The Complete Guide To Hillstream Loaches
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- čas přidán 19. 01. 2024
- A detailed look at the Reticulated Hillstream Loach with information about their anatomy, how the sex them, how to set up their tank, how to pick their tankmates, what to feed them, how to breed them, and how to raise their babies. All accompanied by stunning visuals and a calm soothing narration style.
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The current seen in the video was created by:
Freesea 1050 GPH aquarium circulation wave maker powerhead with magnetic mount
amzn.to/491qc4h (*** paid link ***)
I encased the powerhead in a media filter bag in order to keep the fish
from being drawn into the motor.
They don't make the camera that I used to film this video any more.
So, here is a newer, better version of the camera that I used.
HC-WXF1 4K camcorder (*** paid link ***)
amzn.to/49W6Oaf
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
There's no extra cost to you, and it helps support my channel.
We need more content like this on CZcams. Thanks.
Thank you so much. More to come. ❤
30 minutes of hillstream loach footage? Mom, bring The chips, we wont sleep tonight!
Good stuff for sure. 😊
This guy deserves more, he's the definition of quality over quantity.
Thanks! 😊
Without a doubt; this is the most complete guide there is to these fish. Thank you so much! - Ramón 🇲🇽
You're very welcome / thanks for watching!
I’ve kept them for years but learned so much from you. I have a 40g breeder nano tank now and they regularly produce babies. So entertaining to watch! Thanks for the info and terrific footage!
That's awesome! Thanks for watching. 😁
Thanks for this video. i got covid so my wife quarantined me to my fish cave . I've been bingeing on fish videos for days!
Sorry to hear that you're sick. I had it a couple years back, and it knocked me out for a couple weeks. I slept most of the time. I wish you a speedy recovery.
once again great video , now i want to buy hillstream loaches
And this is how you end up with a room full of tanks. . . ❤
Buckling up, let's go!
I debated whether or not to leave that in for a very long time. . .
Keep it, your videos are good
thanks
This is truly my most awaited video in quite some time, writing this comment before the watch.
Be sure to let me know what you thought when it's done.
very high-quality content, very useful for biologists and fish tank hobbyists. felt that it was presented by a biology professor.
thank you very much.
Wow, thank you!
Do you know what's cooler than cowboys? The Royal Canadian Mounties!
Are they though, are they really? Those horses do not agree. . .
@@TheDave333 I saw them when I was in Canada in 2019 and 2023.
That's interesting. I saw them when I went to Niagara Falls as a kid with my parents.
FINALLY a very informative and high quality video about hillstream loaches. I've been struggling to find something helpful at all. To top it off, it did not surprise me to see it was coming from you. Awesome 🙌🏻
Awesome, thank you! I really hope that the video is helpful. 😁
Very enjoyable thanks and timely also just started a similar tank.
Awesome! Best of luck they're really interesting fish.
I completely understand that everyone comes from different backgrounds, but when you've imported and raised discus, I was expecting a lot more when they said these loaches were expensive LOL I can't wait to start breeding these in a species-only tank!
I love breeding Hillstream Loaches, and they'll be easier to sell than Discus. The less expensive fish sell faster. . .
hey babe wake up, the dave posted another video 🎉
Quality over quantity. . . 😁
Cool fish I like their look
Me too! Like little sting rays, very alien looking. . .
Dude I have the softest of soft spots for these loaches, loved the video! I was considering a shallowish hi-flow tank dedicated to these, now I'm convinced! I'm quite sure I now know everything I'd want to about these, and then some. Your video - showed so many more details than I can see with the naked eye right here even. Thank you so much!
I glad you liked the video, I have a soft spot for these fish as well! btw - I used a Freesea 1050 GPH wave maker powerhead that was enclosed in a filter media bag in order to keep the fish from harm. I normally just run the tank as a low flow setup just as I described in the video, but as I was making the video, I thought that in order to do these fish justice they needed to be filmed with a current. And that's when I discovered that they really like to play in the moving water!!! They seemed to be a lot more active with the flow, playing in it and surfing the "waves".
I never fail to learn from your informative and expertly filmed and narrated productions. Thank you!
