Suggestions on Loach Shelters

[Soujirou]

I have a 30g tank with dwarf loaches (Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki). I have a piece of driftwood that the loaches hide under but I want to get rid of it so I was hoping someone would know some good alternatives. I was thinking of some type of clay pots but I'm not sure how that would work. Thanks for the help.

[JonasBygdemo]

PVC-pipes are great, and there's clay-pipes too if you want it to match the pots.

[Diana]

Terra cotta is OK in an aquarium, but be careful that the drain holes are WAY bigger than the fish. Perhaps cut off the bottom to make more of a tunnel rather than a cave, or break the pot so the hole cannot trap any fish. Half a pot, slightly buried makes a good cave.
Debris can collect in and around any of these, so be sure to clean them when you do a water change, and if possible lay them out where the water flow in the tank can help keep them clean. This works OK with tunnels, not so well with caves.

[Sharkscott2]

There's a nice stand of large bamboo not too far from my house. I grab a few fallen stalks every year. If it's still green (or yellow) I let it sit outside until it turns brown (see note on this below). Then I cut it into 4-12 inch lengths (small enough to fit in a pot and in the tank), sometimes I'll use a hammer and screwdriver to knock out the interior walls. Then I boil it for 15 mintues or so. Then weight it down in the tank. I usually use some pebbles which can fit inside the bamboo to hold it down. After a week or two it will typically stay down by it's self.

I've kept the same piece of bamboo in one of my tanks for over two years. I haven't found a loach yet who won't use it for shelter.



If you don't wait for the bamboo to dry out and turn brown you can still cut it up and boil it. But when you place it in the water you'll most likely have a white film come out of the bamboo. I think this is some kind of sap like substance. Assuming your water flow isn't too strong it'll cling to the bamboo. Just take it out and rinse it off every few days until it stops appearing. I've never had a problem with it being harmful to the fish. It's just a pain to remove and clean.

[andyroo]

Bamboo !!!!
I've had the same pieces in the tank for coming on 3 years now. They're getting thinner and thinner as the fish graze the crud from the insides. Eventually will have to replace....