I'm new at this board and just want to say hello and hope you will share some toughts about my loach-tank. Well at the moment I'm setting up the tank. I have plan that the tank will be a tank for sidts along with some rasboras, barbs and sewellia lineolata,
at the moment I have
5 sewellia lineolata
10 Puntius pentazona
sadley the Puntius pentazona are very nervous, I have my thougts about this it the right speice for my tank.
Well the picture in the first post is old and is taken before I put fish in the tank. I have today taken a new picure please have a look.
The hillstream loaches are dóing realy fin and are realy activ you can spot them in the picture. But the pentazoras are so nervoice. I think they will do better when there are added more tank mates and mabey some plants (valesinieres ) in behind the jawa fern. Does that sound right.
As for the flowrate. There are a powerhead in the tank and it's realy okay. I have turn it a bit down. Maybe I will add a diffuser at some point.
starsplitter7 wrote:I am really surprised that the barbs are nervous. I know nothing about barbs so I can't help you there at all.
I'm so surprised myself. I tought that most barbs where very activ fish and that I wouldn't have any trouble with them. But I do know that stresset fish are most likely to get ich so I have to do something.
starsplitter7 wrote:How long has the tank been set up?
Is it cycled completely?
What are the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate readings?
What is the temp?
Maybe there's something wrong with the tank that is making the barbs stressed. Do you have a bully in the group?
thanks for the aswers.
I think the cycle is okay
The nitrogen compounds are okay no high rate readings.
the temperatur is C 26 / F 78
Well there is a barb that's bullying the other barbs. it's the big femal you can se in the "cave". She is realy hunting the other barbs. Maybe she will alter behavor when the other fish is put in the tank.
Nice looking tank!
I have pentazona barbs and they seem to be a bit more shy than some barbs preferring to school around plants in lower light and lower current areas. So maybe the current is a bit much for them.
Water temperature and flow rate the works well for one species may not be appropriate for others. Research Sids, hillstream species and the non-loaches you are thinking about.
Hillstream Loaches and a few other fish are so specialized that they really need a set up that targets their needs. This does not allow you to stock most other fish with them.
Hillstream Loaches can be compatible with:
Other fish that stay at the bottom or stuck to rocks. Gobies, Darter Tetras, some Loricariads are good to research.
Fish that are adapted to high water flow, that already come from fast moving water. White Cloud Minnows, certain Danios are good species to research.
As a very rough guide: Fish that are streamlined are going to do better than tall or other fish that are too easily blown around by the current. The long, lean torpedo shaped fish are good to look into.
Similarly, if you have enough water movement for the Hillstream fish then you probably have too much water movement for tall plants.
The denser planted tanks are tanks will less water movement than hillstream fish thrive in.
Pentazona Barbs:
Generally they hung out in the lower half of my tank, but they did not bully each other. However, Barbs in general are noted for being a little bit pushy with each other, and sometimes other fish. Some species more than others. Pents are usually less aggressive than most, but I am not surprised that you have one that is pushy enough to stress the others. A denser planted tank would sure help with them.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
