Black Kuhli Loaches & Substrate

[Promisedsin]

I just added 4 Black Kuhli Loaches to my 10 gallon tank with the general substrate you would find in an aquarium. The loaches cannot burrow into this and I was wondering what substrate would be best to add to my tank. I have black in the aquarium now and I would really like to keep it that way I also have live plants. I’m not sure if I should keep half the substrate I have and switch out the rest of what I should do. I don't know how I would go about changing it out either since it is an established tank.

I was told by an experienced aquarium owner and tropical fish store owner that sand would tear up my filter, there is a finer substrate that I could switch to but he did not sell it, and to just switch all the gravel out at once but I would like to get other feedback.

Thank you all in advance for you help.

 

[meegosh]

They will not burrow into the substrate but rather wiggle their way into the crevices around your decor. I have three striped ones in my 10g with playsand and they never burrow into the sand. They will slither under the slate a little to get out of the light but that is about it.

Sand will destroy your filter if you are not careful. Basically when you add the sand you have to wait for it to settle before you turn the filter back on. Same thing when you are doing PWC's, make sure the filters are off or you don't stir up too much sand.

Optionally, you can run a prefilter on your filter which would eliminate the worry about destroying your filter. I ran one on my tank while I was waiting for the sand to settle (I had fish in the tank at the time).

 

[WhiteDevil]

They do burrow but not far at all, maybe just to play the game of osterich.

I keep my pangio oblonga's (same as yours but they arent a kuhlli at all, akthough known as the black kuhlli loach)with flourite and river pea gravel and Ive got 4 generations in that tank now, sand is not at all a factor in their substrate and yes they do come from areas that are sandy they are found in the debris of the river/creek be it wood or rock, If you provide a cave( 4" terra cotta pot SAUCER not the pot) for them thats all they hunger for.

here is mine

I got impatient and used the white GE1 instead of my clear and in my humble opinion it looks like poo but I did see a new generation of pangio oblonga emerge from there two days ago. I have 13 adults that I started with,18 or so juveniles of different parents and growth times, now a new set of them.

They are in a south american cichlid tank and surviving just fine. Good luck and check out those saucers, they LOVE them, and if you chip yours like mine you will enjoy as many faces as can fit staring back at you every morning for food.

Dont kid yourselves, the fish dont love you they tolerate you, they respect you are their food source thats about it. YOU=FISH FOOD lol.

 

[Promisedsin]

Im thinking that I would like to change to black sand regardless because I like the way it looks. I currently have black gravel and my loaches try to wiggle into the crevices between the gravel with no avail.

Should I put a prefilter on even if I turn off my filter for water changes and putting the sand in?

If I was to change my substrate to black sand what sand should I use. Should I move the fish into another tank while I change the substrate and should I do it all at once? Would I have to recycle my tank after?

 

[meegosh]

Black Tahitian Moon sand is a nice black sand. I don't run a prefilter on mine anymore since I know how to avoid stirring the sand up. I moved my fish into buckets and other tanks when I swapped substrates. Just move the heater and filter over into a bucket with some tank water. Cover the bucket to avoid jumpers and stress and get to work on the tank. You will more than likely go through some type of mini cycle but a few water changes will get things back in line.

Just be sure to rinse whatever sand you decide to use very well. I rinsed mine in a bathtub (apartment dweller here) with a 5g bucket. I would fill it with sand about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way and put it at an angle and start filling the bucket with water. Stir the sand around with your hands while the cloudy water is pouring out the one side. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Do this until it looks clear or your arms are falling off from stirring the sand so much.

 

[WhiteDevil]

If you are using a penguin filter, dont even attempt sand.

BTMS is a very fine sand, Check the diy section but I know people use blasting sand and its far cheaper then what you get at the store.

Yep put em in a bucket, heater and filter, cover and get to work, dont rush things though.

 

[Promisedsin]

How would I go about protecting my filter if I was to switch to sand? I have an aqua-tech filter.

 

[WhiteDevil]

same thing really as a penguin.


