Loaches Online Forum

Hi guys, have been reading the LOL forum but never posted, thought I would share my river tank since I finally added some hillstream loaches on the weekend, tank has been running for a few months now. Some quick specs

Tank - Fire Aqua 1500 x 210 x 240, 10mm low iron glass
Light - Make My LED 3w Tube, custom 8000K+4000K Mix
Filter / flow - 2 x 1400 LPH canister filters
Hardscape - River Stones and ADA laplata sand
Plants - Val, Buce and Anubias

Livestock - Few shrimp, 15 - 20 White Cloud Mountain Minows

I think I have identified the hillstream loaches as;

2 x Sewellia lineolata
6 x Pseudogastromyzon myersi
2 x Gastromyzon ctenocephalus or G. Scitulus

Tho I could be wrong, they where all labelled simply as Borneo Suckers, some photos below taken just after adding the loaches

IMG_2006 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_2003 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1998 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_2009 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_2008 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1985 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1980 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1978 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1973 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1965 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1960 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1915 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1912 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1906 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1905 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1904 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1902 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1901 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1897 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1898 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1951 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1947 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1942 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1952 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1940 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1935 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1929 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1927 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1926 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1925 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

IMG_1918 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

That aquarium looks superb to me, very professional as are the crisp photographs.
Thanks for posting, that's a visual treat.

Amazing tank!

Thanks guys, first time with this style of tank, previously was all about aquascaping / the plants, its nice to focus on the fish.

Quick iphone video of the loaches, I was concerned the loach on the sand was rather pale but after a fair bit of reading apparently they will change colour depending on there surroundings, patchy white spots are bad but full body colour change is ok, which seems what is happening here, yesterday the loach was yellow (after transporting home) and this morning he was back to a dull grey with lighter small spots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiV-IOQ4mhU

Not sure if there is a way to embed video in this forum?

Updated photo, loaches seem to be settling ok, often out in the open a bit more often, tho some times they are no where to be seen, hiding in and around the rocks.

IMG_2051 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

Starting to get some nice algae... never thought I would call algae nice, tho would be great if I could grow green / brown soft algae without BBA... starting to see tiny tuffs of BBA on the rocks closest to the window in my study. Loaches seem to be enjoying the algae tho.

Some photos below, most of the loaches didnt want to be on camera tonight, I think my camera / flash brings out more yellow than there is in the loaches, the yellow is not so noticeable by eye, they look more dark grey/brown to my eye, could be the flash stressing them bring out some yellow perhaps, they dont like being photographed and hide when I am pointing the camera right at the glass. It is fascinating how quickly they change colour tho, I managed to take a photo (first photo below... not the best photo) of two loaches fighting over a rock, these two guys went really dark / black with the banded stripes, and as soon as the fight is over go back the lighter browny grey. I saw my first blue loach today, it was fighting with a small Sewellia who didnt change colour as far as I could tell. I think they go more blue when really angry!


IMG_2067 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2078 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2076 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2077 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2073 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2064 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2079 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2072 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

That is one brilliant tank!!! LOVE the big stones, is there a glass lid? won't the loaches get out?

Val

FishyLady wrote: ↑

Tue May 29, 2018 2:43 pm

That is one brilliant tank!!! LOVE the big stones, is there a glass lid? won't the loaches get out?

Val

Thanks The loaches seem to love the stones also! No lid, I did have one loach end up on the floor the first day I added them to the tank, it survived as I was able to get it back into the tank. They dont seem to interested in climbing out now they are feeling at home.

I. too, love your big rocks! I'm not good with hilly ID, but they look healthy & happy.

I'd worry just a bit about your loaches climbing up & out of the tank. I've only had a rimless tank once...but not with hillys...& I did lose a couple very small loaches to climbing or jumping in a 16 inch tall tank. Keep us posted on how they work out for you.

NancyD wrote: ↑

Wed May 30, 2018 12:54 am

I. too, love your big rocks! I'm not good with hilly ID, but they look healthy & happy.

I'd worry just a bit about your loaches climbing up & out of the tank. I've only had a rimless tank once...but not with hillys...& I did lose a couple very small loaches to climbing or jumping in a 16 inch tall tank. Keep us posted on how they work out for you.

Thanks, hopefully they stay in the tank, I have 6 tanks at home all rimless with no lids, I just prefer the ascetic, I guess coming from a aquascaping background lids are not common

Few more photos tonight, the loaches are probably sick of me trying to take photos of them!


IMG_2095 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2107 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2098 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2104 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2096 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2100 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr


IMG_2105 by Colm Doyle, on Flickr

Hi,
How many gallons does that tank hold? also what are you feeding them?

Val

FishyLady wrote: ↑

Wed May 30, 2018 9:26 am

Hi,
How many gallons does that tank hold? also what are you feeding them?

Val

Hi, the tank is 20g but less because of rocks and sand, also I am only filling to within about 1 inch of the rim, tho the two big canister filters each hold about 20ltrs. I am feeding different kinds of algae wafers, hikari micro pellets, hikari micro wafers, I feed the white clouds live micro worms a few times a week, i guess they may eat micro worms as well, the tank is starting to build up some natural algae on the rocks and I have not been cleaning the back glass, it seems they are often grazing on rocks with the algae cover. I think they are eating fairly well, they respond when ever I put food in the tank, generally hanging around the area with the algae wafers, the small micro pellets get scattered around and the loaches sift through the sand.

Any suggestions of foods to try? I was going to try get hold of some gel food to apply to rocks but yet to get my hands on any, the repashy soilent green gel is not available in Australia. I was looking at New Life Spectrum Algae Gel.

[/quote]


Any suggestions of foods to try?
[/quote]


You are already trying the ones i was thinking of, like you I am always looking for other things to try.

Incidentally how many times do you do water chaanges?

FishyLady wrote: ↑

Wed May 30, 2018 1:46 pm

Any suggestions of foods to try?
[/quote]


You are already trying the ones i was thinking of, like you I am always looking for other things to try.

Incidentally how many times do you do water chaanges?
[/quote]

Once a week, about 50% WC