Loaches Online Forum

I am getting a new tank for my birthday, probly around 45 or 50 gallons, maybe a little bit lower. I want to keep 3 dojo loaches in it. What other fish could I put in there with them that are not hard to keep and look nice?

A male and a couple of female paradise fish would like nice in there...plus, they're cooler water fish as well. Rosy barbs would also work.

Eric

Is 76 degrees ok for them?

I would also vote for Rosy Barbs, they are quite active but don't bother other fish and the males have a fantastic colour when fully grown. But do get a couple of paler females for contrast too. I would get 4 males and 2 female if I was starting again. They do need to be in groups.

76 degrees is fine although both the Dojo Loach and Rosy Barb are happy is slightly cooler water.

I want to get it soon and have it cycled before I get the loaches, what fish should I use to cycle it if I have to keep them in there till they die? And do I have to have had it cycled for a while before I put in the dojos?

corey236 wrote:I want to get it soon and have it cycled before I get the loaches, what fish should I use to cycle it if I have to keep them in there till they die? And do I have to have had it cycled for a while before I put in the dojos?

Ideally you should use the 'fishless cycling technique'. Granted it takes a while (up to a month) but at the end you have a well seeded filter and no fish harmed in the process. Please consider this method over using fish to cycle your tank. You can speed this process up if you can get hold of some 'used' filter media.

Il have a look for some older posts on this and post them up.

Loaches are best in an established aquarium. Saying that you go down the fishless cycle route, I would add whatever dithers you are wanting once your tank has cycled and then add the loaches a good few weeks after just to be on the safe side but thats just me.

Ashleigh

It is far better to cycle without fish using household ammonia. Check out this thread about the diary of fishless cycling.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/f ... php?t=5322

Whilst you can cycle with fish is does place them under a lot of stress and can shorten their lives. It is worth taking the time and effort to get the tank ready for your fish. You can use the time to add some plants and do some homework of exactly which fish you want to go for and the conditions which are best for them and for you.

Below explains the basis of the Nitrogen cycle

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
(regarding test kits, liquid are far far more reliable than the strip tests)

Any questions, feel free to ask. Granted it is a long process, but it is well worth the wait in the long run, patience is the key thing here.

Ashleigh

Ashleigh wrote:
Ideally you should use the 'fishless cycling technique'. Granted it takes a while (up to a month) but at the end you have a well seeded filter and no fish harmed in the process.
Il have a look for some older posts on this and post them up.
Ashleigh

find someone with an established tank and steal some of their filter media.
BOOM you have a cycled tank. Don't add too many fish at once.
It really kills me that local shops don't do this for customers...why the heck not!
O ya don't run the filter without fish in the tank. The seeded filter needs food (fish waste).

Getting mature filter media from an established tank or even just the squeezings from one will seed the filter for cycling, but unless you're starting with a very low stocking which will be built up slowly it won't cycle the tank in itself.

I have a hob filter for my ten gallon, if I get like a 40 gallon and squeeze some water out of the old filter into the new one how many fish should I add to keep it cycled without overloading it? If I put just a few wont there not be enough ammonia or to dilluted for the new bacteria to multiply? I have fish in my ten so I cant just take the carbon filter out and put it in the new one can I? I have a dwarf puffer, a peppered cory, two ottos, and one shrimp, will they die if I put them in the big tank with the old filter in the new tank?

I have done it so that when my zippers came to Wales, I added a cycled internal filter (I always have an extra on a few of my tanks) along side the uncycled internal that was already with the tank and a new external filter. I also used sand and bogwood from established tanks. I kept an eye on my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate-they never rose.

You could move them to the new tank along with the filter from the 10g and add on a new filter that you intend to use for the 45g and add the fish from your 10g. You could slowly start to add the new fish you want (say one every week/everyother week) but you run into possible temperature problems; the fish you have are tropical and the fish you are setting up the tank for prefer cooler temps.

If you can get actual filter media and add a few (2-4) say barbs that you want and keep a close eye on the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and keep up the water changes so readings keep at 0 0 <10. And add a few fish everyother week once you are sure everything is stable. Add the loaches last.

That is a possible way, but you will need to keep a close eye on things and stock slowly.

I hope this makes sense in some way or another-Im not the best at explaining things


Ashleigh

Well I had my ten gallon running now for about half a year. I have a dwarf puffer and they are sensitive to ammonia and such like loaches, so I am pretty sure I can handle it but I do a looooooot of research before I spend money on any thing. Like I'm finding out about the big tank now that im getting for my birthday in July, lol.

Eyrie wrote:Getting mature filter media from an established tank or even just the squeezings from one will seed the filter for cycling, but unless you're starting with a very low stocking which will be built up slowly it won't cycle the tank in itself.

ya don't add too many fish at once...what I wrote.
I agree that just putting in seeded filter media doesn't mean the tank is instantly cycled. Having a seeded filter is the most important step though.
over filter....under stock

Well if you are not getting your tank till July, why not add on the filter you want to the 10g as soon as you can-it will then certinally be cycled by the time you buy your tank

Ashleigh