You're very welcomer! I love making them. 😊
Alright, you convinced me, imma save some money and set up my own breeding tank, this are my favorito oddball fish and was not aware that it isnt so difficult to reproduce :D
Go for it. They're not as difficult as some people say. They are a bit pricey, but well worth it!
I got my first Hillstreams yesterday, hopefully a breeding pair. I love them so much!
That's awesome! Best of luck.
Nerp. My hillstream loach can handle moderate tropical temos and moderate water flow. I love smooth rocks but had no idea this was good for the loaches
I've seen flutter channels but didn't know that's what they are
Thanks for watching another video. I love my hillstream loaches too, they're in my top ten list of favorite fish.
I heard the folks at Aquarium Co-op have kept them in tanks with high temperatures, tanks with no filters, tropical community tanks, etc…
Showed no signs of stress or sickness, even ended up breeding without any intervention from the fish keepers!
Like many river dwellers (danios for example) they’re very hardy
While I understand the idea of recreating their natural environment as closely as possible, it seems they’ll do well in a wide range of set ups as long as conditions remain stable
Yes, they are quite adaptable.
@@garg4531 😮 had no idea. That's awesome
I have been planning to get some hillstream loaches for a new tank. I had several species picked out. I am now re-thinking the whole thing because of this wonderful video. I now have the difficult decision of deciding on one species. It's kind of a tossup between the reticulated and the very similar red-tailed hillstream loach. I do have rock in the tank, but it is all flat slate rock, not rounded river rock. There is also an area of fine sand at the front of the tank which I intended for cryptic corydoras. Since corys prefer warmer water and hillstream loaches prefer cooler water, it would probably be best to give the corys a miss until the next tank gets made. I will also need to re-think some of the plants I have included in this tank and make them more hillstream loach friendly. I do have some anubius in the tank, but I also have some fine feathery plants which were going to be for baby shrimp to hid out in. I have three freshwater clams in the tank, and two freshwater mussels in there which should do fine in the same setup as the hillstream loaches have. The tank is rimless and well lit, but it lacks a lid. Therefore, because of this fantastic video, I will be purchasing one soon.
In a way, I feel like I'm going to be starting over with this tank in order to meet the needs of these little fish. I see that as a good thing though, as I now understand what makes a good environment for hillstream loaches, and above all, I like to provide the best and most enriching environment for any animal I keep. I don't want to keep a concentration camp or a prison. I want to keep animals where they can live their best possible life; a place where they are always feel happy and safe. Your video was just what I needed to understand how this is done. Thank you for taking the time to create this absolutely masterfully made and produced video!
Thank you so much for watching the video and taking the time to leave a comment. Those fish sound lucky to have such a thoughtful and considerate fish-keeper. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. ❤
Very nice fish!! Great presentation as usual 👏
Loved this and now you made me want them Dave! Awsome job!!!
Go for it! They're amazing fish!
I have one in a 29gal, with an oto cat, and nerite snail and they get along just well
Nice! They're such bizarre fish.
More than just your videos, I love your entire channel, so much information ❤️
Wow, thank you! ❤️
Absolutely stunning footage
Thank you so much!
Love your channel. The cinematography and information are incredible. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! Will do!
Happy New Year, Dave! Also, a very illuminating performance!
Thank you Chi and It's good to see your comments again. I noticed you were missing for a few days. 😊
This is the best guide ever! Thank you 😊
You're very welcome! 😊
Amazing video and information on Hill stream loaches. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching. 😊
Some nice close up shots there...
What lens do you use for that?
100 mm macro lens
Simply amazing 😍. The camera work on your videos are just fantastic. Looking forward to see more 🙂 🙌🏾
Thank you so much!!
This is so informative and soothing to listen to. You've definitely earned a subscriber.
Awesome, thank you!
@@TheDave333 gonna be setting up a 40 breeder in the next couple of weeks and will have to keep plenty of beautiful little hillstreams. They're so adorable
A 40 breeder is the perfect tank for these fish. They really are very cute. I think it has a lot to do with their eyes.
