After years of consistent and successful care I have recently taken two steps to improve my enjoyment of my 17 year old Clown Loaches.
First and as reported earlier I changed my black gravel to 75kg of natural gravel (gradually over several weeks) and the Clown Loaches responded with vibrant colours.
Secondly, I upgraded my undergravel filtration and removed my Fluval 403 external canister which has been operating continuously since 1995 with no servicing required other than media rinsing.
I decided on this course of action after two people I know had disasterous floods when their canister filters leaked the contents of their aquaria onto their floors I realised I have been very lucky in this regard.
After all I have my beloved Clown Loaches to think about, 90 gallons of water to worry about and my family to accommodate.
I upgraded my two undergravel filters to stretch the full length of my aquarium and purchased new more powerful powerheads rated at 2,400 lph of turnover to power them. The total cost was £48 which to my mind is a bargain when you consider the amount of filtration I’m getting. The cheap powerheads work well and quietly and deliver a greater flow than I had before. I did the changes gradually in stages over a month.
For those interested in these cheaper powerheads I have a Sunsun JP-025 1600 lph powerhead, costing £15.29 from allpondsolutions1 and a Hidom Aquarium Powerhead 800 lph, costing £8.16 from Orinoco Aquatics – both of these via eBay. Both needed some minor modifications to fit my uplift tubes. I purchased two sizes as the smaller one pushes water across the aquarium and the larger one pushes water along (the length of) the aquarium.
I have waited for a couple of months before reporting to make sure this was a good course of action. I have measured my nitrate levels and checked that I did not want to turn back for any reason. Nitrate is stable at 5ppm which is at the level it comes out of the tap so naturally I am over the moon.
There is nothing wrong with undergravel filters in this situation when the cost, longevity and above all results are so much in the aquarist’s favour. Plus I love gravel vacuuming LOL!
I am now at a stage where I can say that I am very happy with the steps I have taken. I have just taken the following pictures which I hope you will enjoy.
What I have is not state of the art, but it is something I am very happy with.
Here is the whole shoal of six foraging together (Anthia left of centre, Tiama right of centre):
![Image](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh204/redshark1/DSC04060.jpg)
This is my largest, Anthia, who is just over 8":
![Image](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh204/redshark1/DSC04068.jpg)
Here is my other female Tiama, who is a little shyer and usually is at the back of the aquarium:
![Image](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh204/redshark1/DSC04067.jpg)
Tiama (left) and Anthia (right) together - they have frequent trials of strengh but are always together afterwards:
![Image](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh204/redshark1/DSC04079.jpg)
The whole aquarium, with Tiama prominent:
![Image](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh204/redshark1/DSC04074.jpg)
Finally, my favourite due to the vibrant colours, with Tobi (male, above ) and Anthia (below):
![Image](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh204/redshark1/DSC04056.jpg)