Sucker Belly Loaches

[Cooky_luvs]

I found them @ my LFS this weekend and picked up two of the biggest ones. These guys are healthy and extremely active (for suckerbellys..lol), and of course cute. I've owned one before, he cost me a lot more @ a local pet store, and never moved. He lived a week So I had gone back to the pet store and bought another which didn't even survive the ride home! Well the ones I have now look great so I am hoping to enjoy them for a long time. Any tips for keeping them healthy? I haven't yet seen them eat, and after my last experience with them I want to do everything to make sure they do. If anyone owns them please let me know what you can about them. I know they like fast currents and need lots of air, so I put them in my 10 gallon with 2 air wands.

P.S. The pet store that I originally bought them from told me they were plecos. Later when I had researched them I told them what they really were and they argued with me. Grr @ them..lol. They charged me $8 dollars for unhealthy fish when my LFS charged me 3.40 for healthy ones.

 

[mikev]

Hillsteam loaches, someone who is more into this may give you the exact species if you are unsure of id.

Will not survive well in a normal tank.

You must have extra air, current, and bring down the temperature (67-69). Have some large stones for them to sit on, and if you have some algae in the tank, they probably will like them.

(No, I don't own them. LFS here still has a number of gastros, so I seriously looked at them, did the research, talked to the hillstream people on loaches.com forum -- this is where you can get more info -- and decided that the number of tanks at home is growing too fast and I cannot get into this too right now, besides some other reasons.
I guess the LFS will sell them quickly as "algae eaters", they'll end up in tropical tanks and quickly die there... or well....)

Jim Powers answered a number of questions about their keeping for me on this thread:
http/forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=407

Perhaps his answers will be of use for you, or you can ask him yourself.

 

[Cooky_luvs]

Hillsteam loaches, someone who is more into this may give you the exact species if you are unsure of id.

Will not survive well in a normal tank.

You must have extra air, current, and bring down the temperature (67-69). Have some large stones for them to sit on, and if you have some algae in the tank, they probably will like them.

(No, I don't own them. LFS here still has a number of gastros, so I seriously looked at them, did the research, talked to the hillstream people on loaches.com forum -- this is where you can get more info -- and decided that the number of tanks at home is growing too fast and I cannot get into this too right now, besides some other reasons.
I guess the LFS will sell them quickly as "algae eaters", they'll end up in tropical tanks and quickly die there... or well....)

Jim Powers answered a number of questions about their keeping for me on this thread:
http/forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=407

Perhaps his answers will be of use for you, or you can ask him yourself.

Thanks for the help. That site helped answer some questions. I'll definately have to turn down my temp a little. I may get a larger air pump as well. There seems to be enough oxygen in there, but the fish can't tell me for sure..lol. As for diet I hope to see mine eat soon.

I still have questions though, sorry to be a pain to everyone.

Also Would a power head be a good idea, do they make them for 10 gallons? How do the work? I know nothing about them really.

I would move the sucker bellys to the 55 where there is tons of water flow and oxygen but then I may never see them, or they may never find the food. Could suckerbelly do ok in there?

 

[mikev]

IMHO, you should go to the loaches.com forum and ask there, either contibue the thread I linked here, or start a new one.

There are very few people who deal with hillstreams, and Jim may be kind enough to explain everything to you, before something went wrong.

Do notice that Jim gave the specs for a proper 20g tank for these loaches on the thread linked above, 20g seems to be the right size, these guys are small.

 

[Cooky_luvs]

IMHO, you should go to the loaches.com forum and ask there, either contibue the thread I linked here, or start a new one.

There are very few people who deal with hillstreams, and Jim may be kind enough to explain everything to you, before something went wrong.

Do notice that Jim gave the specs for a proper 20g tank for these loaches on the thread linked above, 20g seems to be the right size, these guys are small.

Thanks I'll try posting there.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I used to keep a hillstream tank. It was 68litres, so about 18US gallons, with the fluval venturi inbuilt filter and a long airstone.

I had sand, smooth rocks, plant pots and a couple of broad leaved plants with 4 hillstreams.

Think I have a picture of it somewhere...

I think a 10 gallon would be fine if well filtrated. It must (IMO at least) be coldwater and preferably species. Airsones are good with a decent filter to push the bubbles about.

Oh and if you have no algae, a good way of getting some is to put a smooth stone in some water on the window sill to get algae on. Then put it in the tank and get another stone on the go.

Hope this helps.

 

[Cooky_luvs]

Thanks for the info. Especially the stone idea, good one!