Help me build the perfect loach tank

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NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by NancyD » Wed May 23, 2018 10:01 pm

Either add fish or keep dosing ammonia...maybe only to 1 ppm. You're tank is cycled. It "should" be able to get rid of 1 or 2 ppm ammonia in 24 hours...but test & adjust ammonia as needed, you may not need to dose every day.

What's your plan for adding fish? What species & how many? You want rock solid fish that have been through quarantine & readily eat what you offer without "leftovers". I've forgotten your stocking plan...please remind us.
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loachnoob
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:37 pm

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by loachnoob » Wed May 23, 2018 10:28 pm

NancyD wrote:
Wed May 23, 2018 10:01 pm
Either add fish or keep dosing ammonia...maybe only to 1 ppm. You're tank is cycled. It "should" be able to get rid of 1 or 2 ppm ammonia in 24 hours...but test & adjust ammonia as needed, you may not need to dose every day.

What's your plan for adding fish? What species & how many? You want rock solid fish that have been through quarantine & readily eat what you offer without "leftovers". I've forgotten your stocking plan...please remind us.

Thanks for your reponse Diana!

Based off your response and a personal friend, i just threw in my sons beloved fantail.

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He will go back to the 55, but he will play the martyr if need be over the next few days :D

End game is:

10 kubotia
6 golden zebra
6 straitia
2 yoyo
2 angel fish

If ya think this is to heavy please let me know!

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by NancyD » Wed May 23, 2018 11:25 pm

I'm not Diana, although we're often confused, lol, both online & in person.

I think your yoyos will cause trouble...eventually, if not right away. I would rehome them. I forget the "common names" of golden zebras...are they histrionicas? If so, I loved mine!

Angels can be iffy, especially with yoyos. Their long fins are just too tempting for them.

Don't forget smallish barbs & rasboras make great botia tankmates. Or maybe even the mellow but beautiful dennisonii barbs (roseline sharks).
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loachnoob
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:37 pm

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by loachnoob » Thu May 24, 2018 4:12 pm

Oooops! My bad Nancy!!!

loachnoob
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:37 pm

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by loachnoob » Fri May 25, 2018 7:58 pm

My son had a serious meltdown after he saw the goldfish in the 125, so i moved him back to the 55. Moved over the two angels instead. They're fine tank and parameters are 0/0 ammonia/nitrate and nitrite is 10-20. That orange reading on the API looks dog gone near the same to me lol!

Nancy, based off your recommendations I'm going to suck it up and keep the yoyos in the 55. I hear you loud and clear, plus just observing my biggest yoyo proves you're correct :lol:

Did a 50% water change last night, AGAIN the Python rules!!

I'll slowly start moving the kubotias and golden zebras over the next few days, keeping up with the Stability. The fish I move from the 55 will free up room keeping the 55 a quarantine for the next batch of fish I get.

Got plans to add more rock structure and maybe another big piece of driftwood, which by the way, the tanin issue has been near non existent.

Thanks again all!

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by NancyD » Fri May 25, 2018 10:14 pm

A Python is helpful, but I only use my sometimes. I pretend siphoning into buckets to water my outdoor plants & using gallon jugs to refill is both environmentally sound & upper body strengthening, lol, as long as I don't have to change water in all my tanks at 1 time.

I should have said I've never kept yoyos...but their semi-aggressive nature makes me reluctant, I've seen how they behave.

You might want to up your stocking of striatas...just a thought, but I was only able to get 6 when I had them & wished I'd had more!
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loachnoob
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:37 pm

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by loachnoob » Sat May 26, 2018 9:54 pm

Such a cool night! Performed a big water change to both tanks and netted up the kubotias and golden zebras into a bucket with the 55 gallons tank water. Tonight I learned that netting loaches is a challenge! :lol: :lol:

Per Nancys advice I left the 2 yoyos in the 55 but moved over the rest of the loaches into a 5 gallon bucket while the python did its thing in the 125 moving out water. I caught the smaller yoyo 3 times mistaking him for a golden zebra :lol: Simultaneously adding water from the 125 to the 5 gallon bucket to acclimate my friends with a cup.

HOLY COW! Instantaneously after adding them to the tank they were in full blown schooled up mode exploring their new habitat. Stirring up all sorts of stuff that had to have came off the mechanical filters I had washed off in there previously, foraging at the floating debris. The angels i added a few days before were going after it too. At the same time the prefilters were sucking it up. I wanted to make a video of it, but I was caught in the moment enjoying it.

Ordered 6 golden zebras today, still on the hunt for stratias. The two golden zebras think their kubotias in the school :lol:

After watching them for a half hour I can see how adding some "top level" structure will be beneficial. Everyone was all over every nook and cranny stirring things up!

loachnoob
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:37 pm

Re: Help me build the perfect loach tank

Post by loachnoob » Sun May 27, 2018 4:17 pm

LFS had 2 straitias, brought them home and added them to quarentine. Ill order another 8 Monday.

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