the 75 gallon hi rise loach habitat renovation

[sir fresh]

Hope you enjoy these I decided to renovate my exsisting loach tank here are a few pictures of the work in progress. With pictures of the new towers. the right hand corner tower houses a aqua clear 420 with a filter the tower is based on a triangular counter display that were being thrown out. The tower is on acrlic jewlery stands that also keep the slate off the glass and make a sub basment for the loach's. As a precaution the tower is fed by a small fountain pump which cycles water from the tank into the tower. All the wood is on slate base's. Lowes has a clearence on small slate tiles at the moment . I will post more photgraphs as I have the fish and plants in the tank.

[fishorama]

Looks interesting, what loaches will you keep in there?

[sir fresh]

I have 5 clowns, up to 4 inch's then 3 botia helodes and 4 botia morleti ( skunks) and 3 wonderfull botia almorhae (yoyo) the dither fish are bueno areies tetras which spend more time in the caves than the loach and for bronze cory's also have 3 small octolinctus cats. the filteration is a fluval fx5, 2 420 power heads with filters and a emperor bio wheel.

[Lupin]

I will never recommend mixing the Syncrossus helodes and skunks with clowns and yoyos. Tigers and skunks are ridiculously nasty and will harass the other loaches to death. These are not community fish either. They could work with feisty dithers such as Buenos Aires tetras, arulius and filament barbs, but not with catfish and other loaches who cannot defend themselves effectively against constant harassments.

[sir fresh]

I will never recommend mixing the Syncrossus helodes and skunks with clowns and yoyos. Tigers and skunks are ridiculously nasty and will harass the other loaches to death. These are not community fish either. They could work with feisty dithers such as Buenos Aires tetras, arulius and filament barbs, but not with catfish and other loaches who cannot defend themselves effectively against constant harassments.

Thanks for the concern the fish have been together for 6 months to a year and in the new set up they have no dissagreements the tank is in front of my desk at work so I can observe them all day .....and a intresting observaton is that the clowns and the buenos aires tetras tend to hang under the central cave which is under the the left tower. There is apecking order and the larger clowns are at the top of the food chain. I think what helps more in this tank as well is there are so many places for the fish to hide.

I will post more photo's of the tank now it is planted.

[H3D]

The decor doesn't seem appropriate at all for a botia loach tank.

[sir fresh]

I will post more photographs of the finished tank what you do not see is the high volume of water going through the tank .............. and belive you me the water cycles fast and as I have said I have some very happy fish.

[Jeremy Smith]

Great looking tank.
I do have a concern going along with what H3D said. Slate is a very sharp rock I would worry about any Botia and most loaches being cut as they slide around the slate. And I do have to agree with Lupin any of the adult Tigers can be very nasty to other tank mates, in my own experience and what I have read from other keepers expierences.

[sir fresh]

sorry if the quality is not up to scratch I am working with a new camera. The first picture is the right hand tower with the aquaclear 420 inside I took the air tube off for the picture. Underneath this is a natural cave for the fish the area from the right hand tower 2 the centre tower is allmost a whirlpool effect from the powerhead and the fx5 return, where as the right handside has a back water calmer area to it, 3rd picture and in the right back corner is another 420 that push's the water down the back wall off the tank, I have been in the hobby since I was 10 and I am now 48 so guess I am a older junior member.

[sir fresh]

I agree about the sharpness of slate but again what you cannot see is that I sanded the edges down and if I have problems in the future with the mix I have more tanks that I can move them 2

[H3D]

Not only is the slate a problem. I don't see very much room for the loaches to swim. It also seems like it is going to be a huge PITA to keep that tank clean.

[sir fresh]

Again and I now wish I had did a step by step all the wood at the back on the left is bases on acrylic stands and I can remove them easily the towers can be lifted out and for maintainance I planned all of the diffrent pieces so they can be pulled out the clowns swim in a circuit down the front, and then down the back channel or halfway down the tank and underneath the structures.

