Loachy Linguini

Hi, Anon! (and an important PSA)

Oh boy… where to start? I’ll answer this in three parts:

1) If you are trying to offer advice to someone about ANYTHING, not just fish, you should always do so in a polite and respectful tone.All caps and being incredibly rude is not the way to do it, be kind to others. This will make them more inclined to listen and take your advice! So everyone, please take note that this is not how you try to correct someone who you think is doing something wrong (even if they keep a betta in a bowl). Politely offer your advice and help to people!

2) If you are trying to help someone correct something that you perceive as wrong, DON’T do it anonymously. If I were to genuinely not know what I am doing and wanted to inquire more, I would be completely lost at this point. This shows me that you, anon, do not have the confidence in what you are saying.

So anyone who is considering offering advice to anyone else for any reason, don’t do it in an anonymous ask. Have the confidence in yourself to put your name on it and have a two-way communication!

3) The picture you see on my blog was a temporary setup. The setup I have now is much better and accommodates both species. I have a 55-gallon bowfront tank that is 4 feet long and 12 inches deep. This vast but shallow tank allows me to have a range of temperatures by adding just a small heater on one side of the tank.

Please forgive me as the tank isn’t complete and there is a hellacious glare. The left side of the tank has many plants, a CO2 injector, and a heater. This is where the Kuhlis spend most of their time. The temperature in this area is in the upper 70s.

The other side of the tank (the side without the sand) has two large smooth rocks (three more will be added when I get more sand), two strong powerheads, and a strong bubbler (more on the way). This side of the tank sits in the low 70s

In the wild, rivers and streams are never going to be entirely within a fish’s preferred water temperature. This setup allows the fish to go to whichever side they prefer. They usually stick to the side you’d expect, but sometimes one or two will wander to another side.

Now, you state that Reticulated Hillstream Loaches prefer water “in the mid-60s,” this contradicts every source I have read about them. Fishlore puts them at 68-75. So the 72 is a nice middle point for them.

Now, I don’t mean for this to be an attack or to come off mean or aggressive in any way. But this is a big public defense of this stocking, that I came across through the main public fishblr tag, which might give others the idea to also house these species together. So I am sorry to do this publicly, but I would rather dispel any such ideas as early as possible.

—

So I wouldn’t have caught what anon did here about the temps personally, as just about every hillstream species I’ve researched has been a tropical, warm water species. Different sources I checked (I’m not fond of Fishlore - I checked FishBase, Seriously Fish, and Loaches.com) listed different temperature ranges. Seriously Fish actually lists the max temp for the species they believe to be the most common, Pangio semisincta, as 26C/78.8F. No idea who’s right (I can dig more when I have time into scientific sources), but if they happen to be correct you are dangerously close to the highest temperature a kuhli loach can comfortably stand. Curiously, the other sources have it that you actually don’t have it quite warm enough. If those ones are correct, then I very strongly feel that this is entirely too large a gap to justify keeping these fishes together, as even in the setup you have, straying into the other species’ side of the tank puts them outside their comfortable temperature range, which is unsafe for the health of that fish. You are also mistaken in your assertion that wild rivers are never going to be in the fishes’ preferred temperature range? Outside of extreme conditions created by things like major natural events, the natural temperature fluctuations of a fish’s home water source are where we get these preferred water temperatures from. That’s literally what that range is. You should also know that running an undersized heater on overdrive like this will lead to heater failure, which can be disastrous and dangerous. I very strongly recommend against running undersized heaters on aquariums.

The main issue I have with keeping these fish together is that they come from as opposite of environments as you can get without throwing salinity into the mix.

Reticulated hillstream loaches have “hillstream” in the name, so its obvious that they are hillstream specialists. Specialists here meaning they require hillstream conditions. Kept in less than that, they are surviving, not thriving. They will not be able to act in ways that are natural to them in an inappropriate environment.

But did you know that kuhli loaches originate in slow-moving blackwater peat swamps and associated, sometimes less tannin stained, areas?

