Loaches Online Forum

Hello, LOLers.

I wanted to try and make a nicely flowing tank for mainly hillstreamers.
The goal was- or still is - to make a low-energy type of a system with a good flow rate.
Another goal is to make the tank suitable for small-scale breeding of hillstreams. What that means is mainly that the pump systems are designed to keep babies out...

So, here's the tank:

The size is 240 x 40 x 30 cm or 8' x 1'4'' x 1'
The background hides a channel going from end to end of the beast. Channel is only about 10x15 cm or 4'' x 6'' crossed.
Don't be annoyed by the different lighting colors...



The current is supplied with a Tunze Turbelle 6060 Stream pump, rigged to the right hand end of the channel:




...and equipped with a largish prefilter:




The pump is connected to the channel with a modded sewer adaptor (50/110 mm) and is an exact fit to the tunze:




The giving end is turned 180 degrees with two sets of 70 mm sewer angles and equipped with stainless mesh:




The tank has been filled for several months now. The flow is moderately good, taken that channeling the water eats away some of the efficiency of the pump. Taking a pic of the flow is not very easy:




So there you go, hope someone is inspired and interested to further develope the usage of these pumps.
Stream-type pumps are very efficient. The Tunze Turbelle Stream in this tank gives 1600 GPH or 6000 l/h (theoretically, without head pressure) and only take 11 W.


I have a Hydor Koralia 4 in another setup, powering a mattenfilter:

It has been rigged like that for about eighteen months with no problems. I think they are very cost-efficient pumps, too. Koralia 4 takes 11 W too and gives about 4500 l/h. Again, without head.

Needless to say that they minimize the warming factor and suit perfectly for cool-water inhabitants. Like hillstream loaches.

I'm not much of a photographer, so thanks for your patience.
Also bare in mind that this tank is still very much in progress, so planting and such, not to mention lighting are going to evolve...

Oh wow! That is a gorgeous looking tank. It's dimensions are ideal for creating a one-way flow. The way you've adapted that Tunze pump is neat. It's made me realize that the same method could be used with Seio pumps. I have a 1500 GPH one in my Clown tank.

Can you describe to us what a "mattenfilter" is please?

Martin.

Martin Thoene wrote:Oh wow! That is a gorgeous looking tank. It's dimensions are ideal for creating a one-way flow. The way you've adapted that Tunze pump is neat. It's made me realize that the same method could be used with Seio pumps. I have a 1500 GPH one in my Clown tank.

Can you describe to us what a "mattenfilter" is please?

Martin.

Thanks, Martin. Yeah, isn't it just perfect for creating a riverbank? And sure, any pump works.

Mattenfilter is an easy and cheap way of filtering a tank:
Mattenfilter
Pics are at the bottom of the linked page.

How often do you clean the filter sponge?

Superb pictures btw.

Thats brilliant! The water movement must be perfect for hillstreams. What fish do you in there or planning to have?

You wouldn't possible be located in Finland?

Graeme Robson wrote:How often do you clean the filter sponge?

Superb pictures btw.

Pretty thanks, Graeme!
It depends so very much on the tank, and the bioload. Another thing that affects is how fine or coarse foam you use. Furthermore, tanks with mattenfilters are often supplied with some other filter type.

I have a 350 liter tank with mid-sized plecos and puffers. I clean the foam about twice a year.
Another tank, 1000 liters and a largish mattenfilter (the one motored by Koralia) I have cleaned once in 18 months. The bioload is not too heavy, but tennish monos, puffers and an eel all eat like pigs.

It's very easy to tell when it's time to do it, since the level of water sinks behind the foam as soon as it clogs.

Hi, Janne, Suomestapa Suomesta. Pehmolelu Espoosta!

I have about 15 hillstreams in there now. Sewellias and Gastromyzon (possibly scitulus). Nothing else...
I'm trying to figure out what to stock it with. Am in no hurry... But your Garras look astonishingly good! I want them!

That is a very good and detailed article which I have to read in more depth hx...thanks!

The principle is exactly one I've considered before for using as the end wall on the intake side of a tank-within-a-tank for hillstream that would work on the Endless Pool principle we've been talking about in the other thread.

Martin.

It would work like a charm, and do biological filtering while at it.

A false backwall or bottom in a tank to channel the water, a foamwall intake and a couple of Tunze Streams... Goodbye dandruff!

I knew it, such a genius idea can only come from one place on earth (Or i recognized the name hx)

I can definitely recommend Garra flavatra, they would love it in that setup. Check out the video I posted of them, entertaining.

Very nice fish, indeed, Janne. Do they eat algae, then?

Since I'm doing a project-sort of an intro of this tank, I'll put up a couple of pics of the rockwall I made to the tank.
I made it out of polystyrene sheets. Glued together, cut and melt with a soldiering gun. Then covered with cement-based material. I did the background in one piece, separately i.e. out of the tank:



When it was finished, it looked like this (sorry for the flash):



A detail:



Then I just glued the piece in the tank with silicone and let it cure wet for a couple of months.
Now it's starting to show very nice aufwuchs (no photo).

Prolly going to go fishing tomorrow (lfs-fishing). I'm aiming at catching some Akysis, Stiphodon, Beaufortia and if i get really lucky, Mesonoemacheilus triangularis. We'll see.

hx, your river tank is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Emma

Your tank is so cool looking and looks very natural. Awesome job.

nice bit of engineering hx. Great design .Do you pre-filter ?,seems like it would save the main from much cleaning. Very cool.

great tank hx!!!

Your river wall looks great! How do you keep it from floating?