A question on bottom sand

[Shdwdrgn]

I am planning on adding weather loaches to the new pond this Summer, and they love to dig in sand (and leaves and muck, which makes them great for the pond!). I was wondering if anyone had ever just put sand directly in the bottom of their pond? What I'm thinking is that this area is along the main flow of water, and the loaches will be stirring up the leaves and junk on the bottom which will push any settled bits back up into the water flow so that the waste has a better chance of being pulled down into the filters.

I have seen some suggest putting the sand in a tray, but the way these guys play in it, I can't imagine it would stay in the tray for very long anyway. So I was thinking of digging a small depression into the lowest part of the pond - maybe a 3" circle, about 3" deep - where the liner would push down into and make a container for the sand. Of course I would have to be careful during cleaning, but then again if the loaches do their job, I won't have to :alieneyesa:

So... anyone ever tried this? Any possibility of success, or will it be a complete disaster?

 

[addy1]

Well i would give it a try, if it does not work remove the sand. And I can see the loaches stirring up the sand and keeping it cleanish. I would make 3 feet not inches by 3 inches. Most likely a typo lol

And you could stir it off and on if you need to. Sand won't collect stuff like rocks to

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Ack! Yes, I did mean a 3 foot circle. We have a big bucket full of black sand from an aquarium, I thought it would be perfect for this, completely invisible, and won't cause any leaves to be more noticeable.

 

[addy1]

Sounds good, I think imho, it would work and easily reversible I had black gravel for my ciclid tank in az, it did look neat

 

[fishin4cars]

If the fish dig in it and keep the sand from going stagnant it will be fine. I have sand in my lower end from the koi digging the plants but it's only about 3' x 1/2" I can stir mine when the koi don't but they seem to keep it pretty clean themselves, Question I have is the water temp for the weather loaches. Seeing you live in Colorado I would think your temps. would dip pretty far down for a weather loach. Although on getting this information i see they can handle lower tempatures than I originally thought. I always thought they were considered tropical! Hmmmm.

Weather Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)
by Martin Thoene — last modified Nov 27, 2008 09:49 PM



Summary
Scientific Name: Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842)


Common name: Weather Loach, Dojo Loach, Oriental Weather Fish, Pond Loach.

Synonyms: Cobitis anguillicaudata, Misgurnis crossochilus, Misgurnus lividus, Misgurnus fossilis anguillicaudatus, Ussuria lepocephala.

Distribution: China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South and probably North Korea, Japan .

In SE Asia, this fish is a foodfish and this may account for the wide distribution.

Also introduced to Australia, USA, Phillipines, Hawaii, Palau and Turkmenistan.

Sexual Dimorphism: Females noticeably plumper when loaded with eggs. Males have longer pectoral fins, noticeable from above.

Maximum size: 9 to 10 inches

Similar to: Misgurnus fossilis, Misgurnus mizolepis.





Care: This is a big fish when adult and often very active. The species needs adequate space to move around and a fine substrate as they like to dig, and sometimes bury themselves with just the head protruding. Avoid coarse gravel as it can damage the delicate barbels.

Feeding: Easily fed. Accepts good quality flake, sinking pellets, thawed frozen Bloodworm, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, Earthworm, and will avidly eat snails, etc.

Water parameters: pH: 7.0-8.0. Hardness: Medium Soft to Medium. Max dh: 12

Temperature: 50- 77ºF (10 - 25ºC)

Breeding: Bred commercially as a food-fish and for the ornamental fish trade. In nature, the fish spawn during the Monsoon season during flooding. The male wraps himself around the female and eggs and sperm are released. The eggs settle in the

 

[krazyrabbit]

I've got Dojos in my 55 gallon tank, they are such fun to watch! They pile on top of each other and burrow like crazy in the gravel. In Colorado you'll have to bring them inside in the fall, I believe it will be too cold for them.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

The Misgurnus anguillicaudatus was the one I was looking for, but the ones I got are (supposedly) Misgurnus fossilis. I'm actually wondering if they had both kinds in the same tank. As far as I can tell, anguillicaudatus comes from the Asian region, and fossilis comes from the European region - but otherwise both species appear to have exactly the same characteristics. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that they are actually a recent evolutionary divergence.

Regardless, if you search around you will an amazing diversity in the reported temperature ranges that these guys will tolerate, however it seems that any site which is not aquarium-related typically lists them as tolerant down to 4C (39F). On top of that, I have found references that they can be found natively as far North as Siberia, and that people have successfully over-wintered them in garden ponds in Washington state and Canada. They are also known to burrow into the mud/sand to survive the Winter (I suppose much like a frog).

Based on all of this, I believe they really can survive the Winter here. I do run heaters when the air temp gets below 30, and my old pond typically stayed around 35. The new pond has a MUCH larger surface area for heat-loss, but it will also be much deeper in the ground, so I'm hoping it balances out. I'll be keeping a close eye on things next Winter anyway, learning the new pond, and seeing how the loaches do.

krazyrabbit - You should see how they dig in sand! They can dive-bomb without slowing down, and it just looks like the sand swallows them up. I have three in a 115-gallon tank until the water warms up more, can't wait to see what they think of having a whole pond.

 

[fishin4cars]

The more I read about them the more I was telling the wife we will have to try those one day for sure, That would be cool if the get as tame as they say. That's one of the things I like about the koi is how tame they are, here I guess I would have to worry more about heat as I have seen 90 degree water temps in mid summer.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I was talking to someone at the local fish store, and they told me every time they reach into the tank, the dojos swarm around their hand and like to rub up against them. Nobody seems to know why, but apparently they are this friendly naturally.

 

[talal101]

Or ur fingers look like new friends lool

 

[addy1]

or food lol

 

[Malak]

Speaking of loaches... I have at least two black loaches ala aquarium trade that have been alive for over 5 years!

 

[talal101]

lol that could work

 

[herzausstahl]

how did this work out for you shdwdrgn? do you have any pics? how much sand did you add for them, and do you know how big they will eventually get?