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I don't plan on adding full grown adults...most like juveniles or sub-adults. It depends on what I can get though. I will look for some larger loaches.

As for rocks...I'm thinking about using some grey slate. I can find it around my house, so its free. I may go to a landscaping place to see what they have. If anything catches my eye and isn't too expensive, I may get something else.

The skunk loaches I have seen have been about 3-4 inches. They aren't as skinny and small as the yoyos I got. Mine were so tiny when I got them. I'll make sure I get some big plump skunks though.

*Kristin*

Temporary tangential diversion - if you're running with slate as your rock material, take care over sharp edges, both with respect to your fishes living with it, and you handling it!

Although the slate is free, I'd go for something different in a Rift Lake aquarium. I'd opt for Tufa Rock. Likely to cost me more, but has numerous advantages:

[1] It's a soft rock and sharp edges are easily rounded off;

[2] It can be sculpted without specialised tools;

[3] It adds to the buffering capacity of the aquarium because it's primarily calcium carbonate.

Tufa Rock is usually sold for marine aquaria, but is excellent for use in Rift aquaria too.

Of course you could mix the two, but the dark grey slate and the bleached white Tufa Rock are going to clash a bit until algal growths have altered their appearance!



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002