@@TheDave333 they have the same kinda derpy adorable look as like a Kenyan sand boa. They're so cute and fun to watch.
Snakes / reptiles were my first love! I'm hoping to film a Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) underwater in the wild.
I got a group of 5 in my 30 gallon long and I was so scared they’d die, but they have been breeding like crazy I have fry in all different sizes. I keep them with cherry shrimp, a group of guppies and snails! My Hillstream loaches and shrimp are breeding more than my guppies lol. I keep them in tap water and do water changes weekly
Looking into getting a 55 gallon tank with lots of rocks for my loaches! They are absolutely my favorite aquatic creature/ pet! Also
Amazing video
Thanks for watching the video and sharing your experiences. And nice work on getting them to breed so frequently.
Excellent work!!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
Been waiting for this for so long!! Great info and amazing quality like always.
Glad you enjoyed it! Sorry it took so long. . . Just kidding, I'm not sorry. 😁
@@TheDave333 😅😆
This is so informative! Great job, fantastic reporting!🌻🌼🐝 Keep it up 🙌
Thank you! Will do! 🦈🐟🦐🦠
I’ve been googling loaches compatible with my tank after finding out the dojo loach is illegal in my state! You’ve sold me, thanks for the care guide here’s to hoping I’ll find a few at an upcoming expo :)
I highly recommend these fish. They're amazing, easy to keep, easy to feed, and they don't need high flow setups. I hope you find them too! ❤️
Learned so much, excellent video as always
Awesome, thank you!
Last video i was wondering how do you could keep those amazing pattern fish so happy...well here it is!☺️
Thanks for sharing this beautiful jewel from nature.
A great job with incredible footage!
Thank you so much. 😊
Lodi New York in the house I love loaches I'm working on a 55gal tank and setting up a Hillstream tank between now and March..
That's awesome. Loaches are fun. 😁
Love the added humor!!
Thanks!! I debated whether or not to leave that in for a long time. I guess I made the right choice. 😁
This is a very interesting and informative awesome video thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching❤
Great documentary!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing sir excellent information as always 😊
My pleasure 😊
This is a very informative, well presented video. Thank you for sharing. I did clue in to the powerhead, no other way to explain that flow. I've been a subscriber for quite awhile and always enjoy your content. Thanks again!
You're very welcome. Thanks for watching my videos. 😀
Another awesome video!
Thanks again!
One of my dream fish 🐟
They are really awesome!
Best relax during Saturday night is to watch this beautiful, immersive video with hill stream loaches. One of them, male who chase other fish, who like one stone is, I suppose, the victorious kink from previous video. I see that those loaches have some common behaviour like plecos - they love chase each other during feeding. Is their entertainment not aggression, I mean plecos. I only suppose about loaches, maybe I'm wrong. Regarding tiny babies must be difficult to keep aquarium clean, free from rotten food. Is it possible to keep any sanitary crews with them?
The sanitary crews are the snails, and the countless worms and other invertebrates that share the tank. No food lasts long enough to rot.
@@TheDave333 thank you, l thought that snails' waste pollute the water. But it seems that it become fertilizer for plants.
Yes, fertilizer for plants, and food for tiny invertebrates.
thank you so much ...amazing.
You're very welcome. 😁
❤ wow.. thank you so much..love it ❤
You're welcome 😊
Awesome thank you
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching.
Thank you Soo much, I am building a 40gallon for my 2 loaches and this is gold, soo great!
Wonderful! Have fun they're great fish. :-)
fantastic video. best video on hillztream loach. wurd
Thank you so much!
I've had success keeping these in a laminar flow aquarium, but no luck with them breeding. Thanks for this video, these are beautiful little creatures
They are very beautiful little fish. Do you keep them with other fish?
@@TheDave333 I kept them with white cloud minnows. Currently I have them in a holding tank with neocaridinia shrimp and dwarf rasboras
The White Clouds (great choice by the way) might have been eating the Hillstream loach eggs or the babies.
I absolutely love you videos...❤
Thank you so much!!! ❤
They are so cute!!!
