Info for loaches

[Grumpy_Marine]

I am going to go strictly with loaches for my fish with tanks from now on. With that being said i need to know good places for info on loaches. I already have registered with Loaches Online... they have great profiles of loaches, but their personal interaction is lacking majorly. I post a serious question asking for input from people, i get one response in two weeks. If i post the same thing here i would have 100 responses within one week.. MFT Rocks.

So i am asking if anyone knows of good sites for info on loaches please let me know. I am going to be helping MFT by sending any info i find on loaches to the staff so it may be added to profiles or reviews and such.

Also i am looking for a 55 gallon tank, i need to know if there is a 55 gallon long tank and what its sizes would be so i can prep a stand and stuff for our future home?

 

[Mahamotorworks]

Grumpy here is a link to All-Glass Aquariums tank size wiht dimension. All-Glass Aquarium - Quality Aquariums, Stands, Hoods and Cages I would look at it and find a tank that has a large foot print. You will need quite the bottom for the loaches. As far as info I dont know.

MAHA

 

[Lotus]

Have a look into the 60 gallon long tanks, they should make a great loach home. There's a list of standard tank sizes here, click --> Fish Aquarium and Tank  Sizes and Characteristics, starting an aquarium, buying equipment, choosing tanks Look for shorter tanks that are long, because you will want the most surface area/substrate area you can get.

Even if you want mostly loaches, a few dither fish (some kind of small schooling fish) is a good idea, as they will make the loaches more comfortable about coming out.

We'd sure like some profiles and pictures for the MFT profiles

As for loach forums, I haven't found a great one. The loaches online forum seems to have become more cliquey over time, and it's hard for someone they don't know to get a good answer, unfortunately. Reading through posts over there is good, but posting on there isn't as much fun, IMO.

I've kept quite a few different loach species, and I'm always happy to answer questions here on the forum or in a PM, if I can help.

Here's what I have or have had:
Dojos, clowns, zebras, skunks, orange fins, eel loaches (P. anguillaris), yoyos, batiks, hillstreams, kubotais.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

So here is one question

I need a big footprint i understand this. More surface area for loaches to dig in sand and such.

So do i really need a bigger tank i.e. 60 gallon if i just need more surface space could i not get a 30 gallon special made to provide most surface space possible? I am going to get 55 gallon at least, but was curious if i could go with less gallons but greater surface area?

I am going to have loaches in the tank, and will have two striped raphael catfish in there probably, maybe only one (gotta do more research on them) but will include one type of schooling fish to give the tank some life when the loaches are incognito...lol thanks for the tank info guys it helped alot. I just wish i had the room and patience to build my own tank but for now buying is the only way to go for me.

 

[Lotus]

It really depends on the kinds of loaches and numbers you're wanting to keep. Something like a 40 breeder or 40 long or something in the 30g range would be fine for the smaller loach species.

It's not always easy to find the right sizes, but you can probably look around. I believe there's a place called Aquatic Warehouse (or something similar) somewhere in San Diego county that might have some of the less common sizes.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

yea i plan on checking out the warehouse in san diego as it has been referred a couple times to me. I will have to do a visit and post the results or impressions for us southern cali peoples...lol

 

[Lotus]

That place and Fountains Aquarium are the two I hear most recommended in that area.