The Complete Guide To Hillstream Loaches 

Thank you so much. More to come. ❤

Good stuff for sure. 😊

Thanks! 😊

You're very welcome / thanks for watching!

I debated whether or not to leave that in for a very long time. . .

Keep it, your videos are good

thanks

That's awesome! Thanks for watching. 😁

Be sure to let me know what you thought when it's done.

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.

And this is how you end up with a room full of tanks. . . ❤

Quality over quantity. . . 😁

Awesome, thank you! I really hope that the video is helpful. 😁

Wow, thank you!

Awesome! Best of luck they're really interesting fish.

You're very welcomer! I love making them. 😊

Go for it! They're amazing fish!

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".

Nice! They're such bizarre fish.

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.

Thanks for watching the video and sharing your experiences. And nice work on getting them to breed so frequently.

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much! ❤

Wow, thank you! ❤️

Thank you Chi and It's good to see your comments again. I noticed you were missing for a few days. 😊

Glad you enjoyed it! Sorry it took so long. . . Just kidding, I'm not sorry. 😁

@@TheDave333 😅😆

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 👏

You're very welcome! 😊

Thank you! Will do!

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

Thank you! Cheers!

Thanks for watching. 😊

Thank you so much!!

My pleasure 😊

Thanks for watching❤

Glad you enjoyed it!

That's awesome! Best of luck.

Awesome, thank you!

You're very welcome. Thanks for watching my videos. 😀

Thank you so much. 😊

I love breeding Hillstream Loaches, and they'll be easier to sell than Discus. The less expensive fish sell faster. . .

Thanks again!

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.🖤🇨🇦

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! ❤️

Thank you so much!

That's awesome. Loaches are fun. 😁

Thanks!! I debated whether or not to leave that in for a long time. I guess I made the right choice. 😁

You're very welcome. 😁

You're welcome 😊

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching.

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.

Wow, thank you! 😁

Thank you so much!!! ❤

Wonderful! Have fun they're great fish. :-)

Cute and strange at the same time. 😁

Thank you very much! 😊 😊 😊

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.

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.

100 mm macro lens

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!

They are really awesome!

My pH is around 6.5, and I'm not sure of the GH, but I's say that it's moderately soft water.

They really are, they're so alien looking. I love them.

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.

Thanks for watching the video, and congratulations on finding babies! They're such wonderful fish.

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.

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.

I've never kept them with shrimp, so I can't say from first hand experience. My feeling is that as long as there are lots of plants in the tank where the shrimp can hide and an adequate supply of food for everyone, the loaches won't bother the baby shrimp.

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.

vous êtes les bienvenus. Merci d'avoir aidé ma chaîne.

You're welcome! :-)

Go for it. They're not as difficult as some people say. They are a bit pricey, but well worth it!

They're on my top ten list of favorite fish! The wiggles. . .

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.

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 RU-vid channels that have videos about them that might be helpful. They are such amazing fish.

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.

As long as they're not able to interbreed and hybridize, then I'm all in.

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. 😁

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.

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! 😁

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.

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

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

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!

Luckily, I haven't experienced anything like that. Do you think it's an illness / disease?

yw

Yes all three would be compatible with hillstream loaches.

Beautiful; story. Nature will find a way. Amazing fish!

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😂

I love making them, so we're a good team. 😊

Hello, sorry to hear you're having trouble with the loaches. A few questions come to mind; Are they the only species of fish in the tank? If they're not the only fish in the tank, the loaches might be dying because of another species being too aggressive and outcompeting them for food or space. Did you introduce something new to the tank just before the loaches started dying? If yes, then the new introductions might have brought in a disease or parasite that is now slowly killing the loaches. Any new rocks, new plants, new filter, new decorations, new food etc. ? Aquarium decorations can sometimes contain toxic paints / chemicals that leach into the water and kill the fish. What are you feeding them / do they get enough food ( plants and animals / they need both)? Too much protein and not enough plant matter can cause them to slowly die from digestive problems. The older fish are more likely to be affected by an improper diet. Did you change the type of food that you're using. Is it too old / expired? How old is the tank setup? Really old tank set ups tend to become more and more acidic over time = Old Tank Syndrome. Check you water parameters to be sure that the water is within acceptable ranges. (Nitrites, nitrates, pH. and Temperature) Did a heater fail? Did your water source change? Is there something different about the water that you're using for water changes? Could something be entering the tank from outside that wasn't there before like spray colognes, perfumes, air fresheners, dirty air from smoke? If they were fine for a long time, think about what has changed, and you'll probably find the cause. Some things like improper diet, bad water, or parasites can take a long time to cause problems. It might be best to move the remaining fish into a different tank, check your water supply, and change their food source. Best of luck, and let me know if you can find and fix the problem.