Cute and strange at the same time. 😁
Thank you Dave, these really are exquisite fish, and your patience and care with filming always takes my breath away. Seeing Nature up close never gets old, and you always give such clear and instructive insights into whatever species is the focus of your video. Once again, I have spent a very pleasurable time in one of your beautiful alien worlds. I hope this new year is treating you and yours well.🖤🇨🇦
Greetings fair lady of the great white north! I hope that all is well, and that the new year brings you an abundance of blessings, peace, and good health. 🌻🌼🐝
@@TheDave333 Thank you dear man, we are having a brutal cold snap at the moment, but are expecting much warmer days ahead soon. It is a little too unstable for where I live, to be honest, but it seems we have broken the sky. That aside, I am doing well thank you for your kind wishes, and I always enjoy a new offering from you whatever the season. How many active tanks do you have established? I have often wondered.💖🖤🇨🇦
I have 22 tanks with water, and several more that are empty because I've run out of room! 😁
@@TheDave333 I can well imagine! 22 tanks is a lot of work to keep abreast of, but each of your little worlds are truly beautiful. I love your passion for the fish, they have always fascinated me.🖤🇨🇦
The RCMP Musical Ride consists of 32 constables and their horses plus the member in charge. They perform calvary drills to varities of music. They perform throughout Canada and abroad to promote the RCMP.
That must be quite an impressive display! With everyone perfectly dressed, and moving in precision to the music. And horses are amazingly powerful creatures. Sounds like a good time!
Excellent informative video with amazing videography and outstanding quality! As for “that voice” ❤ I would listen to it even if you were to recite the telephone book 😂 Looking forward to more content. 👏
Wow, thank you! 😁
Super video! Respect!😎😎😎😎😎
Thank you very much! 😊 😊 😊
Hi how are u ? Thanks for the amazing video! Do u think the neocaridinas can eat the hailstorm eggs?
I'm not sure, I've never kept the two together. Some people use neocaridina shrimp to tend to their fish eggs and keep them free of fungus, so it may be safe???
Great video! I have been lucky in that my hillstream loaches have been reproducing for me in a heavily planted and decorated 120 gallon tank. I have had so many that I have had to try and sell some, so not to over load the tank. However, as you probably know, they are very hard to catch! I have resorted to trapping them in a breeder net box, on it's side with algae wafers as bait. I have fishing line tied to the box and when the loaches enter to feed, I pull the box up. Works ok but has to be repeated over and over again to actually get a good number caught. How do you catch yours? Thanks
I use a bottle trap and bait, or I trap them on the glass when they're small with a plastic cup. It isn't easy though. 😁
What an absolutely terrific, informative and very watchable video Dave. You a truly very talented in every way - I’m not normally full of gushing praise (as a long term hobbyist and retired teacher)😂. On the point of suitable tank mates maybe white cloud mountain minnows could be suitable? Maybe, one day my video efforts will approach your standards (I doubt it!). 🤓👍
Thanks for the high praise my friend. Yes, white clouds would be a perfect pairing. I've seen your work Paul,
and you breed lots of different fish. It's impressive, so my hat goes off to you.
dream fish
They really are, they're so alien looking. I love them.
Thank you, very interesting. I have hillstream loach in a 20 gallon community tank and had no intention of breeding, but very pleasingly I have young ones. Now about an inch long and doing well. I would imagine I would have lost more due to other fish finding eggs, but if the opportunity arises I would have a nice long tank to house Hillstreams and some shrimp. They are a great and attractive fish to watch and your video highlights that very well. I have always wanted a long river style tank with good flow and high oxygen, the perfect home for these beauties.Thanks again.
Thanks for watching the video, and congratulations on finding babies! They're such wonderful fish.
Love seeing these wiggle on the rocks and walls
They're on my top ten list of favorite fish! The wiggles. . .
ty
yw
Thank you SO much for the awesome video! Very well made w lots of great info!
Ideas on having fast moving water in the back of a long tank with dead spots behind rocks and stuff?
What about a pencil/long bubbler for increased oxygen?
Thanks for watching the video and taking the time to leave a comment. A small powerhead with a sponge filter over the water intake might help.
