Loaches Online Forum

Why are you mixing?

Graeme Robson wrote:Why are you mixing?

Historical/Health reasons, mentioned before.

However, the mix works very well for the fish involved and for most of them I don't have enough for a single-species tank anyway. For example, neither plecos nor kuhlis have any interest in hiding as they would when mixed with botias. Interaction between different types of "suckers" is quite interesting to watch and usually not hostile... When I feel that this tank is safe, I'll certainly look for other types of very small plecos, and very likely try otos too.

Mike, beware of things like Chaetostoma, which are ideally suited to a River-Tank environment. They're not vicious or anything like that, but compared to a hillstream, they're a tank. I used to have one around 1.5" who would fight tooth and nail with a WAY bigger Royal Panaque. That won by sheer immovable bulk, but if the "Bulldog" Plec tried that with a hillstream it would have the upper hand. VERY protective of food.

Martin.

And skin matter!

MikeV. I've been there and share the T-shirt! South American Catfish from their own river habitats don't mix well with Asian Rivers. Your ill health of complaints are with this.

Graeme Robson wrote:And skin matter!

MikeV. I've been there and share the T-shirt! South American Catfish from their own river habitats don't mix well with Asian Rivers. Your ill health of complaints are with this.

Yodaspeak Graeme?



Martin.

I call it "coded talk" now...........


Although Yoda is 'tha dude'

Oh.....clearer much on the subject I am now being.

Martin.

Martin Thoene wrote:Mike, beware of things like Chaetostoma, which are ideally suited to a River-Tank environment. They're not vicious or anything like that, but compared to a hillstream, they're a tank.
Martin.

I'll be extremely careful. BN's I'm pretty familiar with and feel safe about. There are really only two things wrong with them: plecorations and their efforts to convert the tank to unplanted....

TBH, the one I'm interested in is Farlowella acus.. it is obviously not dangerous, but I'm not sure it will be able to stand the current, even in a seriously planted tank. (But if I cannot have them with hillstreams, I surely should be able to have them with kuhlis....did you ever keep them?)

Your ill health of complaints are with this.

Graeme, I have a pleco in every tank, they mix just fine. "Health" is not mine, it is the tank where I had a pretty bad infection (100% sucker killer bacteria) and while it seems I wiped it out, no fish goes in or out for a couple of months more.

Just ignore me then! And you continue to post your ill questions.