Eclipse 6-12 Gallon Tank: What setup for Kuhli loach and friends

[Antikaratekid]

Hey guys, this is my first serious tank since my goldfish days. What is your opinion on the eclipse tank systems? I am planning on making a six gallon tank catered to these guys which includes lots of hiding places and etc. I have seen people say they like swimming against the current into the filter which worries me and am thinking of putting in one of those air pump things for them to play with instead of the filter LOL.

Anyways, what would your suggestions for my tank be? Get a 12 gallon instead with some shrimps and companions too?

btw I am torn between real and fake plants because the loaches like sand but sand is a bad substrate..........:c11:

[Mvjnz]

Sand is fine if you get some malaysian trumpet snails. They crawl around in it and stir it up and make plants like it more.

Other than that, just provide plenty of holes and caves, preferably rather small ones where they can squeeze in together. A blue night light could be a good idea too, as these are nocturnal fish and you might not see a lot of them during the day. They do come out occasionally during the day, but it's not something that happens regularly.

Any of fish in the tank need to be very peaceful, as kuhlii loaches have no means of defending themselves. A school of some kind of small fish is good, these are called 'dither fish' and make the kuhliis feel safe. They look out from their hiding place and see other fish swimming around. If there's nothing moving out there it could mean there's a huge predator nearby and all the fish have gone into hiding because of it.

Cover the intake to your filter with a piece of coarse filter foam of some type, as these fish do enjoy going into filters...