anyone keeping plants with loaches?

[finley9]

I've got a 40 gallon with some Kuhli Loaches and wanna add more plants. Anyone got experience with loaches and live plants? My Anubias are doing fine, but the Crypts keep getting uprooted. Wondering if it's the loaches or just my setup.

[snarler]

Loaches are notorious for digging, especially Kuhlis. They'll uproot anything not firmly anchored. Try heavier substrate or plant weights. Java Fern and Anubias are good choices since they attach to driftwood or rocks. Crypts need deep planting, so maybe skip those.

[Hassan85]

Yep, my Kuhlis mess with the substrate all the time. I switched to sand and glued my plants to rocks. Works like a charm. Also, floating plants like Frogbit help diffuse light and give the loaches cover.

[Orizon1]

Had the same issue. My solution was using mesh pots for the Crypts. The loaches can't dig them up, and the roots grow through the mesh. Bonus, it keeps the substrate tidy.

[redvolt]

Loaches are notorious for digging, especially Kuhlis. They'll uproot anything not firmly anchored. Try heavier substrate or plant weights. Java Fern and Anubias are good choices since they attach to driftwood or rocks. Crypts need deep planting, so maybe skip those.

Agreed. I've had success with Vallisneria too. The roots go deep, and the loaches leave it alone once it's established.

[justonix]

My tank's a mix of sand and gravel. The loaches prefer the sand side, so I plant the gravel side. Seems to keep the peace. Also, frequent trimming helps the plants stay put.

[northo]

Kuhlis are little bulldozers, man. I gave up on delicate plants and stuck with tough stuff like Amazon Swords. They're too big to uproot, and the loaches love hiding in the leaves.

[FinleyRise]

Gonna try the mesh pot idea. Sounds legit. My Crypts keep floating to the top, and it's driving me nuts.

[ravena]

I've got a 20 long with Kuhlis and plants. The trick is to let the plants root before adding the loaches. Once the roots are established, they're harder to dislodge.

[north_rose]

My loaches and plants coexist fine, but I use a ton of driftwood and rocks to anchor everything. The loaches dig around, but the plants stay put. Maybe try more hardscape?