HILLSTREAM LOACH

[Jephex]

My small hillstream loach is not eating anything...all he does is stick to the same place on the glass all day...he hasnt touched a bloodworm or fish flake

Not sure but I think I might have to give him to a lps, I heard they can adapt to tropical tanks, but not what I had in mind, I really wanted a small bristenose pleco, but I picked him up, and I actually think these hillstream loaches are a lot cooler, but he just doesnt seem to be accepting his environment, and he stays in the same spot all day and doesnt move, I think I need to give him back.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

what temperature is your tank? what size is it and what other fish do you have?

 

[millym]

hi
we used to have a couple of hillstream loaches & one dropped dead very quickly for no apparent reason - from what i read this apparently seems to happen sadly quite often, they struggle to handle the stress of shipping etc. i know they prefer slightly cooler water(but still tropical) & like fast currents in their environment. ours used to sit on the glass in the airbubble flow from the airstones. ours also used to sit of the glass not moving for a lot of the day but seemed to be more active at night.

 

[black angel]

mine slept through the day and was more active at night but he still died and they dont come off the glass very often. as far as i know they only eat the young algae and they like to have the current of the filter at the back of the tank over the glass.
if theres no algae then he will probably starve, try adding half an algae wafer when the lights go out at night. they need cold water as well.

 

[chris_1127]

from what i recall reading, these guys live on the diatoms (blue/green or brown algae - bacteria) rather than regular algae as in algae wafers dont they? My girlfriend had one in a coldwater tank that was pretty highly oxygenated, and used to put in half an algae wafer every other day for it, but unfortunately it didnt last more than about 4 months. Similarly i had one in my smaller community tank at tropical temperatures with barbs and bristlenoses - seemed quite active and healthy but again i found it dead for no apparent reason after about 4 months.

must say that when i moved tanks, the hillstream loach was probably the most difficult fish ever to catch and transfer! ended up coaxing it onto a rock and netting the rock in the end!!

 

[emma12321]

I have 4 hill stream loaches of 3 different varieties in a community tank with corys. They spend all day on the glass or filter but as soon as a catfish pellet, shrimp tab or algae wafer is dropped in they go onto the bottom and start pushing the corys off them. It might be lonely on it's own, mine tend to follow each other round the tank.

Emma