#Hillstream china zebra loach how to#

If you’re prepared to keep a monster-sized aquarium for 10-20 years, clown loaches are well worth the investment. They also do best at warmer temperatures over 80☏ (27☌) or else they can be prone to diseases such as ich.

However, most do not get the proper care they need because they get as big as a foot-long sub sandwich (30 cm) and prefer to live in larger schools of six or more buddies. These gorgeous loaches are popular in the aquarium hobby because of their puppy-like behavior, beautiful black and yellow bands, and red-orange fins.

#Hillstream china zebra loach how to#

Find out which ones we love the most and how to best care for them. It’s hard to describe this very diverse group of freshwater bottom dwellers, but many of them have a long-bodied shape, scaleless appearance, and whisker-like barbels on their faces. Be sure to provide a secluded territory for each fish.If you’re looking to add a lot of fun and excitement to the bottom third of your fish tank, loaches might be the perfect fit for you. I am planning on upgrading to a 75 Gallon, and will see if the increase in width of the tank will make a difference in their territorial skirmishes, though I have a feeling it is the length that makes the difference. of space, and even more I would recommend for more than one individual. I would reccommend it to those who can provide clean water with reasonable flow. Other than that, this fish has been an interesting and entertaining addition to my loach community. If another injury results, I will have to consider splitting them up. I would not classify this as a social fish with those of its own kind, though it can be tolerant and even friendly with other species. Each fish has claimed a log on opposite sides of the tank, spending most of the day resting there and darting out occasionally to look around or to eat. However, the two Schistura are very friendly towards the other fish and loaches, sharing their underlog territories with kuhli, pepper, and weather loaches.

Even though I have them in a 4-ft, 55 Gallon tank, there are occasional territorial squabbles, the latest resulting in a 2mm wound in the side of the lighter-coloured fish. Their colouration is spectacular with their dark stripes and red tails, though one has become significantly darker than the other. They are now adults, and have reached a size of about 2.5' each. For the first while, these two fish were very social with eachother and could be seen playing and resting together. As the food was floating down, they would jump into the mid water column and do loop-de-loops to catch it. None of the food reached the bottom of the tank. They ate ravenously at first, and 'caught' their food in a lively and entertaining way. This became especially apparent when I dropped food in the tank, and was then able to identify them as Schistura Mahnerti. By the following day, after placing them in QT, they had coloured up so much I scarcely recognized them, displaying many dark stripes and a red tail. Being a loach enthusiast, I recognized them as something different, but was not able to ID them right away. About a year ago, I purchased two pale little loaches that came in as contaminants in a shipment of other fish.