You can get an AC70 sponge from the store, cut a hole in it, shove the end of the inlet in thatwithout the factory diffuser/guard and it will stop alot, to go even further, put panty hose on first then the sponge.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

I agree with white devil on steps to protect ur filter but imo if you take the adequate time and effort to not stir up a lot of the sand I believe you'll be just fine as in meegoshs case

 

[Promisedsin]

About how many pounds of sand should I get for a 10 gallon planted tank?

 

[dkpate]

I have Penguins on all but one of my tanks, I have sand in every tank, and have never had a problem. I also have kuhli's, and they do dig in the sand all the time with their barbels they have on their face, it's really cute! I did have gravel, but they seem to like the sand better, and "fly" around the tank much more now and burrow next to their rock house.
As for the pounds, I used 50lbs to fill my 75 gallon tank, so I would think you would only need a little less than a pound if you are going to have live plants.

 

[mgamer20o0]

Substrate Calculator

 

[meegosh]

I disagree with dkpate on the pounds required. I used roughly 40lbs of playsand in my 30g long (3'x12") to get about a 2.5" - 3" sand bed. I would guess my 10g has about 10-15lbs of playsand in it which gave me about a 2" sand bed. I could've probably added another 5-10lbs but I was tired of washing sand in a bathtub.

 

[BigJim]

I'd go with 20-30lb of sand. I used 50lb of play sand in my 29g and about 30-40lb of Quickrete Medium sand in my 20L. Both tanks have the same footprint, but I didn't want to lose as much height in the 20L. The 29g is moderately planted and the 20L is a freakin' jungle.

I've had bad experiences with sand and Penguin filters. My raphael cat likes to dig and kick up sand. I went through two impellers in my Penguin 200 because the sand ground up the impellers and made them squeal terribly. I haven't had any issues with my AquaClears on the same tanks. I think it's just a design difference.

 

[TCool]

I'd go with 20-30lb of sand. I used 50lb of play sand in my 29g and about 30-40lb of Quickrete Medium sand in my 20L. Both tanks have the same footprint, but I didn't want to lose as much height in the 20L. The 29g is moderately planted and the 20L is a freakin' jungle.

I've had bad experiences with sand and Penguin filters. My raphael cat likes to dig and kick up sand. I went through two impellers in my Penguin 200 because the sand ground up the impellers and made them squeal terribly. I haven't had any issues with my AquaClears on the same tanks. I think it's just a design difference.

I had the same issue with a Penguin 350 filter. Got really loud, and now doesn't work (although I think it'll work with a new impeller). I never had a prefilter on it though, so maybe that would help.

 

[dkpate]

You guys must have mini dust storms in your tanks.

 

[Promisedsin]

Ive read that to deep a sand bed can lead to problems. Will I have problems rooting plants in only an inch of sand or should I use more. Also can anyone recommend ways to maintain the sand?

Is there a cheaper alternative to the black tahitian moon sand? I love the way that black sand looks, especially planted.
Sorry im all over the place.

 

[BigJim]

You guys must have mini dust storms in your tanks.

When my raphael decides his hole isn't big enough, that's pretty much the case.

I never had a prefilter on it though, so maybe that would help.

I didn't either. It amazed me at how little sand caused the Penguin to start squealing. I've pulled 10x that amount of sand out of my AC70 and it runs like a champ.

Ive read that to deep a sand bed can lead to problems. Will I have problems rooting plants in only an inch of sand or should I use more. Also can anyone recommend ways to maintain the sand?

There are two ways to maintain a sand bed to prevent anaerobic conditions:
1. Stir your sand around with a coat hanger when you do PWCs.
2. Get some MTS! Malaysian trumpet snails aerate the substrate when they burrow. I highly recommend them. They mostly stay beneath the sand during the day and come out at night, so your tank won't be cluttered with snails. I estimate I have thousands of MTS in my three tanks. I literally started with one.

 

[Promisedsin]

Just to make sure I protect my filter in case of sand stiring up what would be the best media to use?

 

[BigJim]

Just put a media bag over the intake pipe. It's cheap and should filter out any particles big enough to cause problems. I've tried stuffing a piece of sponge in the intake. It works, but I was cleaning out the sponge at least once a week or else the flow was severely restricted.