Loaches Online Forum

I have got my first ever loach. Its a goldent dojo loach, it's not very big (not sure whether or not its make or female) but it does not seem as activ and friendly as others seem to be. He stays mostly at the bottom, I have a black sand for easy burrowing. But he does not swim around not ar different levels. I ordered some brine shrimp eggs I have beed feeding shrimp pellets and crumble them so they will still sink and be easy enough for it to eat. His color seems normal, I am just concerned that maybe something is not right. The ph is at 7.5, GH at 30, KH 80, No2- .5 and No3- inbetween o and 20.

I will be recieving a new filtration system here in a few days, my current one has not been working as efficiently as it used to, I believe that has led to the increase in No2-.

I am fairly new to keeping fish. I know that the pH should ideally be 7 and have some tetra maintenance tabs for pH although i am not sure if they are safe to use with the fish in the tank.

Would adding another golden dojo loach to the aquarium possibly help the situation?

Any advice is appreciated.

My tank size is 75 gallon (my sisters old one) just in case your wondering.

Thanks

Thomas

Give your loach some friends! Loaches are only happy in groups of 3 or more, and in a 75 gallon tank you could easily house a group of half a dozen or more, unless you already have a high fish-load in the tank. Dojos, like most other loaches, are social creatures that enjoy the presence of others of their own kind. Once you add some more, I think your current loach will "come out of his shell" and really show what makes these fish so much fun to have around. Also make sure that there are plenty of hiding places for them, and that any holes in the tank lid are closed up.

A slight increase in nitrite can be caused by poor filtration, and the best solution is (in my opinion) is a combination of strong mechanical filtration and good biological media. Overfeeding is another possible reason for a nitrite increase: if there is leftover food, you're feeding too much. A nitrite increase can also be an indicator of an overpopulated tank, though I think that's unlikely with a tank as large as yours, unless you have more fish than water.
Fortunately for your fish, 0.5 ppm is almost nothing, especially if your ammonia is 0 (you should be monitoring that also, if you're not).

As for pH being at 7.5, don't fight it. You'll cause more stress to the fish trying to chemically overcome that last 0.5 pH than they would ever experience by just adapting to the VERY SLIGHT difference between that and perfect neutrality. I know this from experience, my tap water is naturally (and defiantly) 7.5, and my fish were never happier than when I stopped trying to adjust the pH. Do keep an eye on it, though.

Finally, loaches need clean water, so frequent water changes are a must. 25% per week is usually a good guideline (it works for my loaches), but use whatever schedule works for you and enables you to keep the nitrate levels low and the water clean.

Dojos are among the most active, goofy, and fun loaches to have in a tank, and should provide you with many years of enjoyment once you get your setup adjusted to meet their needs. It sounds like you're well on your way already.

Thank you... I am actually going to go today and will probably buy my local store out. They did not have alot in the first place so ill probably come home with 3 or 4. The overfeeding i just found out that earlier in the week my dad took out two of my larger fish because he had noticed themswimming around together and moved them to one of our other tanks thats in his room so there go two of by bigger eaters, im shocked i didnt notice but with college starting i guess ive been a little busy , my bad.

I ordeered some Cichlid stones and they are supposed to be in today, hopefully those will provide them with a couple more hiding spots.

Thanks for the advice

Thomas