Loaches Online Forum

Sounds like pretty safe stuff, care to be a guinea pig?

TDS is Total Dissolved Solids. All the stuff in the water, whether it affects the water chemistry or not. It relates to the osmotic balance of the fish: Moving the fish from water with high TDS to water with low TDS is generally harder on the fish than going the other way. A small increase in the TD...

The rock looks like one sold around here as Rainbow rock. It is available in fish stores, already drilled, or at rock yards. The red-orange bands are a fairly dense sandstone, the white is softer, but not soft enough to crumble. I can work it with masonry tools. I have this rock in several tanks inc...

Separate the fish into fewer fish per bucket: do not combine already stressed fish from several bags into one bucket.

You are using the KH test correctly. There is so close to no carbonates in the water that just one drop immediately goes to the end point of yellow.

Irregular piles of stones and wood might make a more natural looking cave from our point of view; I do not know how the fish see it. Yes, either a flow through the cave (helps with cleaning, too: debris is removed by angling the waterflow just right.) or aimed past the opening such that some water f...

They also prefer whichever cave the Pleco is in...he's had to move several times!

Just like kids! No matter what toy one child is playing with, they all want that one toy, and nothing else.

Let me know how it works for you- I have not had much luck with vinegar, and even cola did not shift some of these marks. The citric acid worked.

It may not be the size of the cave, but there may bo some way the water flows through it that makes the difference. Try turning the cave so the entrance faces a different direction, or moving the filter, or powerhead to alter the water flow. I have several pieces of bark that make natural caves in s...

The plastic trim might be important. A substitute would be to silicone a glass band around the inside, near the top (perhaps 1/2" down). I think tanks in the UK are often made this way. The other alternative is to contact the manufacturer and get a replacement. The 40 gallon is a shallow tank, so th...

Try citric acid crystals. These are in the grocery stores, with herbs and spices. Might be called sour salt. Wear gloves. Make a slurry out of it, and rub it on. Keep it damp, let it sit, then scrub it off. It the white fog is from acidic etching there is not much you can do. If the fog is the remna...

Even adding the Rams after such a short quarantine period, I would not expect to lose the Loaches to TB that fast. My understanding is that TB develops more slowly than that. Could the Rams have brought in some other parasite or disease? Did you treat the Rams with any sort of preventative while the...

Very interesting shots! Yes, it does look like the Loaches are getting crushed under the rock. I know they hollow out the area under the rocks, so I will not accuse you of deliberately squashing the silly fish to make them hold still :wink: Great detail of the barbels. Incredible how the fish fan th...

If someone is making money with the aid of your pic, then you deserve some of that money! Selling something with a picture that is not an actual pic of the item being sold is not right. Juvenile fish offered for sale should have a picture of the tankful of the juvies, the actual ones in the auction....

Test the tap water for Ammonia. If your water company uses Chloramine you might test a low level of Ammonia, and your dechlorinator should be labeled in such a way that indicates it will neutralize this small amount of ammonia. Check the brand name and active ingredients in the Ammonia test kit you ...