Loaches Online Forum

Nice, They are definitely special.

I have successfully kept my dojos in a tank with smooth, rounded pea gravel. I've only had one that buried itself completely in the gravel. None of my other dojos dig. I have live plants, and they leave them alone, except to nestle under the broad Anubias leaves for shelter. I have three dojos in a 65-gallon tank. Have had them for a long time. No problems with the substrate or the plants. I do feed them a balanced diet.

One thing you should know about dojos -- you need to keep a tight lid on your tank, and no holes in it large enough for them to slip through. They are notorious escape artists, and can live outside of water for awhile, so long as they don't dry out. They can store oxygen in their bodies for a short period of time outside of the tank. If you don't have a lid, or if there are any holes large enough, don't be surprised if you one day see one or more of your dojos crawling across your floor or your carpet. If you catch them in time, you could return them to their tank. It's best to ensure they don't get out.

From my own experience, when I was less experienced I kept a dojo with a gravel substrate and when I look back his barbels were definitely shorter than the ones I have now with sand. My theory is that he wore them away on the gravel, so I can't say that I recommend having gravel. (Also, they just love digging! It always looks like they're having fun.)

mine don't dig so much as sift when food is added, they suck in sand and expel it through their gills. Haven't seen them dig so much yet and I have plants with root tabs