Best loach substrate?

[Boromark]

I know that sand is a good substrate to preserve the barbels of loaches and also Corydoras. I have also read that a dark substrate is best for showing fish colours, and for light-sensitive loaches.

I use BD sand (in UK) and it is good but quite bright, so I was wondering if anyone has come across a sandy type substrate smooth enough for loaches, which is also dark?

(Sorry if this question has already been asked - still making my way through the archives!)

[Diana]

I have no idea what is available in the UK, but here there are a couple of products that are dark, and small particle size.

One is sold here in fish stores as Tahitian Moon Sand. It is a very fine, black sand. It does not pack together, so anaerobic conditions are not likely (Unless you pile it really deep)

Another is a product in the swimming pool industry. It is called 3-M Colorquartz. This is fine granules that are added to the interior finish of a swimming pool to make it different colors. It is OK in an aquarium (chemically inert) and is rounded enough that it is OK for the whiskers and barbels of Cats, Loaches and other fish. There is a web site that you can go to to find this product, perhaps see where it is available, or if there is a similar product in the UK. It is available in many colors, so if black is not right, perhaps dark brown would work.

Another option is one of the planting substrates, such as Eco Complete. In general they are fine textured materials with added fertilizers for growing aquatic plants. The problem is that some burrowing or digging fish might keep them stirred up so much the water might be a little cloudy now and then. Also, these materials are not so good in an aquarium that does not have live plants.

One more option (again, I do not know if anything like it is available in the UK) is Soil Master Select or Turface. These products started out as a material for cleaning up oil spills. Then someone found out they worked well in a sports field, drying the field and making it playable sooner after rain or irrigation. Then someone tried them as a plant growing media, and then in an aquarium.
They have no fertilizer in themselves, but when you add fertilizer to the tank these materials will hold the fertilizer until the plants need it. They are fine, and soft. My burrowing fish (a couple of Peacock Eels) can burrow in and completely hide under it in a second or two, or swim right out of the stuff just as fast. I haven't tried Weather Loaches in this stuff...
Clown Loaches and Yoyos will dig themselves a hollow spot under a branch and it does not cloud the water when a little dust gets kicked up. It settles right away.

[Emma Turner]

Hi Boromark,

I use black silica sand in many of my loach tanks. It's a very fine grade and is good for barbel protection and for showing the fishes colours off very nicely.

Here are a couple of pics of this sand in my river tank:





You may be able to source this elsewhere, but branches of Maidenhead Aquatics should stock this or be able to get it in for you (ring first before travelling). The supplier is D-Pac Ltd.

Emma

[Boromark]

Thanks very much, Diana and Emma. I will follow up these ideas, it sounds as if the black silica is a good option in the UK.

I have some Eco Complete under my sand, Diana, to help with plant growth, and occasionally bits of it get churned to the surface, which does tone down the brightness of the sand.

Thanks for the superb pictures Emma. Your Hillstream loaches are really attractive fish.

Cheers, Mark