Fish that play with sand

[illuminum]

My weather (dojo) loach likes to poke around. I have standard gravel, so he can't really dig all that much, but I'm sure he'd love to play in sand. My clown loaches in my 30 gal also poke at the gravel, but they do get really big over time. I'd get a dojo loach. They can be highly active and are alot of fun to watch. They can also tolerate a very very large range of temperatures.

I've got a pic of a dojo loach in my gallery if you haven't seen one before.

 

[patryuji]

Shell dwellers all seem to prefer water with a pH of 7.8 to 9.0... so you'd probably have to buffer the water with crushed coral or something similar to be safe and also check to see if the danios and tetras will survive in that pH (aren't most tetras found in neutral to acidic waters?).

 

[violet]

I agree with the loach thing, kuhli, black or dojo, they like to play in the sand and gravel.

 

[rossmort]

Well, I got a kuhli loach---and he doesn't do ANYTHING in the sand!!! :-( Maybe he is too small or something? I don't know, they look pretty cool even though I hate snakes, I kind of like him (I know he is not a snake but he sure can look like it!).

 

[Menagerie]

Just wondering, is it the striped one with orange and black (looks less snake like)? That's odd. When I got mine, I got a scoop of sandy media (and some snails) with each one My guys now borrow among the fake plants and always seem well hidden (they are not in a sandy tank right now).

 

[snapcrackler]

Geophagus, Satanoperca, Biotodoma, and Gymnogeophagus, Acarichthys, Guianacara and Retroculus are all "earth eating" type fish.

 

[Menagerie]

AHHHH!! I know you were going with fish, but were mts considered? I just added them to my shellie and brichardi tanks. I know they will have offspring and over run my tanks, but I don't have to aerate the sand . In the morning there are little trails all over the sand and during the day, they stay in the sand.

 

[rossmort]

Wierd, I got a dud! Maybe he just needs to get acclimated or something.

 

[mortiss]

When I had just one khuli loach, he was a bit of a "dud" as well - but when I added 2 more they all played and hung out together. I also had 2 geophagus jarupari in my 29 gallon and they LOVE sand. They were also not aggressive at all. I'd love to get them again!

 

[rossmort]

Awww, well--I thought that he had finally burrowed but after not seeing him for a day or so I went through all the sand--No fish. Went through my piece of driftwood--No fish. Checked my filter--Dead fishie...SUCK--He was pretty cool too, guess he was just the right size to squeeze in the filter skimmer area which sucks.

 

[Menagerie]

8O Oh No!! The poor thing!