Sewellia Lineolata's (hillstream loaches)

Barnsten · Post by **Barnsten** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:26 pm

Okay so I am getting some hillstream loaches from a person online (sent to me) next week. I am in the process this week of finishing my tank setup in the 55 gallon tank. I have all the plumbing and fittings on the way, and have a eheim 2128 and a powerhead that I am going to use. I don't have anything drawn up on the computer/paper to show my project but I plan to make it a fast flowing stream from one side of the tank to the other side. I was looking at some of the set up's from the forum in the past and have adapted my idea to be somewhat similar to what other people have done in the past. The intake for the powerhead will be on the right side of the tank behind a large piece of filter/sponge separating off the end of the tank, and the outlet pipes will run behind a false background/rock work wall that I am going to create out of foam insulation boards and 2 part epoxy. The outlets will stick out of the rock wall on the left side of the tank. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to put the eheim in there just yet, but I would like the intake/outtakes to match the stream setup to help with the flow.
My question is this, Does anyone out there with this kind of similar stream/river set up use CO2 injection? I was considering getting a CO2 setup for the 55 gallon tank to help with the plants I am going to plant on the rock wall in upper "shelves" from the bottom of the tank where the fastest flow will be. I can always go with easier plants too if CO2 will not work for this kind of setup.
Also what do you guys keep with your hillstream loaches, or do you have a hillstream loach only tank? I have some glofish danio's that I was going to try putting in there, since they like to play in the current from my magnum 350 powerhead in my main tank. I have guppies as well but not sure how they would do in that much current, but they are mostly upper dwelling fish too.

bslindgren · Post by **bslindgren** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:47 am

Are you putting the hillstreams in without cycling the tank? If so, is that wise?

I don't keep hillstreams, but I think most people who keep them (seriousy) don't have planted tanks - I'm just guessing based on their natural habitat mind you.

Barnsten · Post by **Barnsten** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:57 am

No the filter is currently running on my already cycled tank, I am going to switch it over to the 55 gallon tank when the loaches get here, that way it will already have nitrifying bacteria growing in it before I move it to the other tank, at most I might get a mini-cycle.

Doc · Post by **Doc** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:41 am

I'd be cautious about adding the Loaches to the new setup. Although the filter will have some bacteria colonies on they may not be sufficient at first but more importantly the tank itself doesn't have the micro flora and fauna that these fish need. It isn't just algae they consume but other organisms on the algae and surfaces. This is in addition to their extra foodstuffs provided by yourself. In an ideal world you would be looking at a 4-6 month period before adding any Loaches to this setup and adding other fish, plants and perhaps inverts first to help the tank establish itself after cycling.

shari2 · Post by **shari2** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:47 am

they need algae and the awfuchs in it. a spanking clean tank is not a plus for keeping these fish. do you have cobbles for the tank? if so, throw some out into the sun (if you have much now?) add some ammonia and grow some algae on them asap. if they are wild caught fish they won't have a clue about processed food being food and could starve.

odyssey · Post by **odyssey** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:32 am

Hi Barnsten.

Two old Sewellia Lineolata inhabit my tank from 2006. I keep three young individuals in another tank,too.
The water of my tank circulates, but there is not the strong current.
I think that the current does not always have to be strong.

The algae and awfuchs are required food for them as shari2 says.
If there are algae and awfuchs, they move to even any kind of place and graze them.
They are not conservative, and they eat algae(awfuchs) positively.
Video clip that Sewellia grazes algae on the leaf.
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4NXTJB7FWM

As for the dirty surface and leaf such as my pictures, many aquarists will be in an unacceptable state.

Barnsten · Post by **Barnsten** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:19 pm

Love all of the pictures of your hillstream loaches

I'd love to get a variety of them eventually.
I have already paid for the loaches so I don't think the seller will appreciate if I ask him to hold him for several months, LOL.
I could put them in the currently established 125 gallon downstairs, with algae already growing in it but I don't know if there will be enough water flow and oxygen in the water for them. I have been slowly lowering the temp in that tank as I normally keep it near 80, so I suppose that could work if the temp is low enough when the loaches get here.
I have a lifegard fluidized bed filter (model fb300) on it with powerhead, a magnum 350 delux (no biowheel), an the edheim professional 2138 (I think that's the model, anyways, really tall eheim with a heater inside, but the heater is broken), and I also have 2 ornaments that bubble, one is a long wand and the other is just a single ornament. Oh, and I have an aquaclear 110 on the tank as well. Not sure if that will work for the loaches, i didnt' really want to throw them in my established tank as I wanted to quarantine them first, but my 10 gallon currently has fry in it, though I suppose I could move those over for food for the main tank

(it's only guppies so don't scream at me, LOL).
The seller has these loaches currently eating "meaty" foods such as frozen brine shrimp, he stated that they don't touch any of the algae he has in their tank so far, so maybe they don't know to eat it yet? They are wild caught so I would have figured they would eat algae already.

Barnsten · Post by **Barnsten** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:40 pm

Well that last post was a bit messy (was in a hurry on the way to work).
I will clarify what I have running on my 125 gallon tank right now that could possibly house the loaches until I get the 55 gallon tank finished and running for a bit.
Magnum 350 deluxe (350 gph, no bio wheel)
Eheim 2128 professional 2 thermofilter (I believe it's 300 gph, but better filtration than the magnum)
Aquaclear 110 (500 gph)
Lifegard Fluidized bed filter (Model FB300, it's basically just like a HOB filter but the powerhead is inside the tank pulling water through the filter which trickles back out in a HOB design into the tank) not sure how much water it filters, but it's there for biological filtration only anyways.
I also have a 4 foot long bubble wand that is stretched mostly across the right side of the tank, there's about a 1 foot gap on the left side that it doesn't reach, but all the filters (except the aquaclear) are on the left side of the tank. There is also a small ornament on the left side of the tank that bubbles (and glows in the dark, LOL).
This is a planted Walstad tank and I get a lot of algae growth in it. I was planning on throwing some of the decorations into the 55 gallon for the loaches and to help with the cycling.

Amber

Barnsten · Post by **Barnsten** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:29 am

Pictures after a day in my 125 gallon tank. They seem to be doing good, and are grazing on the algae growth on the back/sides of the tank. I have yet to see them eat the frozen foods I put in the tank (or the sinking carnivore pellets) but perhaps they will notice them soon. I have 6 of them so far, and maybe 3 or more males, not sure yet, they hide a lot, LOL.

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Sewellia Lineolata's (hillstream loaches)

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