Merci!
vous êtes les bienvenus. Merci d'avoir aidé ma chaîne.
Thank you :)
You're welcome! :-)
Love to learn more about my favorite fish!
I thought guppies were your favorite fish! 😊
@@TheDave333 all my fish are my favorite fish! You have any plans to do a video on rummy nose tetras or true Julie corys (sp?) and I'll probably say the same!💕😊😆💕
I understand it's hard to pick favorites. . .😆 I do have plans to work with several corydoras species. In fact, I should be receiving 10 Corydoras sterbai to start a breeding colony this afternoon. I've tried getting Corydoras trilineatus / false julli, but the local shop can't seem to get them from the wholesaler. (real Corydoras julii are very very rare)
So, I settled for the sterbai instead. And yes, rummy nose tetras are on the list too, but those cute little corydoras catfish will have to come first. 😊
@@TheDave333 I'm lucky. There is a local breeder who supplies my lfs, in Maine of all places! They are one of the treasures of my tank!
@@TheDave333 sterbais are also incredible
Someday I think I want a giant tank with a few fish and as many cory cat species as I can get! You gotta love the derpyness! They also do a new day is dawning dance that never ceases to make me smile!
Excellent video, Really informative I'm in the process of building a tank especially for some of these at the moment. I have some rocks out in the garden in a shallow container already, in the hope of getting plenty of algae growing on them ready to put in the tank once it is finished.
It would be good if you could let us know what the PH and GH of the water is . Many thanks
My pH is around 6.5, and I'm not sure of the GH, but I's say that it's moderately soft water.
What a lovely timing, a week ago I found some striped ones with red tails. Never seen them before but they were at a great price so I snatched 6 of them. They seem to be doing fine although I haven't seen them directly eat the food I throw in.
The red-tailed ones ( Gastromyzon species ) are very pretty, but they're usually a lot more expensive. It's great you found such a good deal.
@@TheDave333 ok thank you for giving me a lead I was having trouble identifying them. They seem to be Gastromyzon sp. 'SK02', I'm assuming the care requirement is the same for the ones you have or are they too different of a species?
I don't have enough experience with that species to say with any certainty. Sorry.
Hi Dave, I've been loving your videos for years. Amazing work as always, just one thing I noticed when listening through my headphones, is your microphone's gain set to automatic? The static noise grows quite loud during the pauses which I think it could be the reason and setting it to a constant value might help with that. Thanks for all your hard work!
The gain is set to automatic and I noticed this problem as well. . . I cut and paste narration sections together, and there's perfect silence in between those recorded sections ( no background noise). While in the recorded narration bits there's background noise. . So, I record the ambient background room noise and put it in between the spoken word sections where it's dead silent, so that there's a consistent background noise. It's time-consuming and a real pain in the butt. How can I fix this? A noise gate? Compression? If I could record with zero background / ambient noise then this wouldn't be an issue. If you can help I would appreciate any advise that you could offer.
I'd not put any background noise in between the narration sections and simply fade them in and out. You can't really notice the noise when you're talking. You can lower the background noise with a filter, but that might cause some distortion of your voice. You can also try a soundproofed room or hanging sound insulation around the mic, and seeing what helps. Or the mic itself might be the culprit. Regardless, I'd avoid the automatic gain setting, as you're recording sounds at pretty much a constant volume. It might worsen the issue vs. increasing/decreasing the volume in post.
That all makes perfect sense, thank you so much for the advice.
Great video! What are your thoughts on keeping several species of HS loaches in a single tank?
As long as they're not able to interbreed and hybridize, then I'm all in.
These guys are super hardy, I had them breed in my 75 gal fancy goldfish tank. Captured some fry, let a few live in the tank with the adults.
I dumped my canister filter water into a disgusting kiddie pool full of pest snails that i culture for my pea puffers. I hadn't noticed, since the water is pure green and murky. But I guess some of those left over fry must have made their way into my canister when I cleaned it months ago. I randomly noticed one full-grown dart away from my hand when I picked up some snails.