[vanillarum]

For what it's worth, I love your setup ! Looks pretty cool to me. Good luck ! :thm:

[sir fresh]

For what it's worth, I love your setup ! Looks pretty cool to me. Good luck ! :thm:

Thanks I was beging to regret posting. Every one who comes to office sits and waits for 10 15 minutes wondering what will apear next.......... then the showboats arrive .......... the Clowns.

But thank you again.:)

[calivivarium1]

Thats an interesting idea for hiding the filters. Gives me ideas if I ever decide actually do a river tank...

[jpappy789]

I agree with what's been a said but the set up is very nice!

[Rbishop]

A different set up.....nice though. Hope it works well for you.

[marinkafuschia]

I think this is a beautiful set up. Very visually intriguing, and despite the number of rocks/driftwood etc. it doesn't seem cluttered or too chaotic. (although I like the natural un-manicured look so...) Hope the fish like it as much as I do! :)

[sir fresh]

I think this is a beautiful set up. Very visually intriguing, and despite the number of rocks/driftwood etc. it doesn't seem cluttered or too chaotic. (although I like the natural un-manicured look so...) Hope the fish like it as much as I do! :)

It has been worth the work and effort I made one change on the right which I will photograph at times it seems the tank is almost empty and then from one of the many holes appear fish it has been alot easier to maintain than I thought and putting in the acrylic highway as beeen a joy as all the loachs use it. The behaviour of the Bueno Areies Tetra's has been one to bemuse me as they spend a llot of their time swimming in the water current down the back wall or sitting as a group in the central cave.:thm:

[sed03f]

very cool, I thought you were going to use sand? Im a huge fan of sand. It looks awesome, My husband is going to love it when he sees it. Someone gave me two tiger barbs, I put them in my loach tank, and the clowns and tiger barbs school together, very cute

[sir fresh]

very cool, I thought you were going to use sand? Im a huge fan of sand. It looks awesome, My husband is going to love it when he sees it. Someone gave me two tiger barbs, I put them in my loach tank, and the clowns and tiger barbs school together, very cute


I used the sand as a base and then put a very fine layer of fine gravelover the top towards the back there is no gravel as I have the stands and it is easier to place them on the glass and when it comes to cleanig it cuts down a lot of time.:)

[powerkit]

very interesting, i bet the tank is a joy to watch!

[Dangerdoll]

I think it looks awesome, and natural.... not sure if it's a Loaches Natural Setting, but it certainly looks like the bottom of a river or pond!

[sir fresh]

The first picture is how had the orignal lay out but to increse room acroos the front I made some changes and the spiralis I had in there was getting beat up by the clowns who have taken up residence in the pit ... the slate tiles are on sale in Lowes at the moment they have rounded edges are are great for mounting wood to; I also picked a nice piece of wood last week in Minneapolis which is now the centre piece, the Java is taking hold nicely hope you like the progress and for the record no fish loss... I have also added 2 moon light spots which stay on untill 11.00 oclock and this has made me stay in the office even longer.

Thanks Graham.

[sir fresh]

I think it looks awesome, and natural.... not sure if it's a Loaches Natural Setting, but it certainly looks like the bottom of a river or pond!

The idea started from the Loach Book to have half the tank turbelent and the other half as a calm back water........... and it came together from there. trouble is I spend more time watching than working on the computer.:thm:

[sed03f]

A black background would look great, do you have a straight-on shot we can see?

[sir fresh]

A black background would look great, do you have a straight-on shot we can see?

I will try to get one today may have to play around with the lense.

[fishorama]

The plants look good. Nice to see your fish too. Keep an eye on the skunks, nothing but trouble for me & others.

[sed03f]

I had trouble with skunks too, they can be very aggressive, I had two and they were so docile and nice, but I went away for the weekend to find that they killed 3 dojos. and were on their way killing another one, they just chased it around and bit it until they just died. poor things

[ChrisK]

very nice setup I like it alot.

[zeppelin3k]

an absolute masterpeice!!! Now come and do my tank!! haha, mad props, looks amazing!

[sir fresh]

The tank has been a joy to watch and the maintainence has been a lot easier than i had believed possible.............. and I have only lost to of of the 6 bueno aires Tetra's .

