Loaches Online Forum

How much current shall I use in my botia specialtank? Do they like fastmoving water?

The majority of Botia love fast-moving water. What size is your proposed Botia tank, and what species are you planning on keeping?

Emma

Botia kubotai and the tank is around 70G.

Name the filter game next?

1000L an hour. That's about 260G an hour.

Remember that the ratings that the filter manufacturer state are the maximum amount of water they are able to handle and this would be for a lightly stocked tank - the more fish, the lower the filter rating would become.

As a guide, our clown loach tank is 1000 litres, and we have 3 Eheims externals on it, which have a combined total rating of 3000 litres (2 Professionel 3's rated at 1200 litres each, and one rated at 600 litres). In addition to this we have two large Aquaclear 4000 powerheads on the tank. As I've mentioned on numerous occasions here, the water is visibly churning, and the loaches absolutely love it.

Botia kubotai are also a river species, and as such also enjoy a good flow rate in the aquarium. You certainly can't 'over filter' where Botiine loaches are concerned - the more filtration and water movement, the better.

Emma

OK, so I could do the setup of a rivertank!

Oh yes, they would appreciate that. I think Martin has some B. kubotai in his 6ft river style set-up that his clown loaches live in.

Emma

Yes I do. 3 of the little monkeys!

Here's a couple playing with the big guys.



Martin.

Is a river tank absolutly neccesary for clown loaches,and is a non-rivertank setup harmful to them?Just curious.

No, not harmful as long as you have decent water movement and aeration. They like it, plus have a reasonably high oxygen requirement.

Martin.

I've got a topfinn 60 power filter(HOB) and a profile 1000 air pump on my 55 gallon.is that enough movement?

botiaboy.........To an extent it depends on how many fish you have in there and how large. I'm not a big fan of HOBs that require cartridges. Better off with Aquaclears that have sponges. A lot of space gets wasted in cartridge filters IMO.

Your Topfin 60 allegedly pumps around 300gph. In a 55 gallon tank, that means it moves the capacity of the tank through itself 5.45 times per hour.

On my 125 I have two Rena XP3 cannisters............2 x 350 = 700gph
An Aquaclear 500 HOB................................................. = 500gph
A River-Tank manifold with two small powerheads on it...... = 200gph (guess)

That's 1400 gallons per hour getting pumped round the 125, so 125 into 1400 goes 11.2 times. Basically, I have nearly twice your turnover, but more critically also an immensely greater mechanical and biological capacity than you would get even if you doubled up to two Topfin 60 filters which would exceed my turnover rate.

Loaches need very good quality water and flow as well. Finding the combination of equipment that makes that happen is the key.

For cheapness on your tank, and staying with a HOB, I would hang on an Aquaclear 500. That alone will give you over 9 times an hour turnover. It will also give you a vastly increased filter bed without additional cost of replacement filters. Keep the Topfin as well and you're looking at 14.5 times.

The Clowns would love it, but what other fish do you have?

As regards aeration....if you run a long ceramic airstone up at one end of the tank it will create a rolling current by lifting water up the end glass.
As you don't have powerheads, you can't use their venturi function to inject air.

Martin.

Its 3 clowns,2 kubotias,1 pleco,and a geophagus,plus soon 3 yoyos.The clowns and pleco are soon moving to a bigger tank(shooting for a 120).

You might want to move the Geo too because that will get too big for a 55.
with that lot, you definitely need more filtration capacity.

Martin.