These habitats are as far apart as you can get. You throw out references to wild rivers and streams, but to the connect the waterways that these fishes originate from you have to go through several other distinct aquatic habitats. They are literally on opposite ends of the spectrum. Hillstream environments are near river sources, where the water is clean, clear, often cool, and rushing at high speeds. There will be a low TDS. Water almost like natural RO. The high water speeds give it an extremely high level of dissolved oxygen, which hillstream fishes absolutely require to be able to survive long term. Blackwater environments are exactly the opposite. Here the water has transversed large expanses of land in the form of true rivers, made its way through dense forests, and slowed to almost a halt. Blackwater has little to no flow. Extremely low dissolved oxygen and pH, to such extremes that fish that aren’t specialized for these conditions physically cannot survive them. The high pH is matched by high TDS, as both are created by the breakdown of organic material littered in from the surrounding forests, like leaves and wood. Blackwater fishes do best with, and in some cases, require tannins to survive. Tannins have antibacterial properties, meaning the immune systems of these fishes are reliant on them living in water in which even some strains of bacteria cannot survive.

Again, I really don’t mean for this to be an attack or come off antagonistic. I’m really just trying to present you with information here.

But I very, very strongly feel that these two species are absolutely incompatible. It is in neither’s best interests to house them together. I really don’t see the appeal in keeping them in the same tank? Why not just house them in two separate tanks? You mention here that they were previously in another, temporary tank. Why not set up one as a hillstream tank and the other blackwater? That is what these fish require to live their their fullest, healthiest, most natural lives. Just because you don’t see signs of stress, doesn’t mean keeping them in conditions outside of those that their bodies have naturally evolved to survive in isn’t putting their body under stress that will ultimately shorten their lifespans and leave them more prone to disease. Keeping them together like this, trying to mash together two completely opposite and incompatible habitats, is putting a human want over the needs of the fish. I hope you might reconsider.

Some sources:

Kuhlis: Fishbase Seriously Fish Loaches.com

Thank you for explaining it and not just attacking me. I appreciate this. I unfortunately no longer have the 29g bow front; I was borrowing it while I was waiting for my new house to be built.

While I was initially considering hillstreams, it was pretty difficult to work out their preferred temperature and living conditions; every source gives different parameters.

Anyone who has or wants a planted aquarium should familiarize themselves with the signs of nutrient deficiency. This handy little flowchart does an excellent job at helping with this!

The primary sources of deficiency are CO2, Iron, Potassium and (in my experience) Nitrogen. My plants are starting to show Phosphorus deficiency as well.

When you do dose your aquarium with plant nutrients, be careful to only dose when the plants need it and to follow the directions on the bottle. Best case scenario if you dose too much: the excess nutrients will go to algae growth instead of plants. Worst case (if you’re supplementing something like Nitrogen): it can harm your fish.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Nitrogen supplements contain Nitrates and Ammonium. Ammonium is generated when Ammonia, a weak base, reacts with Brønsted acids: H+ + NH3 → NH4+. Ammonium is not harmful to fish. Some water conditioners even convert Ammonia into Ammonium. Nitrates, as every aquarist should be aware, is the end of the nitrogen cycle, and should be kept below 40 ppm to avoid harming your fish. Be careful if you need to dose this and keep a close eye on your water parameters.

I recommend using Seachem’s line of plant supplements. However, I do NOT recommend using Flourish, Flourish Excel, or Flourish Tabs if you have invertebrates in your tank.

They’re finally here! Seven sticker pages of beautiful aquatic creatures fresh from the home aquarium and onto the page! I don’t have these printed yet and I still have to look into what materials I want to print on and where to get them this time. I’ve printed and sold stickers before though and they turned out beautifully! I’m not quite ready to take orders yet, so in the mean time why don’t we have ourselves a little 300 follower give-away! 

I’ll probably be giving away 3-5 sheets of stickers, so here’s what you have to do!

1) Reblog this post, you can use more than one blog BUT you can only win ONCE.

2) Be following thebettaboys! you can be a new follower, but I WILL be checking!

3) Be 18 years old or older, OR have parent consent!

Winners will get a choice of one of the following pages, they will be on white backgrounds when printed. The give away ends when they’re ready to ship, I’ll notify y'all when that comes around. 

1) Sharks, Gourami, and Tetras/Barbs/Danios/Rasbora (threw all the lil schooling fish together)

2) Assorted Cichlids, Axolotls, and Guppies

3) Oscars, Rainbowfish, and Loaches

4) Arowana, Fancy Goldfish, and Shrimp/Crayfish

5) Bichirs, Plecos, and Bettas

6) Discus, Snails, and Corydoras

7) Puffer fish, Angelfish, and Mollies/Platys

If perhaps you know for sure that you want to order a couple pages or all of them, and want to be sure yours are the first ones shipped out, you can place a pre-order by sending me an email at [email protected] and sending payment via PayPal to [email protected].

