Best plants for tank with clown/yoyo loaches?

[JD]

The Crypts will melt, they always do, basiclly a transplant shock. But they should bounce back. If they are healthy when you get them, their roots will have pleanty to get them going.

Another benifit of Anubias is flowers. Mine did yesterday.



JD

[Sherry]

first loaches are just fine in a planted tank. My neighbor and I both do planted tanks and she has 5 inch clowns in hers, as well as yoyos and kubatias (sp?)

her glosso is a loss, but everything else is fine.

don't use tahitian moon sand. first it will just fall to the bottom eventually since the eco complete is bigger grained. next until it does, it is very sharp and not great for bottom dwellers. use all eco or consider mixing eco with flourite (tho rinse rinse and rinse the flourite more) its a nice look but not nearly as easy to set up as all eco.

if you want some of the plants mentioned here, like cabomba ect, you need high light, 2-3 watts per gallon minimum. And you shoudl consider co2 injection or at least adding flourish Excel to the water daily.

If you want a lower tech/lower maintenance tank you can do anubias, java fern, even ludwiga repens and the loaches and plants will be fine.

check out www.aquariiumadvice.com section on planted tanks
and www.aquabotanic.com for more advice on how to set up a planted tank.

the clowns will be fine.

[SondraT]

Hi Everyone,

I can't believe some of you are successfully keeping sag and microsword! Mine are mowing it down and cutting off the microsword at the bottom of the leaves. Can anyone recommend a nice foreground plant for a newly planted tank with 2.5 wpg, eco complete substrate, no CO2 (only Seachem Flourish Excel) at the moment, clown loaches, yo yo loaches and harlequin rasboras. I'd really like the carpet effect in the tank with the substrate covered. I like the look of glossostigma elatinoides. Does anyone know if this would this would be a possibility with no CO2, 2.5 wpg and loaches in the tank? Thanks alot!

[Mark in Vancouver]

Sondra - sorry if I missed this, but do you feed your loaches vegetables? A little cucumber can fill their hungry need for other vegetation, IMO. Like giving cats catgrass and catnip to prevent them from mowing down houseplants.

If you prune enough of it, java moss can be attached to rocks and wood for a fairly nice looking effect, and it's easy to move for cleaning as well. I would recommend any plants that can be affixed to wood or rocks - Anubias, java ferns, etc....

I think if you do chose to go without plants, you are obliged to offer the loaches regular feedings of veggies - they like their salad!

[NancyD]

Sondra, You might also try some of the smaller crypts as foreground plants. I think c. parva is short & c. wendtii (all varieties?) is about 3-4 inches in my tank although in low light. The newer off-sets are even smaller but I've only had 3-4 months. Remember many aquarium plants are grown emersed (partly out of the water) & new growth after submersion is often smaller.
Nancy