Loach Caves

Roan Art

Roan Art

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Oct 7, 2005
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Are PVC loach caves more like tunnels that they can swim in one side and out the other or is one end blocked?

Are they best half buried in the substrate so that the floor of the cave is substrate, or pushed into the substrate and smooth PVC as the cave floor?

Does it matter how they are situated in the aquarium? (front, middle, back)

Does the inside need to be dark, ie: shadowed?

Any help greatly appreciated,
Thanks

Roan
 
How you situate your loach cave is pretty much up to you. It's all a matter of taste, and if your fish like it. The only hard and fast loach housing rules I adhere to are

1. Open at both ends, so water can flow through and circulate

2. At least a little shady cause mine seem to prefer it.

3. Situated in the tank so I can witness the loachpile at bedtime.


Having said that, my loaches abandoned their pvc cave in favor of driftwood, that they share with ringlet plecos.
 
Halo said:
How you situate your loach cave is pretty much up to you. It's all a matter of taste, and if your fish like it.
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So, in other words -- keep futzing until the loaches take an interest :D

The only hard and fast loach housing rules I adhere to are

1. Open at both ends, so water can flow through and circulate

2. At least a little shady cause mine seem to prefer it.
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Okay, I had made it more like a tunnel, so I did that right. Shady -- I'll have to move it a bit so it's a little darker in there.

OH! How long should the caves be? I've 3 kuhlis and 2 clowns and two caves. The kuhlis are about, hrm, 3" and the clowns about 2½". Could be bigger. It's hard to guesstimate through the glass. The clowns are the same size as my sub-adult Boesemani rainbows and the kuhlis are longer than them.

I'm getting two 55g tanks in December and I'm going to separate the two kinds and add another clown. How many caves per tank is good?

3. Situated in the tank so I can witness the loachpile at bedtime.
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I've never seen any of my loaches pile. Right now the tank lights are off and all I can see are the shadows of the fish that are right up near the front of the glass. Those fish are the kuhliis and they are surfing the filter and swimming right up against the glass. They do it all night and most of the day. They don't seem to sleep or rest a lot. When they are not surfing, they are pigging out on zucchini.

I've seen the clowns rest a bit, but there aren't enough of them to make a "pile" yet :D.

Having said that, my loaches abandoned their pvc cave in favor of driftwood, that they share with ringlet plecos.
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ROFL! Maybe that's why they are ignoring the caves I made. I have some fair sized pieces of driftwood, lots of plants and large rocks. Tons of hiding places for all sized fishes.

Thanks for your help,
Roan
 
Thank you very much! I did do a search, but I guess I didn't read back far enough.

I'm going to do a small one for now and then do a big one like yours for the 55g in Dec.

Would kuhlie loaches go for that type of a cave too?

Roan
 
My loaches LOVE my driftwood and rock cliffs. They pile on top of each other and just hang out. Once in a while they will chase each other in a circle and then settle back down. They don't seem too interested in plants though.
 
I heard about one guy whole joined sevral together andd placed the tunnel he built under his gravel, and his clowns loved it! my brother got a job at a pvc pipe factory. If I can talk him into getting me a few pieces, is there anything I need to do to make it tank safe or just rinse it well
 
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I use black PVS pipe then put aquarium safe glue on top and sprinkle my gravel on it. I only push the pipe a little into the gravel. All the loaches want is a place dark and safe from predators.

Before, I submerged pipe into the gravel like this, it would get too dirty and I had a lot of live plants that it was too difficult to keep pulling it out to clean.

Another good rule to follow:

Have at least one cave on either side of the tank. They like to know that wherever they are in the tank, they have a safe house to get to quickly in case of trouble.

I have three caves: pipe on left side, a 300 year old shingle from a korean temple in the middle, a big bent driftwood on the right. With this, my clown loaches are so happy, they stay out all day.
 
reziztor said:
Before, I submerged pipe into the gravel like this, it would get too dirty and I had a lot of live plants that it was too difficult to keep pulling it out to clean.
Click to expand...
Hrm, good point as I have a lot of live plants, too.

Have at least one cave on either side of the tank. They like to know that wherever they are in the tank, they have a safe house to get to quickly in case of trouble.
Click to expand...
Another good point.

I have three caves: pipe on left side, a 300 year old shingle from a korean temple in the middle, a big bent driftwood on the right. With this, my clown loaches are so happy, they stay out all day.
Click to expand...
Wow, I've love that shingle for my betta tank :) What's it made out of -- wood? rock?

My kuhlies are out all the time, the clowns are new to this tank -- I've had them in quarrantine for quite a while -- so I'll have to wait a while and see how comfortable they really are.

I have a lot of driftwood and large rocks -- one weighs 29# and one of the others is 19# -- and plants for fishes to hide in. They were out earlier eating zucchini, but now they are hiding. All in good time, I guess :P

Roan
 
Ah yeah... Those shingles are an unknown substance. I've heard "marble"... But they dont look like any marble I know of. Its black and coarse with subtle wave or flower designs. They look like plant pot halves... And I thought they were until the owner informed me otherwise. I boil them for a few hours and then submerge them for a few days and they are good to go.
 
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