Prices when they come out should be as follows, but may change depending on the cost of materials, ill try to keep it around this though (plus $5 shipping).

1) $5 for one species/group, separated by color (ex: oscars, snails, plecos)

2) $12 for an entire page (ex: page 1, 2 or 3. includes every species on it)

vinegar and bleach makes chlorine gas, which is highly toxic

ammonia and bleach makes chloramine, which is highly toxic

rubbing alcohol and bleach makes chloroform, which is highly toxic

hydrogen peroxide and vinegar makes peracetic/peroxyacetic acid, which can be highly corrosive

Safe Stones for Alkaline/Hard Water Fish

Fish from alkaline, hard water do great with limestone and other stones that react with the water and slowly dissolve, releasing minerals and raising the hardness of the water. There are various kinds, such as honeycomb limestone (sometimes sold as Texas holey rock), tufa, and travertine. You can also use aragonite and dolomite in alkaline tanks. Shells and coral also increase hardness.

Safe Stones for Acidic/Soft Water Fish

However, if you are keeping fish that prefer acidic, soft water, it’s preferable to use non-reactive stones. Slate, quartz, agate, basalt, and granite will not affect the pH or hardness. 

Testing Stones for Soft Water Fish

There is a way to test a stone you find to see if it is safe for your soft water fish. Some people recommend vinegar, but this is not a sensitive enough test. You must acquire hydrochloric acid (HCl). Drip this on the rock in question. If it fizzes, then the rock is not safe for sensitive soft water fish. Be very careful handling hydrochloric acid! It is a strong acid and can cause serious injury! You can purchase it online. 

Most fish can actually handle the small hardness change from a small amount of dissolved mineral in the water. As long as you’re not doing a massive amount of hardscape, a small piece of reactive stone will not harm most hardy captive bred fish. It actually acts as a buffer against pH swings. Some people with very soft water must add a bag of crushed coral to their filters or something similar to prevent pH swings (myself included, when fishless cycling!). 

However, if you are working with extremely delicate fish, such as wild caught Betta macrostoma, or fish that are notoriously difficult or sensitive, you won’t want to risk this. Know the species you’re keeping and do your research!

Cleaning/Sterilizing Stones

Cleaning rocks is important to remove parasites, bacteria, possible hitchhikers and the like.

Many instructions online will say “do not boil” rocks. The reason for this is that if you heat up a rock and it has an inclusions of trapped air or water, that trapped air or water will expand and the rock can break. Obviously exploding rocks could be extremely dangerous.

However those same instructions often say you can bake the rocks. The truth is, any form of heating is equally dangerous, but the temperatures we’re using are not nearly as dangerous as people are expounding them to be. Using rocks around a fire ring at a campfire is much more dangerous because of the sudden high temperatures they’re exposed to (and because the rocks are often wet when used). The truth is, baking or boiling can be perfectly safe with many rocks, and an excellent way to sterilize them! 

Clean them off with a scrub brush so you can examine them thoroughly. Flat river rocks and similar that are smooth and hard are rather safe to boil or bake once dried off, because they are extremely unlikely to have pockets of trapped air or water. However, if you have rocks with lots of little holes in them, are soft and porous, or rocks or crystals with cracks, be more careful. Usually, at these low temps, the worst that will happen is a loud crack rather than an explosion. And when that happens you’ll just be sad because your pretty rock was ruined, but that’s about it. (It happened to me once with a tiny crack and it was a crystal. It didn’t split and I still have it in my temperate aquarium, it just isn’t as pretty now. It didn’t become dangerous or anything. It’s the only crack I’ve ever experienced in years of boiling rocks.) Boil for about ten minutes with a lid on, or bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees then turn off the oven and allow to cool before opening the oven. There are other options however if you don’t want to risk this! You can scrub them really well first (you don’t want any dirt in the way of the bleach), then use bleach at a ratio of 1:10 to water. Afterwards, rinse with water, rinse again with water, then once you’ve rinsed so you can’t smell bleach, soak the rocks in water that has a double dose of dechlorinator. Then allow to dry thoroughly, preferably in the sun.

Alrighty, fish friends, I decided it’s time to make a hurricane guide!