Loach Tank Update: Sand Addition Pics

[LoachOrgy]

One more minute detail. The stones that we bought from walmart in the vase section were half the price they were in the fish section. Even these stones were better than the ones they had for the fish section. Also, the package says that these stones are aquarium safe. So for about 2$ I got one of the above bags. The larger stones were 4$ for those big bags but that should be enough to make some nice scenery. I may go by home depot tommorow and get some pvs piping. does anyone have a suggested size for pvc piping? I was thinking 3/4" thickness to 1".

[LoachOrgy]

Ok I am changing my sand now as we speak. I have replaced one third of the gravel with rinsed sand so far. I am watching the loaches to see how they react so far.

Ok after 5 hours of rinsing and cleaning and adding sand....walla....


I am going to rearrange the rocks in better formations later on I just wanted to get everything together where it is comfortable. I already witnessed the first trial......



The cory's hate it so far. It sticks to them. The loaches havn't been digging around yet but I think it will take a few days and they will be all over it.







After the first 1/3 of the tank I took a video during break time. The baby loaches were begging for food.



After about an hour most of the sand settled and I turned the filters back on. Everything is clearing up and I will take some more pictures tommorow when all the sand settles.

I have been watching the loaches in the blue moon light and they are playing and digging. the pleco really likes the sand. he uses his tail to throw sand around like a helicopter. he basically made hills and rearranged the tank already.....

One cory had blood in its gills and it appeared that the side fin was bleeding at the joint. The blood cleared up and the cory appears to be acting normally. I was worried at first the cory kept swimming up and down and looking right at me and throwing sand up. I was under the impression the cory didn't like the sand. well at least thats what he told me...lol.

As I sit here sleepless watching the loaches, they seem to be having a hayday with this sand. kicking up dust clouds allover. they dig more with their fins now rather than their nose. i find they dig with their noses when i had the larger gravel. I will probably mix in some smaller gravel stones that will allow the loaches to have some play toys.

I think I may go on a pvc pipe quest tommorow.

[LoachOrgy]

this morning






last night big loach is in this picture


this morning all of the loach were out playing in the sand. big loach dug him/herself a hole last night and sat in it while eating an algae wafter.

[shari2]

How are the cories doing? Looks very nice, btw!
I much prefer this look to the former gravel.

[joitoy]

That looks so nice! Great job.

See, it's much easier than you expected isn't it? For the PVC tubing decide whether you want to make it 'natural' before you add it to your tank. I wish I had but I don't want to disturb it now.

By Natural I mean like smearing aquarium sillicone on it and dipping it in sand or gravel so it looks like a regular cave. Letting it dry and cure then putting it into the aquarium submerged at the halfway point. Nobody but the ghost shrimp liked it when i had just set it on top, but when I half submerged it, EVERYONE began to go inside.

[loachmom]

I think it looks really nice, LO.

Your loaches look great, too!

[LoachOrgy]

joi, yes it was much easier. in fact i rinsed the sand so much i think i lost half the volume of it lol...always play it safe

i have a 6" spot picked out for a pvc pipe tube and I am going to pile large rocks on top to make it more natural.

I may pickup some plants today.


All tankmates looked great today. The cory's were playing all night. I think in hindsight that the cory's were more mad bc i turned off the waterfall. They love the current.

joi, good idea. i may try out the rocks and see what I can come up with. if it doesn't blend enough I will do what you suggested. i can definitely see it blending well with the sand and aquarium silicone.

I think it looks really nice, LO.

Your loaches look great, too!

thanks i spoil them beyond comprehension

I am beginning to love the sand. I can tell that the debris and gunk buildup stay atop the sand. This is definitely helping keep the tank clean. i tried vaccuming it with a tube last night but I don't have the touch yet.

[joitoy]

oh! It took me about two water changes to figure out how to vacuum without sucking up my sand.

once its beginning to pull water from the tank, lower the end of the vac until its about 1-2 inches from touching sand. Swish back and forth to create enough current for debris to move and lift from the sand into the water, then suck it all in

[loachmom]

LO,

If you are going with live plants and don't want to bother with special lighting or fertilizing, I suggest Java ferns or moss and the anubias. Only Anubias gracilus needs special care. (according to a book I'm reading...I'm not an expert) These plants should not be planted deep into the substrate. They do best anchored to rocks or wood.

Also, hornwort does not root and can either float around the top of your tank or you can weight it down. I have some that's growing very quickly. It makes a nice hiding spot for fry.

[joitoy]

i've noticed ludwigia repens doesnt need special lighting either. the lights over my betta tank are only on for about 6 hours a day and i only use seachem flourish over there

i put one stem on each side of the divider (2 bettas so a divider was needed) and already one is splitting to grow a second branch from it after only 2 weeks.)

[Emma Turner]

Nice job, LO. The sand looks so much better! The loaches and Corys will really enjoy foraging around in it. We leave a few odd pebbles in our tank for the loaches to pick up and throw about. A couple of them even grab them and bang them against the glass!

Emma

[LoachOrgy]

Emma,

yeah i was scouting the smaller pebbles for the loaches to play with today. i found some gravel at caribsea called rio grande blend. I think I may add this to my tetra tank to help the little corys out. i found some larger rouned pebbles about a 1/4 of the size of the smaller pebbles in my tank.

http://www.carib-sea.com/pages/products ... shsub.html

I added a 2" pvc pipe fitting. It has a double end with two exit holes and on the other end is a rounded tube that has a slight bend in it. The pleco has already tried to go in it about 4 times and he can't get past the bend. but the loaches are loving it as well as the corys. I stacked some rocks around it and tried to hide it with plants.




you can see the two openings in this shot



here is a shot of where the pvc pipe comes out the back of the tank. the loaches love this so far and have been playing in it more than ever.

[LoachOrgy]

LO,

If you are going with live plants and don't want to bother with special lighting or fertilizing, I suggest Java ferns or moss and the anubias. Only Anubias gracilus needs special care. (according to a book I'm reading...I'm not an expert) These plants should not be planted deep into the substrate. They do best anchored to rocks or wood.

Also, hornwort does not root and can either float around the top of your tank or you can weight it down. I have some that's growing very quickly. It makes a nice hiding spot for fry.

loachmom, i have java fern and anubius fern in there right now. Whatever anubius i have requires no care at all. its lasted a good two months so far with the loaches. i find a few leaves dying but if i have to replace them every few months it isn't so bad. im starting a 24 gallon soon that i may use for plant growth sitting in the sunlight.

im using the rocks to hold them in place usually the loaches dig them up. so the larger rocks are helping do that. i stacked rocks all over the pvc pipe along with plants in and around the rocks. some of the rocks arent' even touching substrate, they just sit between the rocks.

[Emma Turner]

Looking good, LO. Those pebbles are really pretty too.

Emma

[Graeme Robson]

You can update your Avatar now LO. Much more eye friendly is your tank.

Here's one of your Clowns in Avatar sized format.