Loaches Online Forum

Many of these fish are fattening up nicely , all have some full looking bellys now but a few of the skinnier loaches are all visible. There are three in particular I am concerned with but they seem healthy and vibrant and continue to eat well.


I also have a vid of my striata's and their set-up. I have 20 Rummy-nosed Tetra's in another tank I will move in here soon for dithers along with the small Red-Violet Bruno Pleco thats in here now .


and for anybody intrested in Blue Botia here is a video of mine which number about 20 and nothing happens. Its just like when company comes over and wants to see your fish. Fishkeepers know this I think. There is a spotted rapheal, small bichir , several rubber nose pleco's and a lone beauforti along with the visible fish in this video. None of the loaches show for long as I fed these earthworms yesterday for variety in the diet and they are still full apparently. I will vid this tank again another time to show the difference in the tanks activity levels as this would be none or lame imo.
This does however show my set up with the 3/4" pipe injecting directly through the surface in the corner by the fall.That alone is the airation and may give some idea of the flow of about 35 gallons US a minute. This is an old double bottomed reef tank with egg crate over the top of the lone fall to keep the botia in, or I should say Yasuhikotakia to be correct .

Very cool vids.
I never knew helodes darted around like that. Do they ever bounce off the walls?

Pretty Cool Tinman!

BTW, Sorry if you have been asked this, but what do you use for dithers in your Syncrossus tanks?

Great video's

great video's tinman, and the fish are looking great bud.

mick

Thanks everyone !!!!
BotiaRobert asked

BTW, Sorry if you have been asked this, but what do you use for dithers in your Syncrossus tanks?

Syncrossus ,of course. The helodes are in a helodes only tank They actually left small rumny nose alone that flowed into their tank from a fall tank above I have since moved so I may use something else but with that many fish in a tank I have no room for others and I may or may not be able to feed them.
I have 12 or so hymenophysa I may put with them eventually but getting them out if it does not work may be quite traumatic for all involved with such a dense population

Superb video's!

I enjoyed seeing the behavior of these fish. Thanks Tinman.

Pretty cool.

Tinman wrote: BotiaRobert asked

BTW, Sorry if you have been asked this, but what do you use for dithers in your Syncrossus tanks?

Syncrossus ,of course. The helodes are in a helodes only tank They actually left small rumny nose alone that flowed into their tank from a fall tank above I have since moved so I may use something else but with that many fish in a tank I have no room for others and I may or may not be able to feed them.
I have 12 or so hymenophysa I may put with them eventually but getting them out if it does not work may be quite traumatic for all involved with such a dense population

Thanks Tinman. I dont know much about the Syncrossus family, Botia is keeping me busy! I was unaware Syncrossus did not need dithers like Botia prefer. I do understand you have a very high stocking density. Thanks again.

Fantastic Vid's Tinman ! really enjoyed them , as for the Helodes i think you will really learn a lot from this tank , i'd guess the Tetras were ignored because the Helodes are that busy with each other , is this the best way to keep Syncrossus Sp/s ? quite possibly .

in that last video, i am sure the fish in the next door tank were more interested inthe food theywerent getting

arent your striata little cuties? lovely videos

Thanks for so many nice words . I will shoot some more of this tank too as they grow. I purchased 12 Syncrossus hymenophysa the other day but it seems at least 6 may actually be helodes so that is 6 more for this tank or so after qt. I will look some more as they color up and settle in and as I will be home with some time this weekend to watch.

Thanks Tinman. I dont know much about the Syncrossus family, Botia is keeping me busy! I was unaware Syncrossus did not need dithers like Botia prefer. I do understand you have a very high stocking density. Thanks again.

Thank you Botia Robert. I had never really considered dithers for this tank . I had more considered the needs of the helodes and never really considered adding others to this but now you have me thinking ....I have made a move to specific enviroments for each specie of loach lately. Reducing my compromise if you will.Except for 4 Albino red tail sharks and a few plecos,eel and one small cat who are all on clean up duty my baby loaches tank consists of entirely loaches. Loaches with loaches for dithers .

as for the Helodes i think you will really learn a lot from this tank , i'd guess the Tetras were ignored because the Helodes are that busy with each other , is this the best way to keep Syncrossus Sp/s ? quite possibly

I am learning daily. I really don't think they cared .The little guy was swimming around and the loaches just laying on the bottom. They are very quiet unless feeding or startled. I had assumed solo or specie specific was the best way to keep them hence this set up but now I wonder as stated above. Dithers would be possible.

I enjoyed seeing the behavior of these fish

Me too ,I will try to catch them on vid sleeping as they do mostly. The least number visible in the tank has been 7 so far. They actually all lay in the pipes mostly just jockeying for position in the pipe they are in. Each pipe seems to have the same alpha I am thinking, little neighborhoods inside the tank if you will with some fish obviously moving about but it seems most settle back where they started just like if there was 4 in the tank.

in that last video, i am sure the fish in the next door tank were more interested inthe food theywerent getting

arent your striata little cuties? lovely videos

Thanks Helen, The striata's really are the kittens of my set up.
Those barbs really eat and are always ready to eat They are in one of my big tanks there , thats where my 3 large Clowns and my big Rapheal live

awesome vids thanks for sharing
in the syncrossus video, i love your "original one on the left", lovely looking specimen. based on his size you may want to consider throwing some larger diameter PVC in there as i'd worry they might get stuck
lovely striatas and it is unfortunate everyone was camera shy in the last video.

tinman, what size tanks are the helodes and striata in please, andy and i have been trying to work out the dimensions bud and wev'e both come to different sizes.

cheers
mick