Oto Catfish + Kuhli Loach combos in a 20 gallon tank? and more!?

Question

I would like both these fish for my aquarium but many sites don't give clear descriptions on how much they need. It says the loach needs 10 gallons and says it likes to me in schools of 3+ but doesn't say anything about 10 gallons per fish or per school or anything like that.

1) What would be a good combination of the these fish in a 20 gallon?

2) To start the nitrogen cycle, would you recommend adding the packets they sell at fish stores?

3) Is it advisable for a beginner like me to keep a Java Fern in this tank?

4) What kind of gravel would best suite my situation?

thanks Andrew J for telling me about it =)

now for everyone what about Siamese algae eaters? They are compatible.

Answer 1

First, Kuhli Loaches and Otos are VERY compatible. I have some in my 10 gallon tank and they never bother each other (and both prefer similar water parameters).

1. 5 Kuhli Loaches- the will be much more active when kept in numbers.
5 Otos- will be more active and more effective in their algae consumption
Consider another schooling species like Tetras or Rasboras, or a pair of Dwarf Gouramis.

2. The little packets will not start the nitrogen cycle (usually), they are generally full of dead bacteria. A better way is to do a fishless cycle. http://www.fishlesscycling.com/articles/how_to_do_a_fishless_cycle.html This doesn't subject fish to toxic levels of ammonia.

3. Java Fern is very easy to keep, and in addition to Java Moss, you could have a lovely planted tank. Also, your fish will greatly appreciate the extra hiding places the plants create.

4. Sand would be best, but it can be a pain to wash, so any fine pebbles or river rock is fine. Avoid sharp gravel because it can damage the Kuhlis' delicate barbels (that allow them to find food).

These fish are quite hardy once acclimated, but the Otos can be sensitive in the begining, and excessive stress from ammonia and different water parameters do not help. Spend about an hour acclimating the Otos by adding a half cup of tank water to the bag every 5 minutes (for an hour). When the hour is up, net the Otos and put them in the tank. Good luck, and don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions.

Soop Nazi

EDIT: Sand is the very best you could get for the Kuhlis! They love to dig and sand provides them the perfect opportunity to do so. Also, the Otos are much more sensitive than the Kuhlis. Follow the instructions in the fishless cycling article, and you should have no problems getting both to survive.

EDIT 2: SAEs would be nice, but as Copperhead said, 20 gallons isn't much space. Also, it can be difficult to find true SAEs with all the Chinese Algae Eaters (that get large and aggressive) and other lookalikes.

Answer 2

1) There are 20 gallon tanks with different dimensions - hexagonal tanks are tall and narrow, 20 "tall" is close to a cube, and a 20 "long" is short and wide side to side. This may seem to be picky to point out, but the dimensions will determine to a degree what numer of these you can keep, since loaches are bottom fish and otos will stay tothe bottom and sides of the tank. You can easily keep 3 kuhlis in any of the tanks, but you could increase by 1 or two with more bottom area. Otos stay small, so you could go 3 to 6 for a nice sized group. One thing you're "missing" is a middle/top swimming fish. With the loaches on the bottom (maybe even burrowing in the substrate) and the otos clinging to the sides of the tank, you need something in the middle to move! You could reduce your otos to 3-4, and add a dwarf gourami, or a few platys or guppies (get males if you don't want them to reproduce) or a male betta for some movement and color.

2) I don't recommend these - they vary a lot in how effective they are. If you know anyone with a tank that doesn't have problems with diseases, parasites, or algae in their tank, I would suggest "borrowing" some of the gravel, or a used piece of filter media (get this while it's still wet and put it in a plastic bag and move it to your tank as soon as possible - don't expose these to the air). This way you know you've got living, active bacteria.

3) Java fern is easy to grow and tolerates low lighting conditions. This, Java moss, and Anubias are three of the easties plants for beginners.

4) The kuhlis would like fine-grained sand so they can burrow - be careful not to choose sand with rough (sharp) edges. (plants are appreciated)


ADDITION: I checked the above info, and the site doesn't recommend these together. I'm not certain of their reasoning for that, since both are peaceful species. Possibly they don't consider them compatible because they both occuy the bottom of the tank. I see no reason they couldn't be kept together. this link does put them together as compatible tankmates in two of their "planned" communities: http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106community2.htm
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106community3livebearer.htm


ADDITION 2: SAEs are another schooling fish , so they should be kept in groups of 4-6. At 6+ inches, and high activity, this author recommends a 40 gallon to keep 4: http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/395.htm because of their activity, these probably wouldn't be good tankmates for otos. Sorry!

Answer 3

1st) A good combination of Kuhli Loaches and Otocinclus in a 20 gallon tank would be 3 Otos and 4 or 5 Kuhlis. Then you can add a small shoal of Tetras or Rasboras to that mix.

2nd)You can use the packets to start your cycle but I suggest cycling it completely before adding any fish if your going to use the packets. Don't add Otos or Kuhlis to a tank that isn't cycled.

3rd) Java Fern should be fine for you to keep.

4th) With Kuhli Loaches you should get fine gravel. Try to get the smaller stone gravel to reduce the chance of the Kuhlis doing damage to themselves when moving against the gravel.

Hope this helps and good luck with your Kuhlis.

Answer 4

to tell you the truth I don't know much about either

but I ran them through tims tropicals compatibility and they aren't compatible.

but I would check a few more sources.
some combinations that I know work are in there as not compatible so I wouldn't take their word for it...

also the kuhli loach needs to be put into an ESTABLISHED AQUARIUM so I dont really think the packets would work, but maybe put the catfish in first, then the loaches after a couple of weeks

From what I've heard java fern is fairly undemanding so it's prbly pretty safe for a beginner...

I don't think you really have to worry much about gravel, but prbly medium, from what it sounds like kuhli's like to did so sand isnt a very good Idea but yeah....


hope I helped ya

=]

Answer 5

it incredibly is high-quality, nonetheless your Kuhlis ought to truly have greater area than that... there will be no struggling with, yet your fish isn't extraordinarily chuffed... you ought to purpose to get a much bigger tank, and 3+ greater Otos... touch me in case you have any questions. Soop Nazi EDIT: Kuhlis have not got any aggressive bone of their physique, and regardless of in the event that they did "attack" the Otos, they could have no thank you to harm them (Kuhlis are gentle, little computer virus-like fish)...

Answer 6

forget the fish n find another hobby. lol