Setting up my second loach tank.

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Here's something noteworthy about the equipment I'm using for this tank. Makes me pretty happy that the river tank manifold with powerheads is not an option for this tank, actually.

I just read a comment by duanes on how powerheads are limiting for tanks with river fish because they push all that water through one narrow portal: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...atabapo-pikes-need.738451/page-3#post-8321312
This I think I agree with, a narrow and strong stream of water is quite limiting because the narrowness gives a lot less room to swim against the flow. Especially compared with the Sicce Voyager or XStream's multiple openings for the water, and the narrowness also means a powerhead makes quite a bit less surface agitation than the Sicce pumps.

Not to mention that the Sicce pumps' 360 degree rotation allows their flow a wider range of direction compared to powerheads. That helps with both oxygenation (I can angle the flow a bit up for even more surface agitation) and making calm spots (angling them up makes the bottom calmer than if they were anged straight or down).

So as much as I would love the added biological filtration from a river tank manifold, it's not worth the subpar flow and oxygenation.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

The plans for this tank's flow have changed some. I'm only going to be using the Sicce XStream 8000 for it, instead of that and the 2 Voyager 4's (which are to be transferred to the 473 liter with my archerfish in it).
That's because the 42x turnover seems to eliminate most dead spots when it comes to fish-in testing. Using the (theoretically, at least) dead spot-loving kuhli loaches as indicators, they were considerably more active with just 17x turnover compared to 42x, although they may not be at their most active because the tank is not as decorated as I intend it to eventually be.

Now, to be fair, 17x turnover is still quite strong flow. I expect it will be enough for the riverine fish planned for that tank given how Martin Thoene's tank also had 17x turnover and had the riverine fish do well.
And with strong flow comes lots of oxygen. The older picture on Page 6 is an excellent demonstration of that.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Good news and scary news. No photos of either just yet because I don't have access to a good camera.

Good news: I found a way to orient the Sicce XStream to get decent surface agitation all across the top despite its short and wide flow. It's even better than the picture on Page 6.

Scary news: One of the kuhli loaches is very badly scraped up?
Don't know exactly what, but I have a few theories. The first is that it somehow got into the Sicce pump and got beat up by the impeller, which I hope wasn't the case because putting pantyhose over the pump massively slows it down. If this was the case, I hope the kuhli recovers, remembers the bad experience, and doesn't do it again.
The second is that it may have gotten stuck under the rough, light brown decoration on the right of the full tank shot, struggled to get free, and scraped itself up in the process. This is a much easier fix, I just need to pile up enough sand beneath it for nothing to get stuck.

Either way, this happened pretty much exactly 1 year after I noticed one of my clown loaches got similarly beat up after an upgrade to my other 473 liter. That's an almost suspicious coincidence IMO?️‍
Thankfully, that clown loach healed up just fine with clean water and time. Realllllllly hoping that happens here too, and that no other kuhlis get beaten up.

I will go pick the 3 extra pictus catfish up today! But the photos might be delayed for the mentioned reason.

 

[Midwater]

This is one of the reasons that I don't keep khulis. They can, and do, swim up current through the pump.

I do not know how to make a tank anti-khuli-antics. Good luck.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Fairly late update on stocking.

I'm seriously considering reverting the Botia stocking back to what it originally was (so 6 yoyos, 6 zebras, and 6 Burmese). That's because, even with the 2.44m x 77cm footprint of the custom clown loach tank where the yoyos were going to go, the bottom space seems fullly stocked with the (existing and planned) 6 clown loaches, 6 horseface loaches, and 9 pictus catfish.
Upon re-examination of the idea, it seems to me like the supposed problems with that stocking may not actually be so if the appropriate precautions are taken. Those are as follows:

-A mixed school of Botia is not nice to look at. The thing is that Botia are not really fish that intermingle, so they don't form mixed schools in the first place.
I find they will stick to their own kind no matter how many other Botia species there are, and Emma Turner's 5-species Botia display tank also had the Botia sticking to their kind. So there will be no disorganized-looking mixed schools, just a greater amount of unified schools that are still decently sized.
Furthermore, any disorganization caused by multiple species is further reduced due to the small size of the loaches compared to the tank, which gives them plenty of room to swim in their own groups as they would.

-A group of yoyo loaches might be too aggressive for the zebra loaches. The keyword here is might.
Some populations/shipments appear to have individuals more aggressive/peaceful than others from what I have heard on Loaches Online. This aggression can be either exacerbated or reduced further with (or lacking) plenty of flow for the loaches to use their energy on, and by feeding (or not) plenty of high protein foods several times a day.
I have that strong Sicce pump and a wide variety of protein-rich foods with which to give the tank several feedings a day, so both of these are doable. Furthermore, I will do my best to choose peaceful yoyos (as in not buying individuals that come off as very boisterous), and will have the zebras well established when I get them.

-They could in practice eat the kuhli loaches. This assumption also has key words, in practice.
The previously mentioned high flow to take energy out on, frequent feedings of high protein foods, and deliberate choosing of more docile individuals ought to significantly reduce or even eliminate the yoyos' appetite for kuhlis. And if that wasn't enough, the yoyos will only be introduced at the smallest hardy size available once the kuhlis are grown, so they can grow up with them and get used to them.

