Hillstream loach tank questions

[sora1600]

So my plan is to get the loaches next month and quarantine them, which will most likely take me 2+ months to add them into the main tank. Probably get them at the end of October to make my tank more established. I was thinking about getting 6 or 9 loaches since I'm paranoid I might overstock the tank. Almost done with selling my breeding stock and eggs so will only have the loach display tank and a very long break from breeding anything.

Anyways some questions:
How much hillstream loaches can I put in the tank (20 gallon long)? I'm planning on getting only the loaches that grow to 2 inches. I like being a little understock in my tanks.
What plants can I add? Plants I have right now: moss, ferns, crypts, vals, anubias, and anacharis (I know it sucks up nutrients that algae need to grow). I plan to take out the anacharis and moss since the filter and powerhead pushes it everywhere. I know fast current flow is not ideal for plants but would love to add plants even though the plants are not found in their natural habitat.
What's the ideal temperature for them? I have my heater set to 68F right now but might bump it to 70F. A lot of forums I've read have upper 70s to 80s. I think that's a little too hot for them.
Is 2 powerheads too much for the tank? One is a 158 GPH powerhead. Also, this tank will only contain the loaches, no other fish.

 

[petluvr]

All those plants will work, your right floaters will get pushed around quite a bit. They are a temperate fish but there are people here who are keeping and breeding them in the 80's if I am not wrong. In my tank I used two koralia nanos and a AC30 or 50 can't remember and it did fine, not for sure about your ph's though.

 

[fishorama]

From all I've read it's more oxygen level than temp but I've yet to try hillies. Some will eat bloodworms others algae only. A 20g long is about the minimum & sand may cause trouble in such a small footprint. Have you checked out loaches.com, my go to loach site, can't go wrong there!

 

[sora1600]

Yea, I've researched about them breeding in high temperatures using sponge filters but I'm not looking to breed any of the loaches. Just want a display tank of them. Sewellia are ok in that temperature, from what I've researched, but I plan to mix them with gastromyzon, which I think needs a lower temperature and more current. I was planning on getting either the Koralias or AC powerheads but the 158 was a gift so I have to keep that one.

 

[sora1600]

From all I've read it's more oxygen level than temp but I've yet to try hillies. Some will eat bloodworms others algae only. A 20g long is about the minimum & sand may cause trouble in such a small footprint. Have you checked out loaches.com, my go to loach site, can't go wrong there!

Yep. Checked out a lot of websites. That was one of the main ones.

 

[fishorama]

Be careful with powerheads etc, some loaches will be determined to get into the flow, I lost all my first histrionicas to overcurious noses in the output & they aren't hillies! I used plastic onion or fruit bags to restrict their access after a very bad experience.

 

[sora1600]

Be careful with powerheads etc, some loaches will be determined to get into the flow, I lost all my first histrionicas to overcurious noses in the output & they aren't hillies! I used plastic onion or fruit bags to restrict their access after a very bad experience.

Thanks for telling me! Will look for something to cover that.

 

[sora1600]

So Frank told me he didn't get in the gastromyzon I have to wait to see if he gets it next week. More time for me to make their home the best it can be. I think I will get another 158 or a AC powerhead next paycheck then I'll be set and wait for the loaches. Thank goodness I have two importers who can try to get me the loaches

 

[mduncan2]

my recommendation would be to get a heap of rocks in the bottom of the tank, and a lot of VERY powerful lights on top of the tank. The fish might not always eat what you give them, so having a large amount of natural aglae growing on the rocks will increase the chances of them surviving and adapting to their new environment and food sources.

In terms of feeding them, I generally use a pepper grinder on a super fine setting and grind half a hikari canivourous sinking wafer, half a algae wafer, some sea weed (human consumption) and a pinch of some other random food. I grind it into a small container, then add some water, mix it up, and tip it into the least turbulent area of my tank. This gives the mixture the best chance of sinking onto the rocks without getting sucked into the filter. I also grow green water in bottles on a window sill. I pour a cup of this green water in every week to increase the amount of algae that might grow on the rocks.

This is for my sewellia. I used to have 20+ gastromyzon and sewellia in that tank but I believe a Dragonfly newt got into the water and killed the majority of them off. (I found the newt when I started pulling out all the rocks to work out why I had lost 10 fish in one week).

Matt

 

[sora1600]

Thanks! I'm trying to grow some algae on rocks outside but it is slow. The light method has never worked for me. I tried with so many lights and overnight that I just quit. I plant to feed them some food sample from another member on here, algae wafers, shrimp wafers, veggies, etc. Hmm do they like seaweed? Will probably try that to see if they like it too. I tried green water also but it starts disappearing after showing up for a few days. How strong was the current/oxygen level in your tank? I have a AC 30 filter and a 158 GPH powerhead and I think it is not enough. I may be wrong though.