Loaches Online Forum

EDIT: As of 2.8.09 this tank has been upgraded to a 120 gallon (read more here - http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=17129)

Hey everyone,

I've recently overhauled my 55 gallon tank and here are some photos for those who are interested.

I have 5 young Chromobotia macracanthus which I naively purchased without realizing their maximum growth size and tank requirements. Luckily I found these forums and I'll have a 120 or 150 gallon tank setup early next year.

In the meantime, I've decided to redo my 55 gallon and make it as loach-friendly as possible so the fish are as least stressed as they can be before they are moved to a new tank.

First, here's a photo of the old setup, (Additionally the tank houses 5 Yoyo's and a Pleco) the loaches are *always* hiding in the plastic root thingy on the right:



There are some real plants in there but they grew rather feebly due to the lack of nutrients in the gravel.

So - first things first, some driftwood for the new tank (soaked for a week):



After removing all the old material from my last setup, one Yoyo loach finds safety from the net by hiding under a Pleco:



55 gallon rubbermaid temporary home for the fish:



New plants -



A barren tank:



Loaches hanging out in the rubbermaid:



Eco-Complete (about 2 inches):



Adding gravel:



A bit of a mess...



Final product:



Close up right:



Close up left:



PVC caves blended in:



PVC #2 (of 3 total)



The fish appear to feel much more confident in this new tank setup with 3 PVC caves and numerous hiding places among the driftwood. It remains to be seen whether the plants will grow unharmed or if the greenery is merely a delicious dish for the loaches. I have a bit of confidence seeing how the old plants grew without too much abuse.

Thanks for looking!

Absolutely gorgeous!

We love pictures! Show more of the fish.

That poor Pleco looked so undone being used as a hideout. Happens to mine too.

Wonderful upgrade! Love your wood.

Thanks!

Two of the pieces are from Petco (lucked out to find such nice driftwood there) and the other is from an eBay store called RockArtSource.

That's a totally handsome set up. Just wait until the plants grow in a little. Keep the photos coming. Best of luck with the new clowns.

That's looking very nice! I like the idea of the hidden PVC caves, very creative.

Superb looking tank! Love the wood!

it's gonna look great when the plants get established.
good job

mick

That looks great,had to laugh when I saw the photo of the mess in your room,very familiar

The revamp looks superb! And I bet the loaches are loving that bogwood.

Don't worry about the mess, my house looks like that permanently!

Emma

Yes the over haul does look better. Nice work.

sl

I love seeing overhauls like this - it's inspiring! I actually redid my ten gallon tank yesterday and the room looks about the same.

I didn't know you could layer eco-complete under things... I wonder if you could put sand on top of it?

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I don't think the revamp would've been possible without the advice from these forums.

Regarding the sand on top of Eco-Complete - I read on a plant tank forum that the sand will eventually sift its way through the eco substrate until it reaches the bottom. I've also seen a couple other planted tanks that place a thin (maybe 1") layer of gravel on top for a different look (just as in the photos above). All the plants are firmly placed in the eco layer so hopefully they'll be able to send up new shoots through the gravel.

Absolutely love the photos, really nice set-up.

Tank looks fantastic. My yoyos leave most plants alone with the exception of amazon swords. They really seem to like eating that stuff - not a bad thing as they're cheap plants and it's probably good for them.