Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

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Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Thu Mar 22, 2018 4:50 pm

Yes, that's what I did. They had new plastic bags on the side. I went to get one thinking to slide the loach on it, and was telling him to wait. He had grabbed the loach by then...didn't wait....I mean grabbed him repeatedly several times. He sort of panicked...

NancyD
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by NancyD » Thu Mar 22, 2018 9:54 pm

Ugh, that's pretty typical of LFS workers :( I agree with Diana, a credit card or similar thin sheet is the best way catch "sucker" fish of all kinds. I once had a pleco make it "almost" to his new tank. He did a kind of backflip onto the floor but I was able to rescue him...with much anxiety on my part & probably some on his too.

Keep looking for foods they'll accept. I hope your Repashy order comes soon! Like I said before, I would not keep hillstreams of any kind without it.
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Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:32 am

I pray the food arrives today. On Monday I got an email that it will be sent out ASAP. Hopefully that means it was sent out Monday or Tuesday the latest...Poor fish must be hungry. They absolutely don't recognise any of the food I put as food...The other hillstreams are such piglets in comparison.
Last edited by Loachloach on Fri Mar 23, 2018 6:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:55 pm

I received the repashy. I am going home now to cook some repashy on stones. Yummy :) Wish me luck..

Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:07 pm

Well, sad to report that so far no good.

I made a batch of stones with repashy. I put two in the tank. There was a loach on the a stone next to a repashy one, no interest whatsoever.

My other hillstreams are mowing down a peace of my previously home made food right now, not picky one bit.

The good news is that the little guy from yesterday is alive and looking ok from what I can see. He surfed a few stones, passing right by a repashy one as well not noticing the nice green stuff :( He's about hlaf the size of the G. Ctenocephalus, really small.

NancyD
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by NancyD » Fri Mar 23, 2018 9:37 pm

I'm glad your new loach is doing ok after his traumatic capture. I'd think at least some of your fish would accidentally land on the Repashy & maybe try it. My fish were all used to it before I got them, except for the danios & they have no problem eating it, or anything else.

Are they any more interested in the aged sponge or slimy rocks? There's food on both.

I forget, how long are your lights on? Maybe increase their time on by an hour or so each day. That may make a mess of algae the loaches won't eat but worth a try. It's just a tub after all, it's not like you're trying to see through glass. Have you felt along the sides to see if there's any sliminess to it? Maybe there is something they eat, but not while you're watching...
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Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Sat Mar 24, 2018 3:10 am

Thanks Nancy.

The loaches are not touching the sponge either, at least that I can see. They land on it sometimes but not for long and the sponge is quite old, quite big, plenty on it for them, so is the big plant basket, another planted glass gar,big anubias leaves, etc...

The light has been on for minimum 12 hours a day and in fact even 16 hours. I am trying to grow me some damn algae :) I don't care if the lot gets covered, that's the entire point of this tank.

I saw tiny bit of diatoms appearing on the anubias leaves and I am so happy about it :) And yes, there's slime already. I've actually seen the odd loach sucking on the sides but they really prefer the cover of the stones and roots. The loaches appear quite skittish as well.

I now hope the microworms make a difference because I don't know what else.
The fish shop did inform me they are not feeding, etc....not that they were trying to feed them either....They were just staying stuck on the glass as that's all there was in the tank they were in. They were all bunched together in a corner...But it was the same case for my other hillstreams...who eventually adapted without much effort on my part and are really aggressive eaters.

I am going to be ordering 6 corydoras and I wonder if its a good idea to quarantine them with the loaches. The corydoras are going to be moved to my pond eventually. I have a singlet corydora about 7 years old for which I had never found friends from the same species until last week....I am really attached to this cory because it came to me with its own unhappy story in its prior life....I nursed it back to health, etc, etc...One of the online shops I buy stuff from has them in stock for the first time...So what do you all think? I have another tub I can quarantine them in, so I have a choice. I just think it would be good with the food left overs and I already do quite the water changing, etc...so they'll go into pristine conditions...Maybe some other fish will also help the loaches settle well....

Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:45 am

I wanted to also mention that the G.Scitulus is quite more active than the G.Ctenocephalus. I am guessing that's why one ended up on the floor...