Now, if there is even one sign of trouble, the yoyos will go and be promptly replaced by more zebras and Burmese. But I do hope these steps ensure all 5 loach species get on.

 

[Midwater]

A mixed school of Botia is not nice to look at. The thing is that Botia are not really fish that intermingle, so they don't form mixed schools in the first place. I find they will stick to their own kind no matter how many other Botia species there are ...

I am not sure about all that. In fact, I disagree.

... 6 horseface loaches ...

I love horsefaces. Do you know how big they get? Or, how big they can get? A foot long! Although they might look like a small translucent fishy when young, they grow a lot given the right conditions (which they need), lots of soft mud substrate.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

I am not sure about all that. In fact, I disagree.

I disagree too, based on loaches sticking to their own kind and having lots of space to do so. It's just what I had been told, and was then providing why I believe it wasn't necessarily the case.

I love horsefaces. Do you know how big they get? Or, how big they can get? A foot long! Although they might look like a small translucent fishy when young, they grow a lot given the right conditions (which they need), lots of soft mud substrate.

View attachment 1499267

Indeed I do know! That is why I believe having them will fill up the bottom space of the clown loach tank.
Thanks for the picture. I can't wait for my future horsefaces to reach 30cm sizes and look like that![/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Here's some decoration related updates. There will be photos when I get my good camera.

-Found some nice, smooth stones in the front yard. I think they will make for good decoration and an occasional nice contrast to sand substrate only.
-Found some driftwood scraps I got with my free 110 liter. They may make good kuhli loach-only shelters because of their small size, in case the kuhli loaches want to hide but don't want to share their hiding spots with the Botia.
-Found a pretty small cave. It's ideal to make an 'extra' kuhli or zebra loach-sized resting spot.
-Found a way to anchor the fake plants without having to silicone them to heavy rocks like I originally planned to. If I bury them deep enough in the sand, they stay put.
-Will be adding some fake plants from the clown loach tank. I originally got them for this tank (they were the photographs on page 2), but they for some reason could not originally stand up to the flow in this tank despite being able to stand up to the clown loach tank's flow.
Now they can stand in this tank when it is set up, and so will be added to it. I don't know why they weren't standing up in here before with such a similar flow to the clown loach tank, but it doesn't matter now.

Also, ever since reverting to the original Botia stocking plan, I looked back in retrospect on the whole original plan.
Never thought I'd be happy about this, but it's a good thing the 3 weather loaches in that plan would be too prone to bacterial infections. Taking steps to prevent the yoyos eating the kuhlis reminded me of how weather loaches also could. And they'd have an even easier time doing it, since they're twice the size of yoyos and can also burrow after kuhlis if they're hungry.
Ultimately, as much as I love weather loaches, I love kuhli loaches more, so that makes it even better.

 

[cockroach]

I had six horseface loaches. They were fun for the few seconds a week I saw them. They constantly hide, and even when coaxed with the most delicious of foods were skittish as all hell. I wound up giving them away as they adding nothing but bioload to my tank.

The mixed botias can work. Personally, I am finding that as the yoyo's grow in size and catch up to the clown loaches they are getting more........I don't want to say aggressive.......but they seem to pester even the clown laoches at times. To the point where the clown loaches dart into rockwork to get away. And theose yoyos are a fast, nimble, fish.

Which brings me to my next point. With all those loaches, the horseface loaches are going to be on the butt end of feeding. You may likely end up with obese botias and malnourished horseface loaches.

What I have noticed here in Taiwan is that if clowns are bought small and never fed foods that train them to be hunters, they can grow up to be quite passive in terms of viewing tankmates as food. To the point of being kept with tetras at 7"+.

To stop kuhli's climbing in pipes, you may consider looking into that plastic mesh, used by bonsai growers, to cover drainage holes in pots. Larger holes that don't impede flow too much =but small enough holes to stop fish entering. I use it on my hillstream tank and only fry <1 month old make it through as they are programmed to go upstream it seems.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Thank you for tips and experience cockroach. Here's my $0.02 on yoyos and horsefaces after a little looking around at what's available to me.

In short, I suspect both of us have different species available to us.
Based on your YouTube video of your yoyo loaches, they are considerably less finely reticulated than this individual confirmed as B. almorhae. Rather, they're very similar to this individual reported to be aggressive.

My guess is this is different populations of different species at play. Wikipedia mentions there are a lot of 'imposters' sold as yoyos in the hobby, and it looks to me as though you and those who have aggressive yoyos actually have another species, possibly undescribed. That would make a lot of sense for the varying temperaments described in the link IMHO.
The local pet store has a very similar individual to the confirmed B. almorhae, and its current shipments from the same source are advertised as 'community fish' instead of 'proceed with caution', which does make me think I have individuals available that are as peaceful as, say, Martin Thoene's yoyos in the 'aggressive' link.

As horseface loaches go, the shipments available to me has been described by one of the pet store employees who bought one as always out and about. These shipments do not resemble Midwater's photo or loaches.com's photos, and I have a hunch that they are a much bolder species that may be unidentified officially.
For perspective an identified species known to be bold is Acantopsis octoactinotos, although the shipments are not that species because the pet store employee said theirs has grown very large.

So maybe I got the long end of the stick when it comes to yoyo and horseface loaches. And you probably got the short end, which is unfortunate as they are very nice fish.

The plastic mesh and feeding is well-given advice of course.