Loaches Online Forum

Hello!

I am in the process of re-seting up my 55 gallon. While I have it torn down, i decided to do a revamp of decor, etc. I have a TON of rocks, and am going to make as many caves as i can. It will be relatively heavily planted (by newbie to plants standards anyways) and I am in hopes to get some more driftwood and make a more 'black' water habitat (as found in the amazon regions) for my plecos, who both come from that kind of habitat.

I'm certain the queen loaches don't much care what kind of rocks and sticks are in their tank, but I'm wondering if they will appreciate the peat I am contemplating putting in the canister filter? My water is a bit hard to average, with a high (7.6) ph. I'm not going to over do the black water thing, and try to make it super authentic. If i do it at all, it will be just enough to give it a more 'authentic' feel for the 3 fish in there that DO like black water (betta, and 2 plecs).

Will the queen loaches mind? If it is a less ideal situation for them, i'll skip that part, but if they'll like or not mind, i would like to do it for the sake of the others.

LeeAnna

I would add the driftwood. When it is new wood can release a lot of organic acids, and create a pretty distinct blackwater tank. As it ages the wood releases less and less, and the effect becomes minimal.
If the other answers here say that the Loaches do not like this kind of water then you can make the wood release more tannins and such faster by boiling it with several water changes until the boiling water remains clear or tints only a little bit.
I can boil fairly large pieces of wood in a sturdy roast pan that sits across two burners of my stove. Larger than this I soak in a garbage can, and change the water every few days. The water in the cans is not heated, of course, so it takes longer.
If all the fish do like the blackwater then you can add peat moss to the filter in a nylon stocking. Change the peat moss about once a month to 6 weeks.

Thanks for the info on the black water set up. Silly me, i didn't contemplate what my new driftwood may release tannin wise (my current pieces must have been pre-soaked, as they didn't release any).

Now I just need to know if the loaches will appreciate it or not. I know the plecs n betta will, and right now they're the only ones who live in the tank, other than the loaches.

i would always soak new wood, as sometimes its rubbish, and white slimy stuff appears. i think its safer to see if the slime appears when soaking, rather than in a nice warm tank with precious fish in