birchir?

Lynxinater

Im going for personal experience here, anyone know if a birchir would be okay with guppies and platys? Ive had a couple before, but in a semi aggressive community and they just gor nipped to.pieces if they didnt hide. If not if there a more suitable "eel-like" bottom dweller?
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moomoofish

Definetly a no, when the bichir gets bigger, it will make snacks out of them.

KGPoling

No I agree. I had one that quickly made a snack of it's tankmates.

Lynxinater

Yep thats what i was curios about. Thank yous
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thekoimaiden

Depending on your aquarium size, Dojo loaches (sometimes called Weather Loach ) would be a good "eel-like" bottom dweller. They're hardy and provided hours of entertainment. Dojos get pretty large, so they wouldn't do well in anything smaller than a 29 gal. I had dojos for a few years, but had to rehome them when they started to pick on my fancy Goldfish.

If you have a smaller tank and soft, acidic water you could try for Pangio loaches. Kuhli loaches are the most common of that genus. They only get a few inches long and need to be kept in groups of 5 or more, but they are really entertaining to watch. I have a few in a 29 gal and they are a delight to watch.

PS. Middle fish in my sig is a picture of Java Loach, a Kuhli Loach relative, that I currently keep.

Lynxinater

I have a 60 gallon and hard alkaline water
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thekoimaiden

Sounds like a Weather Loach would be better for you. They like to be kept in groups and provide much more entertainment when they are together. They are adjustable to water parameters. I've seen them at Petsmart on many occasions.



They also come in yellow varieties. (Added a picture because the profile here doesn't have one.)

Lynxinater

Not bad. They wont rip up plants or anything? I thought loaches liked to dig
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thekoimaiden

In a gravel substrate, my dojos rarely ever dug unless they felt really stressed (like when I was trying to net them). If you have a lot of rooted plants, you might get some uprooting, but if you provide them with enough hiding spots, they shouldn't feel the need to dig up your plants to make their own hiding spots. Real driftwood wouldn't be ideal in your tank, but the plastic stuff that pet stores sell is a great replacement. As far as ripping up plants, I never even saw mine nibble at the plants.