Loaches Online Forum

Keith Wolcott wrote:Excellent! Your fish are nice and healthy looking.

Thank you! I always look at your topic. Your loach tanks are the ones of the
most impressive ever with all that water bridges and natural light!

Marcos Mataratzis wrote:Hey Rodrigo!

They´ve grown very fast. Have you give up on natural plants?

Marcos

Thank you Marcos. You know that I've learn a lot from you, so part of
my tank success depends on you.

At this time I gave up on natural plants, but I will try to add a plant
filter using hyacinth. There's a balcony just 3 meters from the tank, so
I could easily pump water from the sump to a plant tank sitting there and than pump it back to the sump.

starsplitter7 wrote:Absolutely lovely. Love the patterns on the Yoyos.

Thank you!

I was looking to my tank then i noticed all my 10 clown loaches
swiming againt the current, doing the "loach train".

So I ran to take my camera and get some pictures to share with you.
So here they are, hope you enjoy.


Tank overview:





Side view. Tank is 1,00 m (front) x 0,70 m (side) x 0,60 m (height)



Essa yoyo aqui parece velha, mas é pequena e gordinha.
O formato dela é diferente das demais.


Botia Dario










I took these following pictures against flow direction.
Solitary red tail shark laying on the ground looking at what loaches
are doing.





Finnaly a good picture!



My biggest one at center, and the third one in size above it. It's my
favorite one and it's growing up very fast. It will soon by the number
two in size.


Red tail shark and chinese algae eater



More pictures of the "loach train"

i must admit when i see clowns in the shops i dont like the look of them but then i see how beautiful they can look when people give them the care and space they need to grow. just lovely

arny wrote:i must admit when i see clowns in the shops i dont like the look of them but then i see how beautiful they can look when people give them the care and space they need to grow. just lovely

Thanks for your kind words!


I got six more clown loaches, five medium (5-6cm) and a little one (3cm). I'll be posting more pics as soon they get transfered from quarantine tank.

Great pictures. THank you for sharing.

Looks familar- I've got a couple of these Hydor koralia in the same position but in the back, blowing along the back wall. Everybody loves it. The green algae is even the same, but your use of sand is keeping it in check over the bottom. I'm getting rid of the gravel from my mixed substrate for this reason.
I made the mistake of getting a headstander a couple of months ago, so my planted system is quickly becoming a stone & wood only system and the powerheads need cleaning every morning.

I'm thinking of setting a creeper-vine in/over the tank to take up the nutrients the regular plants used to use up, but the roots get nibbled off (by everybody). Any thoughts on keeping the roots safe? No space for an external planter.
A

andyroo wrote:Looks familar- I've got a couple of these Hydor koralia in the same position but in the back, blowing along the back wall. Everybody loves it. The green algae is even the same, but your use of sand is keeping it in check over the bottom. I'm getting rid of the gravel from my mixed substrate for this reason.
I made the mistake of getting a headstander a couple of months ago, so my planted system is quickly becoming a stone & wood only system and the powerheads need cleaning every morning.

I'm thinking of setting a creeper-vine in/over the tank to take up the nutrients the regular plants used to use up, but the roots get nibbled off (by everybody). Any thoughts on keeping the roots safe? No space for an external planter.
A

Yeah, these algae grows on porous surfaces and gravel or big pebbles are perfect for them. I have little amount of gravel mixed with sand, as you saw that on my pics.

I've never had an Annostomus, but I know their fame for being extreme
destructive to plants, many times more than loaches.

I think my friend Marcos is now using a creeper-vine in his tank. Maybe you can look in his topic and message him. I don't know how his loaches are dealing with the roots. Good luck then!

PS: I've put some water lettuce floating to see if i can get my nitrates level down, by as I would expect, loaches loves their roots

starsplitter7 wrote:Great pictures. THank you for sharing.

Thank you!

I took some pictures and recorded a video last week. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=froPkU1Khx4

Great pictures Rodrigo!

the loaches look wonderful!

Thank you Marcos and Chefkeith.

Here goes a video that I recorded yesterday night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4rAs9j5V98

Gorgeous!! Your fish look so healthy and happy!

I lost some guys due to a 2-week work travel (3 darios, 1 labeo, 1 cae)
While I was away pH went down suddenly. My wife found 2 darios lying dead on the substrate, one day before I landed
in Rio, the day after I found one more dead inside a piece of bogwodd. Red tail shark was in a very bade shape
but I've manage to take him back to health but he jumped out of the hospital tank
The sad part is that my 4 darios were a christimas my wife gave me two years ago.

Btw, all the other guys are doing well now.

Home update pictures i took this week. As I"ll traveling a lot more on the next few months I've decided to
take out all the bogwood from the tank, to minimize the risk of more pH drops.