Alternatives to Kuhli Loaches

[Wycco]

What loaches other than Kuhlis are safe with dwarf-shrimp and plants? Am I pretty much restricted to Kuhlis?

What about Weather Loaches? I know they get a bit bigger and can rearrange plants sometimes- but they're not TOO distructive are they? Also, their mouths are a little bigger- I'm sure they would love a shrimp dinner.

To be honest- I'm having a hard time picking between Kuhlis and Corys- 55 gallon tank so I don't have enough room to have a school of each (not with some upper and mid-level fish too- and I'd rather have a small school of one than a mix of two or three of each for the good of the fish.).

Whichever I get will be sharing the lower levels with Cherries and have Danios above them (maybe cherry barbs too).


Which are more entertaining? Kuhlis, Corys, or is there another compatible loach you could recommend. Looking for something relatively inexpensive and something not too hard to find.

 

[Lupin]

If I have my way, I'll still choose kuhlis but I'm biased. Go with horsefaced loaches if you don't like kuhlis. Dojos are not an issue to snails but they definitely will consume shrimps.

 

[Wycco]

Lupin, I love Kuhlis...

Just looking at all the options before making a decision. I want to make sure I make the right pick.

Did a quick google: Horsefaced get quite big- do they need to school like most loaches or are they OK by themselves or with a couple companions. The couple pages I looked at said nothing about them schooling.

If they really get 7 to 12 inches long- won't they eat any small fish? Danios... Cherry Barbs? Are they really safe with Shrimp?

I would love a couple of fish that get a little larger than the small fish I'm getting for my tank but assumed it was a big-fish eat little fish world!

 

[Lupin]

They don't eat inverts (except possibly the shrimp larva) and fish. You'll be fine with one although they do better in a small group. 12 inches is very rare in captivity. 6-7 inches is more or less the norm.

 

[bettabrat]

I like those horsefaced loaches :hearts: very cute. Wish we could get something nice like them around here. I'd probably have to special order online.

Wycco cories will probably give you more "activity". You can always get pygmy cories if you want a larger school because they stay very small. I'd go w/the horsefaced loaches they are really awesome looking but Kuhli's are too.

 

[Wycco]

6 to 7 inches is still going to be bigger than just about anything else in the tank- and add welcome variety.

It will survive by itself- but will it be happy?

One horseface and 5 pygmy would probably have the same biomass as 5 bronze cories or 5 Kuhlis I guess- so that would be a great way of adding some variety- providing my horseface was happy. (I've read 5 is the magic minimum number to keep these type fish happy)

I guess it depends on what is available at my local when I get to that stage. Doing fishless cycling- but still want to add snails and Danios (after cycling complete) first to be safe before adding my bottom feeders and shrimp when the tank is a little more mature.

(a name immediately springs to mind for my horseface, were I to get one, "S-J" as in Sarah Jessica Parker... )




If, in a 55 gallon I had say, 8 or 9 mixed Danios, (same species but different colours- Zebs and Leopards), a 20 count dwarf shrimp colony and 5 Cory's (or small Loach species):

Would I be overstocking to have a small school of Cherry Barbs? Or maybe instead of Barbs, two or three Pearl Gourami (Pearl, because they're the most peacefull of the Gourami)? I'm also considering a small school of hatchet fish instead of the Barbs or Gouramis.

Should I stop when I get the Danios, Groundfeeders and Shrimp- or would it be safe to add more?


There will be some MTS in the sand to help clean it... they'll add to the biomass too- although I plan not to overfeed and let them get out of hand... if they do I'll get some assasins.

I know the 1 inch per gallon rule- but not sure how to fit shrimp and MTS into the equation and I know Danios are skinny little things that don't take up as much of a footprint as other 1 inch fish.

 

[Lupin]

Forget the inch per gallon rule, Wycco. It is flawed and does not apply to everything. You could simply try 2 horsefaced loaches. There is no reason why this is stopping you. I've tried them myself and though they prefer to be in groups, they can do just as well when kept singly or in couples.

 

[bettabrat]

:iagree: the 1 inch per gallon rule is flawed, you can't use it for everything. You can fit like 30 dwarf shrimp in a single gallon before I think you'd have serious issues. I mean I've seen people with hundreds of them in a 10g! Anyway I can't tell you about overstocking. Can I ask though, once you've cycled your tank why you'd add a hardy fish like a danio unless you plan on keeping danios? Is it trial-and-error to see if a fish will survive? I've heard of ppl cycling aquariums w/zebra danios because they are so hardy. Just curious really...

 

[Wycco]

The more I read about Dwarf Cory's the more I like the idea... and it seems like, they tend to swim mid level a lot instead of just occupying the bottom... so if I find them- I think they would go nicely with two or three Horse Faced. They're also even smaller than I thought they were!!!!

Thanks for all the input everyone.



Oh and as for Danios:

Several reasons I'm interested in them: oh and don't worry I'm not going to put them in until fully cycled even if they are hardy and often used for cycling.

1) I've never done fishless cycling before- my first time keeping an aquarium in 15+ years... I don't know if fishless cycling "existed" back then- but I didn't know about it then (also had a lot of dead fish back then).

Although I'm going to test everything religiously and not get fish until I'm sure I'm cycled- I'm going to get Danios first in part because I want to make sure if I did screw up and measure something incorrectly, etc, I have a fish that can handle my ineptitude.

2) I really want some dwarf shrimp and Danios are compatible with them. (even if they will eat some of the shrimplets). Danios seem ideal fish to live with any other fish that can't eat them- and I want at least one shoaling species for the mid and upper levels.

3) I've always loved Danios. They're cute, active fish. Attractive without being gaudy. Also- the fact that Danios of different species and colours are completely tolerant of each other and school together nicely means I can have variety yet still have schooling fish that benefit from each other.

If Danios were rare they'd have a lot more fans!

 

[clb2196]

3) I've always loved Danios. They're cute, active fish. Attractive without being gaudy. Also- the fact that Danios of different species and colours are completely tolerant of each other and school together nicely means I can have variety yet still have schooling fish that benefit from each other.

If Danios were rare they'd have a lot more fans!

I <3 my danios. I totally agree. I've loing and short fin zebras, long and short fin leopards, long fin gold, long fin blue, red, orange and green Glofish (I wish there were long finned glo fish!) and a red zebra and leopard, that had 1 red glofish parent. They're entertaining, colorful, and fill the tank nicely.

FWIW, I have some cories (LOVE them) and I'm planning on getting some kuhlis, too. Although possibly not as soon as I may have some more cories if these fry survive.