how much filtration?

[helen nightingale]

Please could you advise me on filtration levels for my new tank?

it will be a 400l 5ft long tank, with yoyos and striatas, rasboras and danios. i would like to consider adding kubotai, rostrata or maybe histrionica. Graeme you advised me to keep at least 5 of a species, and id definately like to have more. how many of these fish do you think i should have? should any species be in a bigger group to help control/combat potential agression in the yoyos? this will probably be their permanant home, as i dont think i will be able to afford to build a fish house for a lot of years i am wondering about the rostrata as one of by yoyos is looking very much like most of the pictures on the species index, except the top 2 pictures. mine has 8 vertical double bands too, and seems much less bolshy that the ones i know are yoyos. (will try and get pictures of him soon)

i had thought about getting an eheim external, and they seem to come in 350, 600 or 1200l models. should i go for 1 larger one, or would 2 of the smaller ones be best?

sorry its a bit of dim question, but i want to get this tank completey right to start with

[Emma Turner]

Hi Helen,

It is not a dim question at all!

You certainly can't over filter, particularly where Botiine loaches are concerned. The ratings that the manufacturers state are the maximum amount of water they are able to handle and this would be for a lightly stocked tank - the more fish, the lower the filter rating would become. As a rule, in-store, we tend to recommend half-rating what the maunfacturers claim (and incidentally we use one of Eheim's 600 litre filters on our River Tank, which has a volume of approx 200 litres).

If I were setting up a loach tank of that size, I'd opt for 2 of the 600 litre-rated models, which I think are the Professionel II 2028's. This would mean that you would have 6 media trays in total (so lots more room for ceramic biological media, mechanical sponge media, and if necessary, chemical media such as Rowaphos), and you can carry out maintenance on one filter at a time, to minimise disturbing all the filter bacteria in one go. You've also got the peace of mind that if one should fail for some reason (although not likely with Eheim models) you have back up with the other one. You could always start with one of these, and then add another at a later date, once you decide to start adding more fish. The loaches will certainly appreciate all the flow from these filters, and I'd also add a powerhead to increase circulation even further - you will see the obvious enjoyment on their part.

Our Clown tank is 1000 litres, and we have 3 Eheims on it, which have a combined total rating of 3000 litres (2 Professionel 3's rated at 1200 litres each, and one 600 litre filter). In addition to this we have two large Aquaclear 4000 powerheads on the tank. The water is visibly churning and the loaches love it.

With regards to the stocking levels of loaches, I totally agree with 5 being the absolute minimum number of each Botiine species, and more wherever possible.

I hope that this helps,

Emma

[helen nightingale]

thank you so much for your advice. it is really appreciated! i just want to make sure that everything is right when i start this tank so that the fish have the best chances of doing well.

would you reccommend putting all of the outlets at one end of the tank, to create a bigger current, or should they go at both ends to create more churning?

i hope i have now got some photos of the fish i am not quite sure about, but i am still on film, so it will be a while before i can get a picture of hime here.

with botias, is it ok to use a standard calculator like on the PFK site to work out how many fish inches you can have in the tank? i'd like to get good groups of few species, but i dont want to run the risk of overstocking by getting too carried away with adding too many fish.

thanks for your help

[Emma Turner]

It's totally up to you where you place the inlets and outlets, as wherever you place them, they will create a good amount of flow. If you put both the inlets at one end and both the outlets at the other end, you may get more of a uni-directional flow. However, in our Clown tank, we have two inlets at one end, and one at the other (and in turn one outlet at one end, and two at the other). Two of the outlet spraybars are on the sides of the tank, and the other one flows out from the back of the tank. With a powerhead at either end as well, there are numerous currents all over the tank, and the surface of the water always looks 'choppy'. I suppose I prefer it this way as it does ensure that there are no 'dead spots' in the tank, and waste is drawn in from both ends of the tank.

I've not seen the PFK calculator, so unfortunately can't comment on that. I presume that it takes adult sizes into consideration? Once you've decided what species/numbers of each you'd like for sure, maybe you can post your proposed stock list on here to glean other's opinions on the amount and type of fish you'd like for your set-up. I must admit that having been in the trade for some time, I suppose I tend to work out in my head whether a tank is stocked about right, rather than relying on calculators. But I'm sure they can be very useful.

Can't wait to see the pics!

Emma

[helen nightingale]

thanks again Emma

what i think i will do is try and get a picture on here of the fish im not sure if it is really a yoyo (i bought it as a yoyo, but i am a little unsure), or not, and then at least i know which species i need to bulk up the numbers on, then come up with a firmer plan. i will definately ask on here as the help everyone gives is so good. its much better than looking in most books. id much rather go on what people advise me here.

i have to wonder, why is it that when i have been to your shop, if the person i ask cant give a good answer, they will say "thats not my subject, but i'll go get the man who knows", but other places i have been, the poeple who work there can make up a convincing (to beginners) load of rubbish? one shop i went in was really bad. the owner was telling me how its quite ok to go away for over a fortnight without giving even the smallest of fish any food at all, and most of his fish looked a bit rough, or dead. that really put me off advice from shops! and as for calculators, they seem to be a good guide rather than gospel. some of them will comment that some fish you put into the programme are too small and will get eaten, or if the water parameters are too far out.

thanks for your help