My new loach tank, and an ID question

The forum for the very best information on loaches of all types. Come learn from our membership's vast experience!

Moderator: LoachForumModerators

Post Reply
botiaboy
Posts: 154
Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 5:53 pm
Location: Connecticut

My new loach tank, and an ID question

Post by botiaboy » Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:02 pm

Hello everyone!

It's been ages since I posted on this board. I was active back when I was a kid, but after moving several times and then leaving for college I had no more loaches left, despite them being my favorite fish. In the past few months I got married and moved into a long-term apartment where I've finally been able to set up a larger tank- a 55 gallon which I have stuffed with loaches. I also have 6 other aquariums, including a 10 gallon planted tank which houses a betta fish and an unidentified loach. From the pictures in the loach book, I think it's some kind of aborichthys or maybe a schistura. It was labelled as an "indian loach".

The 55 gallon is heavily fake-planted with lots of rocks and caves. It has 5 kuhli loaches (4 oblonga, 1 striped of some kind), 5 yoyo loaches, and 3 angelicus loaches. I plan on getting two more angelicus, but the fish store I got them from initially only had one left, which I bought. He got 4 more in for me, but one was DOA and the other died shortly after. I'll pick up two more soon.

The loaches share the tank with 5 platys and a medium sized angelfish. Filtration is two HOB filters (one rated for 60g, the other for 30) and a sponge filter driven by a strong Tetra Luft Pump- so lots of water flow; 500 gph not including the sponge filter.

Please let me know what you think! I tried to build a loach paradise, and would love to know how to improve it. They are my favorite fish :D

Whole tank shot:
Image

Caves and rocks, with a yoyo curious about the camera...
Image

The angelfish, named Flint. Silly guy thinks he's the star of the tank (well, he is to my wife)
Image

Feeding time: loach (and angelfish) pile!
Image

The newest angelicus, in the bag before they were added.
Image

The best picture I could get of the mystery loach. All I know is that it's (probably) a member of Nemcheilidae, I believe an aborichthys sp.
Image

Apologies for the bad camera!
My loaches:
5 kubotai
5 almorhae
5 kuhli
5 zebra
1 aborichthys

User avatar
Thomas
Posts: 251
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:25 am
Location: Aachen, Germany
Contact:

Re: My new loach tank, and an ID question

Post by Thomas » Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:37 pm

Hi,

yes, it is an Aborichthys.

Cheers,
Thomas

botiaboy
Posts: 154
Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 5:53 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: My new loach tank, and an ID question

Post by botiaboy » Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:38 pm

Thomas wrote:Hi,

yes, it is an Aborichthys.

Cheers,
Thomas
Thank you! Any idea what species? They all look nearly the same to me.
My loaches:
5 kubotai
5 almorhae
5 kuhli
5 zebra
1 aborichthys

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

Re: My new loach tank, and an ID question

Post by Bas Pels » Wed Sep 16, 2015 3:20 pm

While I don't think fish will mind fake plants, I myself dislike them. Therefore I would have used real plants. But that is just my thought.

I do think, however, your tank would look much calmer, and your fish would be much more happy with a dark background. The most easy way to accomplich this is gluing dark, such as black, paper to the tank.

As this is easily remouved if you wouldn't like it, I'd say give it a try

botiaboy
Posts: 154
Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 5:53 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: My new loach tank, and an ID question

Post by botiaboy » Wed Sep 16, 2015 3:31 pm

Bas Pels wrote:While I don't think fish will mind fake plants, I myself dislike them. Therefore I would have used real plants. But that is just my thought.

I do think, however, your tank would look much calmer, and your fish would be much more happy with a dark background. The most easy way to accomplich this is gluing dark, such as black, paper to the tank.

As this is easily remouved if you wouldn't like it, I'd say give it a try
I actually completely agree! I would have preferred real plants, but my wife didn't want to buy an expensive light or have to deal with plant care. We have 7 fish tanks and are working on an 8th (another 55 gallon) so we've been putting our spare aquarium money towards the stuff we need to set that tank up (we're adopting an oscar from a bad home) and after that I'll buy some backgrounds. Thank you for the suggestions :)
My loaches:
5 kubotai
5 almorhae
5 kuhli
5 zebra
1 aborichthys

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

Re: My new loach tank, and an ID question

Post by Bas Pels » Thu Sep 17, 2015 2:51 am

I am quite often rather surprized with what many people think plants require. I give them nearly nothing, and it suffices

I have 3 tanks measuring 150 cm * 70 cm * 30 cm, with a permanent devider in the middle

They have 1 TL light, and I put some unwashed sand on the bottom, 2-3 cm. After a week the water became clear, and I could put some plants in them.

I choose soome kind of Saggittaria, and after a year, the tanks were completely covered with plants. Mind you, I don't fertelise, I just feed the fishes - fishes which are much more important to me than any plant can ever be.

This has been standing this way for over 5 years, without any maintenanca. Fish eat, poop and this is what the plants have to grow on.

Now I am a bit fed up with the view, and I am turning one into a tank with Cryptocoryne plants. That will imply more and heavier soil. But I will not use any fertelizer later (I have a tank or 2 which have had this make-over last year)

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 112 guests