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Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

New here!

Post by Basil » Tue Oct 09, 2018 10:16 pm

Hi all!
Just joined the forum and hope to find many great answers to my questions.
I decided to set up my new 75 g with loaches. It’s been running since May and I did a fishless cycle. Now slowly stocking and it currently has 6 golden diamond barbs and 4 tiger barbs. I have 4 more tiger barbs in another tank that I will add soon.

I’ve chosen Botia Histrionica for my tank and I’m eagerly awaiting my LFS to get them in.

So my first question is to quarantine or not?

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

Re: New here!

Post by NancyD » Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:28 pm

I'm a strong believer in a 4 week quarantine if at all possible. I often treat new loaches with flubendazole or levamisole in QT, they can be prone to internal parasites.

I'm not sure what golden diamond barbs are. But I have kept histrionicas & loved them. A 75g is a good tank size choice for them. How many are you planning on getting? I had 7 or 8. Mine were more day active than some loaches I've had. I think I had panda garras & dennisonii barbs with mine.
Image

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Wed Oct 10, 2018 8:40 am

Thanks!
I was planning on at least 6 or 7 of the loaches.
I love the golden diamond barbs. They and the tigers school together quite nicely.
I’ll try to figure out how to post a picture.
Once my remaining tigers are moved to the 75, I can use the 29 that they were in as a quarantine.

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

Re: New here!

Post by NancyD » Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:14 pm

Sounds like a good plan. I'm curious about the golden diamond barbs...might they be the same as gold or golden barbs? Diamond tetras?

For posting pics you need to use a hosting site, you can't upload from your phone or computer directly. All I can say is photobucket is extremely slow, that's why I have almost never post pics...& I almost never take them, lol. Just not my hobby.

But if you figure it out, we'd love to see your fish & tanks.
Image

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:25 pm

Yes, I think they may be the same as gold barbs and Chinese gold barbs. I kind of like the name Golden Diamond barb which is what 2 of my LFS call them. 😁
I’ll need to play around with a photo hosting site (I used to use picture trail). But I haven’t used it in a while since most forums now allow a direct link from phone or computer.

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

Re: New here!

Post by NancyD » Wed Oct 10, 2018 10:25 pm

I think I've read recently that both gold & golden barbs are really the same species. They "used to be" considered 2 different species but I haven't kept "either". Certainly handsome fish!

I'm not a huge tiger barb fan although I've had them a few times over the years. That said, they were fine with a couple different loach species as I recall. If they work with the goldens, great! I think it's probably a case of keeping too few of them with smaller or long finned fish in too small of tanks. I'd say 8 is a minimum, you may want a few more goldens too.

Will you have plants? They can help break up sight lines, add to tank health & are, of course, aesthetically pleasing. Almost anyone can grow java ferns & anubias...OK, I belong to a plant club, ;)...but think about them! THAT'S my other part of this hobby, lol.
Image

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Thu Oct 11, 2018 8:09 am

Trying some pictures!
Golden barb:
Image

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Thu Oct 11, 2018 8:18 am

And my 75 gallon:
Image

This is my first attempt at a planted tank. And I planted the various varieties of swords before I decided that I wanted a loach tank. So I may be replacing them at some point lol!
The dark spot behind my “ waterfall
“ is a java moss wall. And it has about 1000 suction cups holding it as flush against the tank as I could get it. I’ve read how loaches like to cram into small crevices.
And I do plan to add more plants so I’ll probably just go with java fern and Anubias.
I’ve realized my barbs don’t like the bright light so I’ll need low light plants anyway.
Live and learn!
Nancy, do you sell and ship your aquatic plants?

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Thu Oct 11, 2018 8:40 am

And please post any suggestions to make my tank more appropriate for the loaches.
Since I will quarantine, I have time to do modifications.
And I’m starting a thread on fish health to help me outline exactly how I should set up my quarantine tank. 🙂

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redshark1
Posts: 585
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:58 am
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, Great Britain.

Re: New here!

Post by redshark1 » Thu Oct 11, 2018 3:07 pm

Don't place your aquariums that way.

All the water will end up on the carpet.
6 x Clown Loaches all 30 years of age on 01.01.2024, largest 11.5", 2 large females, 4 smaller males, aquarium 6' x 18" x 18" 400 ltr/90 uk gal/110 US gal. approx.

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:57 pm

redshark1 wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 3:07 pm
Don't place your aquariums that way.

All the water will end up on the carpet.
Please explain. Don’t place them what way? And I have no carpet in my house! 🙂

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

Re: New here!

Post by NancyD » Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:56 pm

Your pics are sideways, lol. But that's ok, we get the idea.

You might add some more wood or rocks for the loaches to hang/hide out in. &, yes, they might go behind your "moss wall"...I had 1 that "lived" in the power head outflow...a dangerous & bad outcome!!

No, I neither sell nor send plants...it's local SF-ish thing, but fun! Mostly plants I can't grow in my low tech way...but I still sometimes try them. Watch for U-shaped holes in sword or crypt leaves. Some barbs nibble at leaves is a casual way but my histys were not plant or veg eaters ever that I saw.

Can you give us hint as to what big city you're near? We might help with local clubs or shops...some are worth a road trip...

I'll try to remember to look in the "health" forum, not somewhere I usually go.
Image

Bas Pels
Posts: 360
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2013 9:08 am

Re: New here!

Post by Bas Pels » Fri Oct 12, 2018 2:45 am

Generally speakig, I ´ve had very bad experiences with loaches and Echionodorus. Cryptocoryne is fine.

Some E plants are left in peach, I noticed, those are the ones with the stongest smell in their roots. Perhaps this helps, assuming you know the typical smell all E plants have when you cut their roots in order to plant them.

Try asking at your LFS to smell the roots. And let us know what happened :D Yes, that´s the problem - it´s a bit awkward

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Fri Oct 12, 2018 8:51 am

Ha, I figured redshark was being a smart ar#*% 😁😁. But it’s difficukt to tell online.
My pictures show up the right way on my phone. I’m without my laptop because I spilled a glass of wine on it and killed the keyboard. 🙄
Interesting about the plants; I’ll do some smelling next time. And good to hear the histrionicas weren’t over enthusiastic about eating them. I was thinking of a couple nice, tall crypts like crypt balansae to add some cover. And I can add more caves. I have tons of PVC in all sizes.
The back of the waterfall rock is quite smooth and forms a nice natural cave.
Oh and I live north of Baltimore, MD.
Thanks all!!

Basil
Posts: 87
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:52 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: New here!

Post by Basil » Fri Oct 12, 2018 8:57 am

Oh and so I know of and have been to 3 LFS that are an hour or less than me: That Fish Place, Lancaster, PA; CTE Aquatics, Timonium, MD (the closest one to me and a nice, small shop), and House of Tropicals, GlenBurnie, MD.
I don’t know if any local aquarium clubs.

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