Hillstream loach tank questions

Bugger. The big one keeps attacking one of the darker colored ones. It would just stay there and let the big one beat it up. So much hiding spots but always fighting. I might just move them into the tank so they have more room, compare to the 10. There's nothing in the 20 so if they do have something, no stock will die.
I think they crawl/swim up to the top of the tank and bump it. I keep hearing soft little thumps when I'm asleep like something is hitting the cover of the tank. Hopefully they don't crawl out and escape during the night and dry up. Only opening on cover is where the filter is.
 
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Some of the aggression will hopefully lessen once they establish a pecking order. If you don't want to move them, you can try letting them sort it out. They're going to have to sooner or later, little tiny brats! I don't think they'll actually hurt each other...Good luck!
 
fishorama said:
Some of the aggression will hopefully lessen once they establish a pecking order. If you don't want to move them, you can try letting them sort it out. They're going to have to sooner or later, little tiny brats! I don't think they'll actually hurt each other...Good luck!
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Yea there's one that ignores those two. He/she is off doing their own thing while those two are fighting/chasing each other. I just don't want them to come home one day and find one dead. I'll see how it goes and if it continues, I may move one of them or all 3 to a bigger tank.
 
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Congrats on your sewellias. I have had mine for about 3 or 4 years now. Started with 10 (they are in a 46BF)and must have close to 40+ now. They breed quite frequently, and I am sure I lose some to the other bottom dwellers in the tank (corys, red ancistrus, L104s, L340s, sids. Plus there are bolivian rams in the tank. Otherwise I think I would be overrun with them. I have 2 AC 70s on the tank, and quite often find some fry in the filters when I go to clean them. I do not use any other flow in that tank, and my water temp is a constant 80°, so they are adaptable. They are always squabbling, so I wouldn't worry too much about that, as long as there are places in the tank they can go and hide. I have pleco caves and driftwood in my tank, along with gravel as a bottom. They also have never bothered any of my plants. Mine eat Hikari algae wafers, froz bloodworms, froz brine shrimp, fresh zucchini, and almost anything else I put in the tank, even earthworm stix. My favorite thing to watch is when they are on the glass and you can see their little hearts beating ! Here are a couple of pics:
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This is a young fry:
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vanillarum said:
Congrats on your sewellias. I have had mine for about 3 or 4 years now. Started with 10 (they are in a 46BF)and must have close to 40+ now. They breed quite frequently, and I am sure I lose some to the other bottom dwellers in the tank (corys, red ancistrus, L104s, L340s, sids. Plus there are bolivian rams in the tank. Otherwise I think I would be overrun with them. I have 2 AC 70s on the tank, and quite often find some fry in the filters when I go to clean them. I do not use any other flow in that tank, and my water temp is a constant 80°, so they are adaptable. They are always squabbling, so I wouldn't worry too much about that, as long as there are places in the tank they can go and hide. I have pleco caves and driftwood in my tank, along with gravel as a bottom. They also have never bothered any of my plants. Mine eat Hikari algae wafers, froz bloodworms, froz brine shrimp, fresh zucchini, and almost anything else I put in the tank, even earthworm stix. My favorite thing to watch is when they are on the glass and you can see their little hearts beating !
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Thanks! I'm starting out with 3 as I am planning on adding another type of hillstream loach and have read the sewellia will pick on the smaller loaches. I'm not interested in breeding them as this is a display tank but if they do end up breeding and I see the babies, I guess I'll have to take care of them as I hate to leave them in the tank and let others eat them. The other loach I am getting requires a lot of current, from what I read so I have a filter on one side and a powerhead on the other. It gets hot here in Ca so I don't have a heater on since I'm paranoid it might break and cook my fishes. Room temp is usually in the 70s during the winter too. Yea the big one is just chasing the other but I'll let them chase each other until they get tired of it. I haven't tried any frozen food but have feed them algae I grew outside, mazuri gel food, and algae wafers. I'm going to try the frozen food once I go to the LFS as I'm out. I have sand as the bottom but is gravel better? I read they like to dig in the sand. I find it funny when they are grazing on the rock. Makes me laugh. I'm also trying to sex them but cannot find the difference between them. I try to look for the 'fences' but I don't see any.
Thanks for answering my questions and I appreciate it as I try to make their tank better for them.
 
Not sure about their preference for sand or gravel. I have gravel, and I think their natural habitat is mostly rocks, but not really sure. If you have both sexes, I would guess they will eventually breed. They have many many fry, but they are almost too small for the naked eye ( at least for my tired old eyes !) to see. I usually find them in the filter at about 1/4" long. Good luck.
 
Yea I think I'll stick to sand as it's already in the tank. I do have smaller sized rocks with some big ones I collected from a river here. I think I'll have a problem seeing them too :). I have glasses which I hate wearing and always misplace them. I do have a AC sponge on the filter and powerhead so hopefully it kind of helps in keeping them safe until they are better to see.
 
Hmm, I swear one of them is trying to escape from the tank. I think I'm a little paranoid after watching that YouTube video of the loach escaping. Hopefully the rim kind of stops it from escaping.
 
I have never found any of my sewellias on the floor. They will swim right up to the water line to explore, but then swim away. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Good luck.
 
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