Lots Of Loaches

Hi everyone. I'm so glad to find this forum and hope to share and learn as much knowledge about our fish friends as I can. I've avoided joining other forums because of all the negativity from the members towards each other. Let me say that I don't do everything exactly the way most people think it should be done. My tanks are overstocked, my fish don't belong together, and 1 of my fish is in a tank to small for him. I could address all these things in detail but that would take a lot of time to explain. The short version is, my water tests great each week before my water changes, none of my fish hurt others, and he's a lazy bum who doesn't swim around at all no matter what length tank he's in. All of my fish seem happy and healthy in their current tanks so I'm ok with things for now.

A little background first. My 1st job was working in a pet store in 1981. Back then, once a month water changes were the standard advise we gave to our customers 🤦‍♂️.  Ouch! I hate to think how many fish paid the price for that terrible (IMO) advise. I continued to work in pet stores until I joined the military (I'm not into inter- service rivalries so I won't say which branch). I had aquariums on and off whenever life allowed it but usually only 1 tank, either saltwater or freshwater.

Now, I'm settled into civilian life working in an animal hospital and have gotten back into the hobby. I've only have 2 tanks (1-60 & 1-40 long) right now and am hoping to merge them into one 8' tank in the next year or so.  I've always been interested in loaches for their unique patterns, funny behavior, and lack of breeding. Currently, I have 9 types for a total of 46 loaches.  I have Tanganyikan cichlids, a pinktail chalceus (Steven), a red-tail shark (Carl), and red eye tetra mixed with them to provide dither fish to keep the loaches happy. 

My wife on the other hand has MTS really bad. She got her 1st tank (60 gal.) in Sept. 2020 and it was not long before she got another one. Today, she has 10 tanks and is breeding plecos, guppies, cories, and mystery snails. She is also doing very well growing live plants. She's having a great time in the hobby and has learned a huge amount of fish knowledge in a very short time. Thanks Cory!

Now, let's see if I can figure out how to use this forum and share information with all you great people.

My 40 long, rebuilding its inhabitants.

My 60 gallon