Keeping loaches safe in aggresive tank

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aim300x

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jul 11, 2005
Messages
27
Location
NY
This is a 75 gallon tank. I have a large oscar ,texas cichlid ,jaguar cichlid and another fish that i cant remember the name but is very territorial .These fish are considered aggressive and mixing loaches with them will end up in tragedy as i found out in the beginning. I came home to find a floater but didnt know what happened. A week later i found another floater with a big cut . So i went to the store and got a cave the loaches could retreat to and it was a temperary fix. After a while of this setup i realized the loaches were not as active and i was feeling bad about that. At this point my local fish store said they would take back the loaches, but i grew attached to these entertaining little loaches and could not give them up. So i came up with a setup that would keep them safer and more active. I made a series of tunnels that connect to different caves threw out the tank. The tunnels are clear so viewing is very good. The loaches love the tunnels, they hang out in them and sun them selfs in the morning .They use the tunnels to commute from cave to cave. Theres 5 caves and 4 tunnels that connect them together. Each cave has exits so the loaches can rome freely outside to. When in the tunnels they can swim the width of the tank in safety. Ive seen the cichlids try and bite the tunnel as the loache just sits there and laughs now. This setup has worked very good for me . It might not have the eye appeal to some people but its inexpensive and very functionable .
 

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tex oscar jag
 

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The fish in your 75 gal are incompatable and the jaguar cichlid will get too big for that tank and it will kill your other fish once it gets big enough. The loaches get upto 14" long and you should really consider taking them back to the fish store. :wink:

HTH
 
Blazehead ,clown loaches only grow up to 12in in the wild, in a aquarium there growth is limited and they dont reach that length. They also grow very slow . Im sure you must be concerned for your 2 clown loaches as your tank is only a 55 gal .Me personally i think they will be fine . How long have you had your loaches and how big are they. My buddies tank has clowns in it and his largest is 5in.
You can learn more at loaches.com

As far as my jaguar is concerdned my texas cichlid keeps him in line. As any parent i monitor my tank on a daily basis so if something needs changing i will do what i have to do.[Most likely getting 125 gal] The reason for my original post was to show tunnels for loaches and not for killjoy feedback. :wink:
 
great idea aim300x. i'm sure the loaches are loving the tunnel-series.
i'd have thought the cichlids wouldn't bother them because of the spine-in-the-eye thing. but it seems size does matter...
 
Heys thanks guys , i used hampster tubes , i can only find straight pieces , hoping to find curved ones somewhere .
 
Places like Home Depot/Lowes sell flexible clear tubing a lot cheaper than you'll be able to get hamster pipes for (though maybe they're better for other reasons). I just bought a few feet of that to try to make a playground for my loaches that will still let me see them, because they love their pvc pipes so much. I've also found places online that sell transparent pvc pipes, including the different connectors and such, which really might not be a bad idea either.

I had made one pipe for them to go through, but they haven't been especially eager to use it thus far. I really like the way you've tied their caves together with a transparent transit system. I bet they do love that. I may have to borrow from your inspiration. I really love watching my loaches. Of course, mine aren't nearly so scared to come out in the open, because they're pretty much the bosses of the tank, there being no evil cichlids or anything around.
 
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