The snail tub has no filter, no oxygenation besides some floating plants. No water changes, I have just been topping it off with nasty tank water after water changes. They're bulletproof. I've even thrown dead fish in there to feed the snails.
Beautiful; story. Nature will find a way. Amazing fish!
Would have liked to see your filter and what you power your flow with.
I should've included that information. I normally run this tank as a low flow setup. But for filming I used a
I used a Freesea 1050 GPH wave maker powerhead to create the current. Any powerhead will do, but the fish are in danger of being drawn into the pump intake. So, I completely enclosed the pump in a filter media bag in order to keep the fish from harm
Done with the video, and as always, it's amazing work. I really really love the hillstream loach footage. They are such goofballs. The anecdote about cover is actually really helpful as I didn't account for them being able to climb out, even tho I saw the climbing video. Do you think a lowboy tank would work? If yes, how big should it be? To account for the flow requirement and comfort of the loaches.
I'm happy that you enjoyed the video. A 50 gallon / 190 liter low boy tank would work, but it would still need a cover.
@TheDave333 If I do create one of these tanks someday I'll credit you. Thank you very much ^^
You're very welcome my friend.
Great video 👏
I keep Hillstream loach also in fast flowing water at 77.9f & mine breed fine & give me young without the rocks.
Mine do well from eating live diatoms on the ornaments & back glass besides tetritus worms that make great mulm & they love eating the organ waste but they also adore fine bug bite granules & tetra tabimin tablets & I've had these adorable fellows on smooth gravel besides sand & they do well on both but do need to be purchased in group's like you stated for a better advantage point in sexes.
Thanks for watching the video and sharing your experiences with me. Amazing fish. ❤
@@TheDave333 Dave you video was totally up market covering everything & very rare you click videos like yours.
I totally adore the breed but their characters are so funny to watch. 😊
Thank you for the kind words. I love what I do, so it is easy work. 😊
@@TheDave333 If you enjoy them carry on 👍
I add API aquarium salt to my 252L & Hill stream loaches are fine with it but it's knowing the amount to add without doing harm.
Wait, I just loved your video on my favourites poecilia, only now I'm putting one and one together realising my favourite video on my favourite loach, aquatic inhabitant even, is also made by you. Unexpectedly, my hillstreamers had babies about a month ago. By now, the first 2 still haven't fully developed their wings but are starting to get used to vertical surfaces. I can lazily count 20 fry and just love watching them. They're excellent survivors amongst black skirt and neon tetras as well as some beast black mollies. I've seen the tiniest sewellia fry break a veteran black skirt tetra's ankle while pursued. They have claimed all of the substrate, sending my Amano shrimp up into the plants and seem to venture out in pairs of two. I have 1 mature lineolata (me and Gina go way back) and 3 spotto. I believe the fry are lineo x spotto but it's too early to tell. Could be spotto x spotto but they just seem to have that lineolata confidence to me
It's awesome that you enjoy my videos! Congratulations on the baby hillstreams! I can't believe they survived the tetras, mollies, and the black skirts. Nice work! 😁
Amazing video, like usual.
I’d like to ask, how did you achieve the high water flow seen throughout the video? I would imagine a power head would be dangerous for any fry, unless you used a prefilter sponge? And no powerhead was mentioned in the tank setup, so did you only use it for filming, and flow is kept low in the tank usually? Thanks!
Hi, and thanks for watching another video. I was waiting for someone to notice the flow and wonder where it was coming from! I used a Freesea 1050 GPH wave maker powerhead that was enclosed in a filter media bag in order to keep the fish from harm. I normally just run the tank as a low flow setup just as I described in the video, but as I was making the video, I thought that in order to do these fish justice they needed to be filmed with a current. And that's when I discovered that they really like the moving water!!! They seemed to be playing in it and surfing the "waves".
And I think that it encouraged them to spawn. . . I'm going to experiment with it a lot more. I put a link to the wave maker in the description section of the video.
That makes sense, thanks!
This video is making me think of setting up a species tank like you have… I had a few with goldfish before and I really ended up liking them. I have a 29 gallon I’m looking to overhaul, and I’m thinking about making it a more low-effort breeding project tank so I might just go with these guys.
