sophie wrote:

In message , Peter
Ashby writes
sophie wrote:

I asked a bit ago what people would choose to keep if they had an empty,
cycled 13 gallon (US) tank.

would a few kuhli loaches and a small school of something tiny work?

why not? give the loaches plently of places to hide out. Ours (10G uk),
have bogwood to hide under, dense plantings of Java fern which they
love, and a penthouse which consists of java fern growing on the top of
a bogwood root just below the surface. There are always at least 3 of
them in there, it keeps them safe from harrassment by the Yoyo loach
(they deserve it though).

Above them we have neons and scissortail rasboras, both of which ignore
the loaches. For authenticity, stick to rasboras, maybe a school of
harlequins?

Thanks Peter, much appreciated.
how much space do kuhlis need? I've read you should have at least six of
them, so if they get to be 3 inches each, I'd have 18 inches of fish
which would mean I'd be overstocked already without adding any
titchyfish. Or do long thin fish need less space per fish?

Ok this is the point at which I horrify people, look away now if you are
sqeamish. In our UK 10g tank we have: an indeterminate number of kuhlis,
probably 6-7 adults and 2 teenagers (from when they bred); a YoYo loach
(adult); an Ancistus cat (adult); 5 neons, 5 scissortails (small). All
on an undergravel with two uplift tubes, air driven. I change 20% once a
week and this keeps the nitrates below 50ppm. All is stable, all the
fish are in the best of health. I literally cannot remember the last
time I dosed them with anything, no ich, no fungus, no finrot and the
kuhlis bred 8months ago.

Peter
--
Add my middle initial to email me. It has become attached to a country