Loaches Online Forum

Do they have to have a strong current in their tank to be happy? Because they require a pretty big tank and I'd rather not just have clowns in the tank but the fish I wanted wouldn't like strong currents (angels, severum, blue gourami, etc).

Hello Sawyer,

Loaches are, in a comon sense, fishes of troubled water. They are a bit more in need for oxigen then most other fishes. So, make sure you have a well oxigenated water, even without a rivertank manifold. Maybe you could use airstones instead.

Good luck!

Okay, thanks

So I don't have to have strong current, just enough oxygen?

Moving water provides more gas exchange and better circulation of that gas: Raising the O2 in the water, and releasing the CO2.

Air toys do not directly add O2 to the water. They increase water movement at the surface, and slightly increase water circulation.

Much better is to set up filtration at something close to 10 times the tank volume per hour, then increase local water movement with power heads. Something like the Koralia series is very good. These produce a somewhat more diffuse water movement that is much gentler for the flat sided fish that you like, while increasing the water movement in poor areas (wherever you direct them) to increase the oxygen levels in there.

I have Clown Loaches, Snakeskin Gouramis and a Discus in one tank. The Clown Loaches occasionally surf the Aquaclear power head (a strong, point-source power head) and the Discus is occasionally found within 6" of the Koralia #4, and not having problems with the current as long as he is out of the immediate front and path of the water.
Filtration on this tank is from 2 filters of around 600 gph total (under the 10x that I was aiming for) but the power heads bring the water movement up pretty close to 20x. Just that the whole tank is not churning like a river.