Need set-up tips for hillstream first timer, Please!

[Jim Powers]

Zebra hillstream (P. fasciatus)...that makes a difference. They are a great species.

[gmartenson]

Oh ya, omission on my part. Jim, is it your experience that these guys like group numbers in a community setting or do they prefer pairs if I can get them sexed?
Well, the pumps have arrived, I'm gluing up the manifold today, the second hand stand is rehabilitated and the tank is ready to go. Prepping all the substrate this weekend and a final decision has to be made... To plant, or not to plant? That is the question! Does anyone out there have any great successes or great failures with a planted hillstream tank that they'd like to share? I do think that I'm going to go with the idea of having a sand bottom cap on one end and a coarser gravel cap on the other to accommodate the preferences of more species... thoughts?


Stef, Here is the current state of the 10gal planted. I hoped to grow and divide out plants from here to the hillstream tank if I go in the planted direction.


CO2 nano in action...

Keep in mind, this is my first time out on both these setups, so any suggestions are appreciated!
Cheers!

Glenn

[gmartenson]

Oh, and an addition question for the experts out there. I am NOT going to max the keeping capacity of the tank, so will oxygenation be an issue with the two existing powerheads on the manifold ( Odyssea 350 X2) and a Magnum 330 canister running downstream from one end to the other? I know that the co2 injecting won't affect it if I go that route, but I wanted to be sure to have enough aggitation in the tank...

[Jim Powers]

I was never able to find enough zebra hillstreams to keep a group, but would go that route if i could. I think you will be okay with the oxygenation with the set up you have.

[gmartenson]

Well it's been a while and the tank is in place and I've just introduced my "starter fish" tonight. After much frustration with one of the two pieces of driftwood I was going to place in the tank, the final scene is set with just one... stupid floating wood. With out further ado...
Some pictures...
The dry run.

[gmartenson]

The tank in place as a divider between the couch and desk in the "Man Cave"


Yep... gettin' dirty! Dirt base capped in clay and a gravel cap on the "upstream" half to come.


These are the two pieces that ended up as only one due to flotation challenges.


Just add water! Oh, and a bunch of live plant


The finished product.


With fish...


Enjoy! In two weeks, the hillies come home! If you hate cropping, you know what to do!

[jonstfrancis]

Beautiful, natural looking setup there. Love the drift wood especially.

[Jim Powers]

Very nice!!

[gmartenson]

The kids have come home... Finally! I have purchased my first three specimens and they seem to be loving the new digs. After letting the tank mature and propigating some great growth, I decided it was time. Choices were everything I could find locally which netted me two Beaufortia kweichowensis (I'm fairly certain as they were labled Borneo Suckers. If I'm incorrect, please correct me) and one lone Sewellia lineolata.. one the small side but man, is he active. I'm noticing that the Beaufortia are a bit timid and tend to stay down by day in the driftwood cave... typical? Thus getting a pic proved difficult, by I managed a couple of each. Seldom are they both out at the same time, but the Sewellia is quite the showy fella! Thanks for the tips Jim and I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Looks like you had a beautiful specimen there. I'll do my best with mine in his honor!
And now some pics (yep, time for a new tripod and cleaner glass! )

[starsplitter7]

Beautiful tank and fish. Very nice, and thank you so much for posting pictures. You have really set up a beautiful habitat. Hopefully you will find more fish in the future. So true that the Hillstreams are difficult to find.

[Jim Powers]

It looks like you got good specimens, so that is a great start for this tank. Beaufortia are often sold as "Borneo Suckers" as are many hillstream species so that doesn't surprise me. They tend to be a bit shy so the behavior you are describing is normal. Hopefully, you will be able to find more sewellia to go with your lone specimen and maybe even spawn.

[gmartenson]

Quick question... I have a "skinny" looking loach. It's the smaller of the two Beautifortia. Everything else in the tank is spot on. Water quality is good and all other fish are healthy including his counterparts. I have yet to see either if the two feeding as I think they are doing it after lights out. As I said, his partner is perfectly healthy. He has taken to sitting in one spot that is not normally frequented. Sick, underfed? I been feeding API flake, frozen brine and bloodworms and algae wafers on a rotating basis. He just seems to look a bit more "railed" than he did before, but like I said, I'm lucky to actually see him once every couple of days and they stay down when the light are up. Some pics of him and then his tankmates. Thoughts?




His larger sibling...




Possible culprits? Do they generate a lot of bacteria?

[Jim Powers]

It may not be anything in your tank. It might just be the fish. Some hillstreams just don't thrive. It may be a bacterial infection it picked up during transport or it may have been oxygen deprived during shipment. I recently experienced this with a batch of Liniparhomaloptera disparis I purchased. I was excited to find them after not seeing them for years. Unfortunately, only one ever started eating but all died within three weeks, most within two days.
About all you can do is pick the healthiest fish you can find, provide the proper conditions and hope for the best.
Good luck!

[gmartenson]

Well that time frame may fit. They were brought home on the 14th of Nov. He seemed to be doing very well and first so I'm left scratching my head. I'm going to try tempting him with some fresh blanched greens to mix it up a bit. Aside from his slight appearance, he is acting otherwise naturally. Initially he hung out in the same cave as his larger partner, so maybe they've had a falling out and the larger one is chasing him away from foodstuffs but I have yet to witness the act, but the two won't go near each other right now. huh!

[starsplitter7]

I would not worry about the snails. I have them in all my tanks. They keep the tank clean, warn you of impending doom (go up the glass when it is too warm or oxygen drops) and eat extra food.

Maybe your thin guy needs a dose of Levamisole to clear out any parasites? I never see mine eat, and I have had one a ffew years, so I know they do, and they live with a bunch of rowdy loaches. Seem to do quite well. YOur tank is big, beautiful and I am sure it will come along.