress of loach choosing for a moment*
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom