Loaches Online Forum

No more tears, only good stories.

Nancy, I remember the Keeshund breed in my dog book when I was a kid. Not a very popular breed.

So no dog for you, I understand, and you’re not keeping fish? Or just no clowns? Is it similar to me that there’s no space to house a large tank?

My fiancé is so difficult. There are three 90 gallon tanks (used) for sale on Facebook Marketplace but he says getting a used tank is playing with fire in a rental. I said a new tank of that size will be four times the cost! They are the odd sizes. I can get a 125 setup cheaper than a 90 or 100. Sighhhhh.

Hugs to Nancy and no more sad stories.

Thank you, Fran, good stories are right! I loved your Chuckie tale. Karma, baby, & tribute to your dad! I lost my father 24 years ago after a long illness.

I do have loaches, but not clowns or botias of any type ATM. Interesting as hillstreams & my peppermint loaches are, they're just not in the same class. Soon maybe, unless we have to move again...

Used tanks may come with some issues. Resealing is not all that hard, if a PITA. Outdated equipment, well, don't pay much for them; lights & filters might be ok (or not) but heaters & anything else probably isn't worth anything at all. The general rule is $1-2/gallon for a tank, stand & "fairly good" lights & filters. Well below 50% of retail, no matter how much they paid for it initially. Their plastic plants, old food, big goldfish, etc. don't count for any value.

Good thoughts about the used tank. I can see the sealant in my own which is about 13 years in use deteriorating.

So 1-2 dollars per gallon used tanks. Good to know. Thank you!

Hey Fran, we're waiting for the weekend update, no pressure

Yes, Fran, there is pressure! We want to know...& see!

Hey girls.

Everything is going very well. I actually attempted video yesterday after water change but the glare was awful. Mr Slim is continuing to fatten up and his coloring is as good as his buddy’s. I will get video this weekend. He’s not 100% yet but I’d say 90.

Thank you for your continued interest!

https://youtu.be/rnfzmxRVMnU

Here you go. Not the best video but you can see how good he look! Needs to gain 10% more weight.

He looks great, wow

He's definitely filling out well and now I can't tell any pinching behind the eyes. Keep doing what you're doing Fran

I can't believe how much better he looks! Yes, keep up the good work.

Thank you both very much! I’m figuring by first week of April back to normal.

Hey Fran. I hope the loach and you are doing ok.

Hi Loach.

Yes we both are doing fine, thanks. Was going to hold off another week on video to see if the improvement is more noticeable. But yes, all is well. In fact I was going to post this myself earlier but got sidetracked.

Hope you had a nice day and thanks for checking!

Fran

Mr Slim is doing just fine. I think he’s br fatter if I overfed but I hate to do that. He really looks good, so good that I’m not worried about him anymore. I’m a doing my weekly water changes and keeping the KH at 3.

Sooooo, I went to see a studio apartment that is in the woods pretty much. The owner said I can take whatever fish tank I wanted! Nice! But, unfortunately there were things I liked but also disliked. One thing they had which I wasn’t crazy about is well water. First thing I thought of was hard water that probably has nitrates. What are your feelings, girls? Should I stay away from well water?

Thanks!

Fran

Hey Fran. Glad to hear the loach is doing very well. I would, of course, love to see a video.

As for well water, it depends on the water really. Hard water is not a problem. Fish will adapt and do well. Mine is rather hard. I wouldn't worry about nitrates at all, reason being they're the smoking gun of ammonia and nitrites but when they come from an external source, they're not a problem. And perhaps you could incorporate some emersed plants in your new tank

Ok. So well water in the future shouldn’t be an issue. What it it goes through a softener??

We’re not choosing that apartment for other reasons but it’s good to know that a well won’t be a deal breaker. I remember at my old house, we had community wells and the nitrate would test at 5-10 out of tap. No chlorine though.

Thanks! I will do a video.

https://youtu.be/vBW7-EzvQTY