Clown Loaches in planted tank?

K Byers · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

I'm setting up a new (to me) 100 gallon aquarium and planning on using cat
litter as I have with my 45 high and 46 gallon long aquarium. I plan on
putting 2 inches of sand on top of the cat litter.

Would clown loaches dig up the plants in such a tank?

Archived from group: rec>aquaria>freshwater>plants

Mel · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 15

Why use cat litter?

"K Byers" wrote in message $ax1.183319@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> I'm setting up a new (to me) 100 gallon aquarium and planning on using cat
> litter as I have with my 45 high and 46 gallon long aquarium. I plan on
> putting 2 inches of sand on top of the cat litter.
>
> Would clown loaches dig up the plants in such a tank?
>

K Byers · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

The main reason that I'm planning on using cat litter is because I used it
in two other aquariums and it worked very well. It's also very cheap, and I
don't have a lot of money to spend after buying the aquarium, the lights,
the filter, etc.

Dan Quackenbush is the one who came up with the idea, may he rest in peace,
and published an article in an aquarium magazine several years ago, and it's
become quite popular since then. I wish I could tell you benefits in terms
of chemistry (as he did initially), but my knowledge of chemistry is pretty
meager. It has something to do with the cation exchange capacity and
creating an anaerobic environment where iron will change into a form which
plants can use.

Also, I set up both of these aquariums at least four years ago and have not
had to add any more fertilizer since the initial setup, when I added
Osmocote to the kitty litter

By the way, I meant "46 gallon bowfront," not "long."

"Mel" wrote in message $7_4.329@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
> Why use cat litter?
>
>
> "K Byers" wrote in message
> $ax1.183319@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>> I'm setting up a new (to me) 100 gallon aquarium and planning on using
>> cat litter as I have with my 45 high and 46 gallon long aquarium. I plan
>> on putting 2 inches of sand on top of the cat litter.
>>
>> Would clown loaches dig up the plants in such a tank?

Dick · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 133

On Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:22:39 GMT, "K Byers" wrote:

>I'm setting up a new (to me) 100 gallon aquarium and planning on using cat
>litter as I have with my 45 high and 46 gallon long aquarium. I plan on
>putting 2 inches of sand on top of the cat litter.
>
>Would clown loaches dig up the plants in such a tank?
>

I have 5 five to six inch Clowns in a 75 gallon tank with about 2
inches of sand. In 5 years no problem/

I don't understand the cat litter, I use just sand.

K Byers · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

"Dick" wrote in message @4ax.com...
> On Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:22:39 GMT, "K Byers" wrote:
>
>>I'm setting up a new (to me) 100 gallon aquarium and planning on using cat
>>litter as I have with my 45 high and 46 gallon long aquarium. I plan on
>>putting 2 inches of sand on top of the cat litter.
>>
>>Would clown loaches dig up the plants in such a tank?
>>
>
> I have 5 five to six inch Clowns in a 75 gallon tank with about 2
> inches of sand. In 5 years no problem/
>
> I don't understand the cat litter, I use just sand.
>
OK, thanks.

I've read that some people have good results with just sand, but my one
experiment with it was not very positive. Of course, there are lots of
factors besides the substrate, and I'm nowhere close to being an expert in
this area.