Please ID this Hill Stream Loach

[joyban]

Please ID this Hill Stream Loach...





Thanks

Sujoy[/img]

[Mad Duff]

Gastromyzon scitulus

[ch.koenig]

yesss
a male
cheers charles

[joyban]

Thanks for the ID,

I have eight of these in a 3ft tank set up for hill stream loaches ..

What would be the ideal food for these fishes as currently I am giving them ACTI WelsTabs - Tablet delicacy for all groundling fish...Hikari Algae Flakes and Hikari Algae Wafers and ACTI SpiruTabs - Tablet Spirulina food for all algae feeding fish.

I have not seen them eating ... hence I am worried that they might be starving....

Could some blanched spinach or Cucumber could be offered ...

Please suggest

Thanks and Regards

Sujoy

[ch.koenig]

hi sujoy
generally speeking they take all food.
specimen in the trade could have been starving for a long time, that's hard to see until they get "costal" on their back. and then it's too late, mostly (I "tried" 5 ps. cheni, 2 died).
to make them start: some take frozen, chopped bloodworms, especially the "stinking" kind (from asian chicken farms) or tubifex; the best result I had with fresh artemia salina frozen and given directly into the tank.
be patient, just try and offer a cucumber aditionally (even if it's not nutritious). several times a day is better than once a cart load.
cheers charles

[plaalye]

Of the dozen or so gastromyzon sp. I've had, only one has visibly taken food. I've tried everything(haven't tried artemia yet, thanks Charles) but they just seem to be oblivious to whatever I offer. I have one little g. ocellatus at the moment that is a real feeder! He'll go after anything, even in the water column, and fight off his tank mates. It really is exciting to watch after so much trying with no success! I think it's really important to have a good mature growth of algae/aufwuchs for them to graze on while they are adapting to tank life and offered food. I grow algae on rocks in a tank outside on my deck during the summer. There's a thread here somewhere by Martin(search it) that gave me the idea. They love the fresh green stuff!!
Good luck with them!!!

[joyban]

Thanks charles for the information...

I have an additional question ..

While feeding would you normally turn off the power head or keep them on all the time..?

Regards

Sujoy

[ch.koenig]

hi sujoy
no. that's just to much work. and if you forget to restart ... I cover the intake manifold with a piece of filter material, 5x5x10 cm with hole (made with a strong finger); hillies don't like this substrate (the only one as far I know) and keep away, some shrimps eat all the food beeing stuck there (feeding and observation station!). besides: the flow that carries away the food makes them go on searching for hours. I don't think a concentration in one place with a plate or so is a good solution. that's one of the reasons why fresh artemia are best choice: they smell it and keep on loooking for it until the hatch drops or clings to the glass. that's entertainment for you and training for the fish. fatty degeneration of liver is the most frequent reason for fish-death in a tank. shouldn't be for hilllies.
cheers charles

[joyban]

Hi Charles,

Thanks for the info, I have now been feeding then Algae Wafers and Adult Frozen Brine Shrimp.

This is the product I have been using :-

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/103 ... Brine.html


Frozen Adult Artemia cultured scientifically in Salterns and cleaned carefully. Each Artemia around 1 centimeter length. Only thing is that I do not know if it is single species Artemia salina or sub speciese ?


The Manufacturer states that these are Artemia salina ? So this should work well for the loaches...?

Any other food you recommend , daphania frozen, also is it all right to give then red tubifex worms....

Best Regards

Sujoy

[ch.koenig]

hi sujoy
artemia is artemia. of course they are different - scientifically - in hatching (e.g. "russians" go with 20 %, californian with 90 % or more; depends on the brand), food value etc.
what I ment is: hatch the artemia and freeze them. but of course I forgot that not everybody does hatching. fresh artemia - 2-3 hours old - have an exellent food value, then it decreases.
anyway: they eat all once they are established. tubifey are ok, but as the provenance is not in control ("mood worms" can stock heavy metals) and fat content is high don't exaggerate and give not to much. the survivors go underground.
in my vacancy I was lucky to find ga. viriosus and couldn't resist. the tank water was about 6° kh, the water in the place I stayed <1° (a "dream-water", directly from tha alps!); as I have always a little tank with me, I made a slow adaption of 12 hours! it took them 10 days to cope with that and start to eat. never seen that before. "normally" - with the conditions here - they start after 2-3 days.
cheers charles