Setting up my second loach tank.

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

It's also time to catch up on some long overdue photos. These are for Backfromthedead , who asked to see photos of the way my Sicce pumps were set up.

Hopefully the slight upward angle of these pumps is apparent enough in the following pictures. It's one of the reasons why these Sicce pumps are my go-to over, say, a manifold or a traditional powerhead with inflexible, nonmovable flow outputs - much easier to more precisely direct flow to the direction it needs to be going.

I find surface agitation a valuable indicator for how well this is producing distinct flowing and dead spots. Even though it's not needed for max oxygenation (as cockroach mentioned), the more of it that there is, the better positioned the pumps are to create the bottom's intended dead spots.

Finally, I remember you used a RFG for your manifold because the lack of dead spots stressed your fish. It seems like the the Sicce Voyager's ring nut does pretty much the same thing (or at least, gets the same result of more dead spots).
As mentioned in Comment 177, running them with the ring nut twisted to partially cover the holes retained the dead spots needed while still giving me all the extra flow. I would guess that's because smaller holes mean a more concentrated, yet narrower current that doesn't intrude into the area of the dead spots like current from larger holes seems to.

 

[Midwater]

Very nice hardware. I want to see fish. Fish, fish, fish!

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Very nice hardware. I want to see fish. Fish, fish, fish!

I want to see the fish even more than you do, especially at this point. They're just out of stock at both the pet stores and online retailers, and the availability is very sporadic, so unfortunately I have to wait.

Everyone will get to see the fish as soon as I get them.

This is the most irritating time possible for the fish to be out of stock, though. Ever since I made this thread I was looking forward to getting the fish the moment I got back from my trip, and now I have to wait even more.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Possible good news for today. I found out about some pet stores in my area to which I've never been.
Going to call and ask if they carry small and reasonably priced roseline sharks - and just about everything else for this tank - when they open. If they do, we can finally start getting to the best part of this thread!

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Possible good news for today. I found out about some pet stores in my area to which I've never been.
Going to call and ask if they carry small and reasonably priced roseline sharks - and just about everything else for this tank - when they open. If they do, we can finally start getting to the best part of this thread!

Bingo! They've got small and reasonably priced roseline sharks at a much lower price than the 267+ dollars I would have to pay from the online retailer! ?

A group of 9 costs 162-183 dollars, depending on whether I get them shipped to my house or not.
I'm not sure which to do, though. As much as I'd like to save the money and pick them up, the store is very far from my house, and my transportation methods are slower than a shipping truck, so I don't want to risk having them get killed by low oxygen in the bag on the way home.
Especially considering they will have been chased with a net beforehand to get them in the bag, already depleting some oxygen.

At least they're available!

 

[Friller2009]

Bingo! They've got small and reasonably priced roseline sharks at a much lower price than the 267+ dollars I would have to pay from the online retailer! ?

A group of 9 costs 162-183 dollars, depending on whether I get them shipped to my house or not.
I'm not sure which to do, though. As much as I'd like to save the money and pick them up, the store is very far from my house, and my transportation methods are slower than a shipping truck, so I don't want to risk having them get killed by low oxygen in the bag on the way home.
Especially considering they will have been chased with a net beforehand to get them in the bag, already depleting some oxygen.

At least they're available!

Chuck em in a bucket with battery powered aerators. I have had fish survive 4+ hour drives in Australian summer weather

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Thanks for the suggestion. That would be a great option if I had a car available.
But I don't at the moment, this transporation would involve carrying the fish during 40+ minutes of walking. I imagine that would stress them out pretty bad with all the unavoidable bumps and swishes, and possibly cause them to die of low oxygen despite an air pump (because stress massively increases oxygen demands in these fish, and there is only so much oxygen in a bucket).

Looks like ordering's the best option. The shipping fee is comparable to gas/train/bus fare of driving there anyway, and I can trust shippers to deliver the fish with no major bumps and swishes.

 

[jjohnwm]

How much does a taxi cost compared to shipping? Walk there, take a cab back. If you can walk it in less than an hour, it's not that far.

...and I can trust shippers to deliver the fish with no major bumps and swishes.

Oh, wait...you're serious?

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

How much does a taxi cost compared to shipping? Walk there, take a cab back. If you can walk it in less than an hour, it's not that far.

That is not a cost-effective option, as the place is an hour away with a train and then a 2 hour 16 minute walk (rechecked directions).
But you've given me an idea. I might be able to get by with the streetcars, depending on their cost and whether their routes go to or near the store.

Oh, wait...you're serious?

By 'major', I mean not usually bad enough to stress the fish to the point of causing death or long lasting similar issues.
These shippers usually have a fairly low number of dead on arrival and are rated reasonably high by those who frequently order. And after all, fish aren't hypersensitive to the tiniest bumps and swishes when they (ala roseline sharks) live in rivers full of them.

Edit: With the train fare, bus fare, and streetcar fare, it would amount to a bit more than the shipping cost. Given how well rated the shipping of the place is, I think it would be in the interest of cost, time, and convenience to get them shipped to my place.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Now that some fish are actually available, it might be appropriate to go over the order in which each species will be added.

1: Roseline sharks. They're available right now and I don't know when they will be again. Plus, having them well established may make them more effective loach dither fish.
2: Striped kuhli loaches. Having them well established (and maybe even grown up some before the Botia arrive) will be a step towards the yoyo loaches not viewing them as food.
3: Burmese loaches. These may be the most active of the planned Botia, and if they are, having them well established ought to act as more dither fish (even if then effect is secondary compared to the roseline sharks) for the rest of the loaches.
4: Zebra loaches. These may be the shyest of the planned Botia, and if they are, having a mix of loach and non-loach dithers well established will help make them more active.
5: Yoyo loaches. These are the biggest of the planned Botia, and therefore can eat kuhli loaches in practice. But adding them dead last (and at a small size no less) will be a step towards them viewing the kuhlis as just another fish.
6: Odessa barbs. Not necessarily going to be added last, just that it's unclear when enough will be available to add the planned group of 9 to the tank.
I would love to add that group as soon as the growouts are too big to be eaten by the roselines, but it all depends on their availability at the time.
(Possible) 7: Red tail shark. If I find a way to work around the dietary hurdle of getting one, it's going to be added dead last behind everything else, in order for it to not view the remainder of the fish as intruders on its territory.