Just so you know I respond to every question that I get, and I'm always happy to help. . . Is your goldfish a feeder goldfish by any chance? Because feeder goldfish are known for carrying all sorts of nasty bugs. And when it gets big enough it will try to eat the smaller loaches. . . Goldfish will eat just about anything. Your temps seem fine. Last summer my main hillstream tank reached 29 degrees C for several weeks and the loaches were fine! No problems. If it were me, I'd take out the pleco and the goldfish, both of which might harass the loaches. They might be the source of your troubles. When trying to solve a fish problem, I always try to simplify their tank setup as much as possible. The fewer gears you have turning in the "machine", the less problems your likely to have. In other words, If you limit the number of variables, it's easier to find the problem. Best of luck. 😁😁😁

I wonder when two die at the same time if it's a male and a female. That would lead me to believe it might have something to do with spawning, but I don't know why or how that would cause them to both die. . . I haven't noticed any sudden unexplained / strange deaths in my loaches and I've had them for about three years now. I don't use a powerhead, although I did use a wavemaker when I shot the video. When the temps go really high in the summer, I increase the aeration, but like I said warm water never caused a problem. Plants are fine to have in the tank, and I only use a large sponge filter for filtration. Have you tried feeding them parboiled spinach? I would really try to increase the veggies in their diet. They can be a bit shy, and since the pleco is aggressive at feeding time, it might be eating the food that the adult loaches need. Since the adults have a larger body mass, they'll need more food than the small loaches. . . Which would explain why the babies are okay, but the adults die. Try feeding them spinach everyday, and be sure that the fantail and the pleco aren't eating all of the spinach. I really leaning towards food being the issue. . .

Nice! They sound happy and healthy. 👍

What is your tank flow? What food do you feed?

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

That's a bummer . . .

@@TheDave333 it is

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.

There's only one of us . . .

@TheDave333 you are officially my favorite fishtuber!

Wow! Thanks

I sure have, but I can't justify the expense of a new 4K camera until the channel takes off. It's all about income and expenses. . .

@@TheDave333You deserve a great deal more attention than your channel receives. Nobody is producing the consistent quality that you do. I hope you catch that wave.🖤🇨🇦

Thanks, I'm paddling as fast as I can.

@@TheDave333 I have confidence in you…the algorithm I’m less certain of, but I know you will do it.🖤🇨🇦

Thank you so much! 😁

This is how I roll. . . .

Hello, sorry to hear that you're having trouble. Have you tried blanched spinach leaves? I put mine in the microwave for about 2 minutes and than attach a small plant weight so they sink. . . When they get hungry enough, most fish will eventually eat. And it may be a possibility that they're eating just not when you can see them. They're most active in the early morning and the late afternoon ( crepuscular). So, they don't really like bright light. Try feeding them at those times. They can also be a bit shy, so they might just be waiting for you to leave the room before they come out and eat. Hopefully, they're eating something and it will work itself out in time.

Excellent info thank you for sharing. I'm hoping to catch some eggs soon. You've got a lot of really nice loaches!!!

@@TheDave333 no problem and thanks for your coment the idea of my channel was just to show what loaches are available, at the last count had 34 species and the spawning of Physoschistura Brunneana was the 1st recorded spawning of the speicies which i have just noticed i dont have a vid up off or the fry growing up will have to dig into my collection to find it

Congratulations on the Physoschistura Brunneana spawning!!! It's so cool to be the first to capture something special on film! I admire your devotion to the loaches. I'm thinking of getting a Weather Loach and a barometer someday soon. . .