Anyway, thanks for the reply!
You're very welcome, and best of luck in the New Year.
Do you know if these guys will pair okay with a brustlenose pleco?
Yes, I keep together in one of my tanks. Just be sure that the bristlenose don't hog up all of the food at feeding time.
You really encourage me to breed the Reticulated Hillstream Loaches. I’m fascinated by these fish. I’ve breed Panda Cory’s, Neon Tetras, Mollies, Guppies, and a few Neo Caradina’s Shrimp before. I’m getting ready to setup my 40 gallon breeder tank. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and technique with these fish. Where can I find more information on these fish? Thank you once again.
Hello and thanks for watching the video. You sound like a very serious fish keeper. It's so awesome that you've bred the Panda Corys and Neon Tetras. You should be proud! I don't really have any suggestions where you can find more information. There are several different CZcams channels that have videos about them that might be helpful. They are such amazing fish.
I have no rocks or sands in my tanks, just heavily planted and they breed like crazy, started with 12, probably 50+ by now in a 40g breeder tank. I can still see them ranging from tiny babies to full grown adults.
Nice! They sound happy and healthy. 👍
What is your tank flow? What food do you feed?
5:37 I mean that's a beautiful shot. You can't see these details with naked eye.
Thank you so much! 😁
I love fish videos
I love making them, so we're a good team. 😊
How is there so much flow? It looks like there's only a sponge filter. I was planning on setting up a river manifold system for Sewellia lineolata, but if you can get that flow, I may just use sponge filters.
Hi thanks for watching the video. I normally run the tank as a low flow setup just as I described in the video, but as I was making the video, I thought that in order to do these fish justice they needed to be filmed with a current. So, I created some flow using a powerhead / wave maker.
I used a Freesea 1050 GPH wave maker powerhead to create the current. Any powerhead will do, but the fish are in danger of being drawn into the pump intake. So, I completely enclosed the pump in a filter media bag in order to keep the fish from harm. And that's when I discovered that they really like the moving water!!! They seemed to be playing in it and surfing the "waves". And I think that it encouraged them to spawn. . . I'm going to experiment with it a lot more.
I put a link to the wave maker in the description section of the video. A simple powerhead can create a lot of flow, but you've always got to keep the babies from getting in. A manifold system using sponges would work as well.
It's a lot more complicated to put together, and I don't think it's really needed to keep them happy and healthy.
@@TheDave333 Thanks for sharing your insights! Do you think it's possible to maintain a successful breeding tank with high flow from a wave maker without separating fry? Is the filter media bag a long-term fix or is there something better like encasing the wave maker in sponges? Gastromyzontidae and Balitoridae are easily my favorite fish and this will be my first time keeping them
Yes it's possible to breed the adults, and raise the fry in a tank with the flow from a wave maker. (The one I have
really isn't all that strong.) In my tank, the filter media bag was a good fix. However, I didn't really like
the way it looked. But, it was effective. I considered encasing the wave maker in sponges, but it would've been cumbersome and hard to clean. The filter media bag was the simplest fix. One of the really nice things about the wave maker was the magnetic mount. It's so much better than suction cups!
Personally, I would use a powerhead with a fine sponge attached to the water intake. It looks better than the media bag over the wave maker, and it's just as effective. They don't need much flow, but a little certainly helps.
Thank you for such a high quality video and detailed information! I'm looking to set up my first breeding tank, so I'm trying to do as much research beforehand. From what I've read, snails are opportunistic feeders that eat viable eggs. I would greatly appreciate if you could explain why you decided to include them. Does the benefit of substrate aeration and eating leftover waste outweigh any eaten eggs? Or do you not observe the eggs being eaten?
Thanks for watching the video. I didn't want snails in the tank but they snuck in with the substrate. I've never seen the Hillstream eggs, so I can't say for sure if the snails are eating them. If I could, I would get rid of them just to be safe.
@@TheDave333 I'll keep that in mind, and thanks for the insight!
You're welcome, anytime and best of luck, they're amazing fish. .
I had breeding angel fish with ramshorn snails, and I watched them trying to eat the eggs. Luckily, the parents killed and ate the snails.