It has been a fascinating tank to watch and given me some great insight into the behaviour of the loach's in the tank. The skunk loach's have grown but after being perturbed about the bad vibes, I have no problem with themthey spend much of their time inside of the central tower, the one thing I have seen in them and the yo yo loaches graze on the underside of the moss even to the top of the towers and they spend hours in and out of the ledges and caves. the fascinating and amusing thing is there free fall mid air gliding , they basically just hover in mid water gliding with the water stream coming from the hidden power head in the right hand towerthe clowns are out early but delight in the central acrylic tunnel down the length of the centre of the tank. I am now working on plans for a 120 gallon long tank river style but using acrylic ends to hide the filters and power heads and then create a subdividing back wall .............I intend to use more wood this time .

Here are a few more pictures enjoy. Sorry having issues uploading the photographs.

[sir fresh]

The picture show a long view and the right hand tower, twoof the pictures also show the turberlence between the 2 towers the bottom shot is the right hand tower with the 420 powerhead and filter attached this tower is supplied by a small pond pump for extra recharge time.

[fishorama]

Looks very nice, the plants have come along well.

[sir fresh]

Thanks on some of the V I have young plants growing on the adults, I have been using a new fertiliser from Germany that I found on a recent trip to minneapolis it is German and was recommrned to me. It is called florena by Sera, I am realy happy with it.

[fishfood420]

Its a beautiful tank. Hope your getting your work done and not staring at that sucker all day. lol.

[sir fresh]

Its a beautiful tank. Hope your getting your work done and not staring at that sucker all day. lol.
That is a problem you sort of get lost in the tank and if clients come in work just go's out the window!

[sir fresh]

Looks very nice, the plants have come along well.

This has been my best planted aquarium to date, I use hair dressing scissors to keep the java moss in shape, I have a strong flow over the surface and the waterr above the towers is about 2 inch's the tetra's have spawned twice.

My new project is a 29 gallon high for otoclinus cats the back groung up is made up of slate and wood with a shelf 18 inch's high to let the java flow back into the water down the wall. I am going to phtograph the stages.

Graham.

[fishorama]

Well, we need some pics then...

[ChrisK]

wow wow wow i love it

[Deanthoreu]

I like the tank set up.... I am currently finishing the preps for some dwarf loaches i have coming in....
i just built an underground filtration system that the kuhli's etc will not get in.....it also gave me a way to run a few air houses and my cO2 line that it is not seen;;;

I use a lot of slate in the loach aquariums i have....the edges that may be a little sharp i hammer down..and i use them to plant java moss on.....

guess us old junior members are old school as well :)
Remember the days when u spent hours polishing the chrome trim on the fancy 10 gallon tanks?
remember when a 10 gallon brand new tank was 2.99 and the newest fish disease cure was tossing in a penny per 10 gallons for 6 hours?

Wow has the hobby come a long way.... oooppppsss off topic sorry.

Anyway, I love the tank,,, post more...u give me ideas.. i like the loach underground

i just bot some pvc (condensation curves..the loos like an s) and put 90 degree attachements on each end and buried them in the tank i am setting up..so the kuhli's have some places to play....

[jenazen69]

Love the set up, it looks fantastic now that the plants have really taken off.

[sir fresh]

Love the set up, it looks fantastic now that the plants have really taken off.

Thank you very much I have had to trim the moss and I am very happy as it will go into the new 30 gallon high projct which I photographing in stages

[sir fresh]

I just used sand paper to round of the edges. I t worked well and gave the slate a worn in look.

[sir fresh]

As promised I wanted to share the new project with you, I have tried a new aproach with this using a frame for the wood and the slate to give more dimension to the back ground.

I used 1 inch electrical conduit 5 foot $1.00 Lowes. and some scrap acrylic for base and shelf. All the wood was presoaked and drilled the slate is from slate tile from lowes again.

photograph 1& 2 are the Frame work. the third is the start of the wood being put into place, It is like a jig saw puzzle I layed the pieces out first on the table, to get a feel for every thing.