20 gallon loach?

[calla]

I'll soon be adding the pleco and cories from my 20 gallon, to the 55. My son LOVES loaches, and the 20 gallon is in his room.... so I wanted to try and get him some. Are there any species that will be ok in this small of a tank? ...It seems like they are all so different, some long as heck, some not so much... some like it hot, some cold....I'm going to have to order them probably, my lfs sucks, and would like to be able to get 2 or 3.

[TowBoater]

Hmm, maybe 2 khulis but they won't be to happy. Possible a couple of yoyo's?

[cocoa_pleco]

or a banded loach. mine was happy in my 20g

[calla]

I was thinking about kuhli's also... why do you think they wouldn't be happy? They get about 3 inches right? I was thinking of getting just one or a pair of, middle of the tank, fish besides the loaches.

He likes the "snake" ones, as he calls them... so the yoyo is a no, maybe the banded though it looks like it gets big.....

[YaYgoldFish]

Have you searched for maybe some bichirs or eels that stay small? Some do stay small and some lopok like snakes, for example: polypterus senegal

I use to have one in my 25g but he looked so lost..he was about 5 inches long and it just seemed like he was just too small.. Some of you may fight me on this, but i think you could get one in a 20g..

[cocoa_pleco]

kuhlis are really active and mine will go from one side of my 55g to the other in 2 seconds flat. a 20g is a bit too small but is possible

[YaYgoldFish]

Oh man i just have to share this link: http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index.php?qid=20070822161852AAQzfRu

I was browsing for small loaches and came upon this..Oscars, goldfish?? in a 20g..Thank god you didn't use yahoo awnsers lol.

Edit: heres the link lol...a bit tired :D

[cocoa_pleco]

Oh man i just have to share this link:

I was browsing for small loaches and came upon this..Oscars, goldfish?? in a 20g..Thank god you didn't use yahoo awnsers lol.


lol, no link. however, yahoo answers are pretty retarded sometimes

[YaYgoldFish]

Lol my bad..

[calla]

Poor fish!! I'm not sure why people want to keep something they know nothing about.......


so, bichirs kind of give me the heeby geebies... ahha. and seeing as how my son is 3, I'll be doing taking care of hehe. Though the one you mentioned, the polypterus senegal, looks a little less.. skeleton-y./just plain strange. haha.

If both eels and loaches are going to need more room, I don't want to put them in there... I want happy fish.....

[cocoa_pleco]

chris H needs a slap on the head!

good for not stuffing fish in there calla. im trying to think what would go comfortably in there. my banded one was good though. he is FOOD CRAZY and he cleaned like Mr.Clean magic erasers. he will chase lost bits of food and fits in nooks and crannys

[YaYgoldFish]

i'd recomend cories, he woul dprobably have some fun watching them swim at the bottom, maybe with some kind of sharks? or a predatory fish? You should take him to your lfs and let HIM choose lol much easier..Just keep him away from the bigger fish lol.

[cocoa_pleco]

agree with the p. corys are the best. a school of 5 is fun. they shoal and stick together, and if you have a bread leaf plant like java fern some will sleep and rest on the leaves!

[calla]

Well.. you guys nailed what I have pretty much :). I have 4 cories( they are so cute), planning to get 2 more when I move them to the 55, and a common pleco (also moving). In my 55 he picked the bala sharks (3), and there are 3 swordtails. I've been looking more at the banded loach... he will probably like that one. Everytime we go to the store he wants a pictus catfish. EVERYTIME. but I have to tell him no on that one. way to active and a little too mean for my taste. He seems to really like catfish and snake like ones...

this is what I really want... http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=748
for the sharks and the pleco.

then he can fill the 55 with all the loaches he wants :)

[cocoa_pleco]

that link is what i want. i actually want to DIY a 300g acrylic soon.

the banded loach is really fun. for a month hes shy but after that hes like a kid on pixi sticks. if i shower the 55g with flakes he flies to the top then jumps and splashes then after he goes to the gravel for clean-up mode

[calla]

so it seems like he gets pretty big (banded)... I haven't found the best info yet online though, and this book I have doesn't have him. How big is yours now? I'm getting at least a 100 gallon within three month for the sharks and pleco, wish I could DIY a 300 gallon but I'm not that talented ;p.... so soon (3months or so) he could go into a 55. I don't mind not putting much, or anything else, in the tank so he'll have the whole thing, unless he gets lonely? and does he get along with everyone, like cories?

[cocoa_pleco]

mines not too big, maybe the size of a adults pinky. he doesnt get lonely and is a community fish. they just target snails but otherwise he leaves small fish and big ones alone. hes white with black bands allover and whiskers on front

[Dave66]

The smallest commonly available loach is Botia sidthimunki. They top out at 2 or 2.5 inches (females that touch larger). They would work in a sextet in a 20. The sextet is recommended, as they do better in groups, and it diffuses conspecific aggression.

Dave

[TowBoater]

Bala sharks get BIG just so you know and need alot of room.

[cocoa_pleco]

Bala sharks get BIG just so you know and need alot of room.

as in 200g for a school of 6 minimum alot!

[calla]

well, I know they get big. And I only have three(about 4-5 inches each)..... so for now I am trying to move them as they grow, with the link to the 300 gallon tank I posted earlier being my goal. I think a 300 gallon tank, with just the three sharks and a common pleco, should be ok.