I was wondering why there was a big pile of snail shells under where the angels spawned. Go figure, the parents are smart, lol.
I'm getting five or six for my 40g community tank, not so much for breeding them.
Good luck with yours
Yeeeee Haaaaawwww!!! LOL buckled in and ready 🤣
wow
This is how I roll. . . .
Can i keep some bamboo shrimps and amano shrimps with these fish? What about stiphodon river gobies? Are they compatible?
Yes all three would be compatible with hillstream loaches.
Another interesting video 👍 I like your work 🤩 May I please use part of your video for one of my next tutorial ? Thanks
Marc
Thanks for watching my videos Marc. 😁 Unfortunately, the people that I work for won't allow me to let other people use this content.
@@TheDave333 OK. Thanks
Ive bought these a few times but they never last long for me 2 to 3 months at best
That's a bummer . . .
@@TheDave333 it is
This was beautiful! Thank you so much for all the breeding information!
I’ve had mine for about 9 months, but they haven’t spawned yet. I was wondering if you knew how long it takes for them to reach sexual maturity because I couldn’t find anything online. I heard some people say that they didn’t spawn the first year but then they spawned very prolifically after that so I was just hoping that they haven’t reached sexual maturity yet. I bought them online so they probably were very young juveniles, since the store is usually sold out. Also, we’re you able to get any footage of the eggs or know how small they are? I assume they would be smaller than a grain of sand so it would be hard to look for, but I just wanted to see if I could keep an eye on them because I was worried that maybe the snails in my tank might prey on them. Sorry for all the questions, and it’s okay if you don’t have any answers for me, but it’s just nice to talk to people who are trying to breed them too. Thanks so much!!!
Hi and thanks for watching the video. There are a lot of unanswered questions about these fish. I don't have any solid information about how long it takes the eggs to hatch, their size, or how long it takes for them to reach sexual maturity. I am working on finding those answers. . . If I had to guess, based on the babies that I'm raising, I'd say that it takes about a year to reach sexual maturity. I'll know for sure by this summer when my babies are about a year old. Stay tuned for more updates. 😁
@@TheDave333 Perfect, thank you so much! I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for your videos!
Do you have experience with any of them becoming thinner, less active and eventually pass away?
I had a few that did and am looking for a cure.
Luckily, I haven't experienced anything like that. Do you think it's an illness / disease?
Hey dave. I just got a group of 5 for my community tank. Its got angels, congos, rainbows, torpedos, cherry barbs, and some other community fish. Its a rather densely planted tank with many hiding spaces. I was wondering if it was a bad idea to keep these with all of these fish. I got a great deal for them which made it a no brainer for me to buy them but now im kinda worried that I shouldve probably kept them in a species only tank.
It really depends on what you plan on doing with the loaches. If you want to breed them, then a species only tank would be best. If you don't intend on breeding them, then a community tank will be fine as long as it's big enough to hold everyone. The only ones that might get really aggressive are the angels if they pair up and decide to spawn.
@@TheDave333 oh great then. As far as I know all of my angels are males so hopefully no aggression. I did notice one of the angels a bit curious about them and was trying to pick on one of them but the hillstream just vanished in a sec😂
Hey man did you ever think to apply the Nation World Geographic?
No, I haven't. Thanks for watching the video.
These along with kuhlis are my favorite loaches. Nice tutorial.
I feel the same way! I'd also like to to get a weather loach and a barometer at some point. 😀
@@TheDave333 Weather loaches are amazing. Mine actually zooms around the tank really erratically as if it is getting an electrical shock when the low pressure fronts hit. I'm sure you will like keeping them.
I'm sure I will. Thanks for sharing. How many tanks do you have?
@@TheDave333 Last I counted it was 38 but it ebbs and flows. I breed fish.
Nice, fully committed to the hobby like me! I ebb and flow somewhere between 22 - 25 tanks with water, and a bunch more empty tanks that I wish I had room for.
Fascinating Natural beauty 😍🥰 ACE 🤩🤩🤩 hahaha
They are amazing strange little fish. ❤❤❤