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high flow Gastromyzon scitulus tank


blueether

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I have just built/rescaped a little standard 2ft (50 odd L) aquarium for my two little hillstream loaches.

I hope that they enjoy it, they aren't in there yet, waiting for a bit more algae growth.

I has more flow than my small torrent fish tank, that has about 500l/h flow in another 2ft tank. This new setup has a +3000l/h pond pump turning over the water. This really pushes the water around, and small rocks/gravel.

It still needs a few more rocks that I'll grab either one evening or on the weekend from a localish stream.

Watch id HD to see the flow of bubbles:

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According to this study

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00288330.1994.9516630":5pssjql0]Species : Life stage : Acclimated temp. (°C) : Upper lethal temp. (°C) and method : Preferred temp. and quartiles (°C): Source

Cheimarrichthys fosteri (Torrentfish) : Adult : 15 : 30.0 : LT 50 : 21.8(20.1-22.9) : this study

my torrentfish might be happy enough in the 21-22 °C that it is sitting at... I wonder if they would get along together :dunno:

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Thanks.

Caught the two loaches lastnight and placed them in there, seem to have settled in ok

Video:

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One of the loaches:

DSCN0482.JPG

Inlet to pump:

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Out flow of pump in 20mm pvc, with small (250l/h?) powerhead above it to return water to tank above:

DSCN0477.JPG

In flow to this tank from tank above, black elbows are on the main pump:

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Out flow from tank above (this tank has WCMM, sterbai cory and the last of the grey mullet) :

DSCN0481.JPG

The plumbing, the air fitting is so I can introduce air into the feed for the pump - makes fantastic micro bubbles:

DSCN0480.JPG

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happy little loachie :love:

you should post some movies on Loaches Online, they will be so happy as not many people bother to do a coldwater riffle for the hillstream loaches

Might just do that when I have the extra rocks in and some good algae growth on them.

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Looks like an awesome system!

Personally I would be less worried about how they would get on together (torries are pretty laid back), but I don't think the temperature is going to work for them. They will probably be fine for a while, but it slowly wears down their immune systems, then they start to get little bits of fluffiness and it is all downhill from there :(

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my torrentfish might be happy enough in the 21-22 °C that it is sitting at... I wonder if they would get along together :dunno:

I had a quick look at the study, they only had them in those temps for 2-5 days. I wouldn't put much faith in that.

(Thanks for the link though! Will download and read it properly)

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Thanks for that Stella, that is why I asked you :kiss:

The next thought is along the lines of what's the min that Gastromyzon scitulus can be kept in?

ps got a bucket full of rocks tonight and have placed some in. Photos later when the water clears a bit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've only seen Gastromyzon scitulus at world of water and both Gastromyzon scitulus and Beaufortia kweichowensis (?) at Goldfish bowl

Sophia:

The best ID is either here http://www.loaches.com/species-index/pictorial-species-search-index/sucker-bodied-hillstreams or http://www.seriouslyfish.com/classification/balitoridae/. The latter is a bit harder to find fish on but probably has better info in some of them.

Zev, what species have you got?

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Ummm.. you want me to spell them?

Beaufortia kweichowensis

Sewellia lineolata

Gastromyzon something or other possibly ctenocephalus or scitulus, they seem to have longer slightly blue/white markings on the tail rather than broken spot things.

I did have one with tiger stripes across it's back with a redish tail and a spotty Gastro type one with a red band at the end of it's tail but that was a while ago

They are such possessive 'cock of the rock' type fish and 'fight' over a stone for ages flaring and trying to shovel under the opponent to push them off the rock - can waste a lot of time watching them... :roll:

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Sewellia lineolata is a very pretty looking fish as are Pseudogastromyzon cheni

I think my first two are G. scitulus, but as you say they look to have longer blue stripes then the broken blue in most of the photos at loaches.com or seriouslyfish.com.

And yes it is easy to spend ages watching them fight over a rock. I have put one of the smallest torrentfish in there with them, it is only just a little bigger, and it has the same complex - "this rock is mine".

Tank is set at 21 atm so shouldn't be too hot for the torrentfish, but i might drop that down to 19 yet.

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any news on this tank? I saw some of these at HFF yesterday, am thinking seriously about converting my loach tank for some of these guys. I noticed some had larger yellow spots than the others - is that a male/female thing?
Tank is doing well.

As I implied above I now have another 3 loaches in there

mqdefault.jpg

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