The one I have for a week is quite often on the sides on the tank and he seems to be munching something from time to time. I see him every day and he'd come out during or after each water change, and if I stay long enough, he'd be out swimming the sides. He looks good too, nice colours on him. I hope the small one I got recovers from his experience and joins the party. He was too out yesterday on the sides, sort of giving me the idea they're not as skittish as the G.Ctenocephalus ones, at least that's my observation so far. I wish I got more of them.

I was just wondering..... I can get daphnia online, would that be worth a shot? The reason I haven't ordered it yet is because long time ago I did try feeding my clown loaches with live daphnia and they didn't go hunting at all......Daphnia is sold online locally so I shouldn't wait all week for delivery...Even if they get one feeding out of it, still something...Any other ideas?

Edit: I dropped a big repashy stone in the clown loach pond. The loaches had it eaten in 2 minutes. The pleco didn't make it on time to the stone :lol:

Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Sat Mar 24, 2018 6:35 am

Another Edit:

I also dropped a repashy stone in the beufortia hillstream tank at the same time. Untouched!!! There's a couple of shrimp on it only. The hillstreams don't want to know about it either. The lot murder my home made food. This is really odd!! Shrimp eat anything at all so it is very very unusual to be seeing the stone untouched...At the same time the clown loaches went nuts for it.....strange fish behaviour....

NancyD
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by NancyD » Sat Mar 24, 2018 2:18 pm

I don't know about adding the corys. It "might" help get the new loaches eating but it may be harder to tell if they are eating anything. There is of course the possibility of introducing parasites or disease too. You've waited a long time for the corys... I think I'd house them in a different tank/tub.

I don't know if daphnia would help or not. I don't think I ever tried it for hillstreams. You have tried many foods, maybe some slightly cooked spinach? Jim Powers uses it as I recall. He soaks it in hot water (boiling?) for a short amount of time to soften it, that's all I remember. I've only offered raw, some fish liked it ok but not my hillys.
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Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Sat Mar 24, 2018 2:46 pm

I haven't had much success with spinach. It just floats around the tank making a mess, not sure I can stick it to a stone. I can try of course.
Today I am going to skip the food. They aren't touching it...I'll wait a day and try a repashy stone again.

Today I had quite some time to observe the tank. I saw 6 loaches around at the same time so I am hoping that means all 8 are alive. There's is quite the activity going on. They actually do munch stuff on the stones. I also saw a couple of fights for stones. The new little guy has made it another day too. I saw him surfing the sides, chasing his sibling from the same species around. The little loach is as small as 2cm, less than an inch.

The older G.Scitulus I've had for a week is quite funny. He made at least 15 attacks on one of the bigger G.Ctenocephalus loaches. He'd circle the tank and then land straight at the other loach over a stone for a very brief fight, then run away on the side of tank, do a full circle around and then back again at the other loach. He's smaller so doesn't seem to stand a chance. The other loach on another hand is kicking everyone away from around 4-5 stones. He's trying to establish quite the territory.

I can see some diatoms on the anubias, that means there must be some stuff on the stones too, although difficult to see. Light is on from 7am till late evening at which time I switch it to the other two tubs I have.. The light I ordered for the tank is in transit. I should get it next week.

NancyD
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by NancyD » Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:32 pm

It sounds like maybe they are eating.

I put a small stone, a "veggie clip" or a spoon on leafy foods to hold them down.
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Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:32 pm

Yes, they're looking for food and eating whatever little natural there is. The problem is there isn't enough for all, not even in ideal conditions. I'll see how the microworms go. At least my other fish will benefit too. They haven't seen live food in years...

Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Sat Mar 24, 2018 6:47 pm

Looking back at the species I think that what I have identified as G.Scitulus is not G.scitulus.

The pattern of the tail of mine is actually totally different than what I see online. Mine has a diamond or sort of "eye" shape in the middle, not clearly visible on my picture but that's the pattern

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The top one here is supposed to be G.Scitulus. Totally different than the tail of mine. The bottom is consistent with my G. Ctenocephalus.

Image

So what do I have?

Loachloach
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Re: Do hillstream loaches sift through sand?

Post by Loachloach » Sun Mar 25, 2018 1:03 pm

I don't know what they are eating but I remove a ton of black poop every day...

A lot of them are now out around the stones...

I had the chance to see the small new guy from up close. There is a bit of damage around the tail section but he is out and about being active and I hope water changes will fix it in time.

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