Suggestions. A small fish in a small tank

[Loachloach]

Hey, just to let you know the loaches seem to be doing well. They're very active, their tails seem to be getting fatter. I can't see any dent on the algae/biofilm growing on the glass but the loaches are eating something around non-stop. I think they do love the cover of the plants.
One of them has claimed the front glass for himself and kicks around everything that approaches but others manage to avoid him and just keep away. He even dares kicking shrimp away I think he's the bosss No harm done, the rest just go around him. They're really funny when they dig the substrate. Their side fins start moving really fast and tiny grains of sand flies everywhere...

I am a bit worried as I am going away for 2 weeks and they'll get no water changes...

I have set up another tank which is running empty at the moment. I just dose ferts and I have some plants in it. I'll see if it grows any algae in time.

[NancyD]

Arg, forgive my gallon vs litre tank suggestions, oops. Panda garras get too large for a 60l, I'd "read" 60g. They'd do well in the larger tank & are quite fun!

Your newest fish do look like beaufortia...of either type, I'm not good at IDs.

My sewellia, gastros & other fish enjoy Repashy Soylent Green gel food. I'm not sure where Alan ships outside the US (but I'm guessing by the litres/gallons, you're not in the US, lol).

Enjoy your holiday, less food = less need for water changes. The fish should be fine for at least up to 2 weeks, although my husband doesn't believe that! So we have a neighbor come over to feed M, W & F when we're gone.

[Loachloach]

Hey NancyD. Thanks.

Just a little update on these guys.

During my absence I lost one of the loaches. I just found its remains being almost completely eaten by the shrimp.

I am not sure how and why but he rest however seem well and active from what I can see. The tank is very overgrown but there are constantly 3-4 of them on sight around the glass and substrate. The weather has been very warm here and the temperature of the tank water high but thankfully the fish are doing ok for now. They don't seem to have grown much since I purchased them though...Then again I haven't fed much. I have been feeding only about 4 times a week for now...They constantly graze on the green algae on the glass but they don't manage to clean much of it...Perhaps I need to start feeding a bit more other food now that I can up the water change...I have been slacking since the holiday and do one 80% water change a week only but I want to do also a few smaller more often.

The other tank I set up for them which runs empty of fish somehow got a severe blue-green algae outbreak. Everything was covered in it. I decided to block the light last week to it. I have to see today if that has helped. I won't be moving fish anytime soon it seems.Plus I am deliberating buying a larger tank and combining this and another 100-ish litre tank which holds only 5 old platies. It is way easier maintaining a larger tank and I have too many little tanks now...I think the platies will do well with the loaches temperature wise. I already lowered their heater to about 21C as there's no need maintaining high temps for these platies. They're are the last remaining bunch and I want no more platies Though I'll miss them one day...I've had platies for so many years....

[NancyD]

I have 1 tank that gets cyano in the heat & long days of summer, it gets a bit of sun for a short time. Excel (or Metricide) seems to help a lot dosed weekly after a water change. I barely have any (so far) this year, fingers crossed!

[Loachloach]

Hey. Just a quick update on my hillstream loaches.

They're still ticking. They seem to be doing well in a planted tank. I am questioning the type of hillstreams these are as they have not grown one bit at all over most than half a year...If they have, its mostly sideways but not length wise.

[NancyD]

Thanks for the update, I'm glad they're doing well. When you get a chance will you post more pics please? Your earlier 1s have gone missing...We want to see!

[Loachloach]

Will do

[Loachloach]

I don't know why the pics got uploaded upside down but I can't seem to be able to fix them. Anyway, it shows some of the hillstrams

[Loachloach]

And the below is the best I could do taking a picture from the top. The algae is really in the way...

They may look big on pictures but their length is about half the length of my index finger. I don't know why they're not growing as they look like Beaufortia leveretti species which should grow bigger. Mine haven't grown a millimetre.

[Loachloach]

According to the below website there are 16 Beaufortia species recognised.

https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php? ... type=topic

I don't think mine are Beaufortia Leveretti because the pattern on the edges when viewed from the belly differs from what I am seeing online. But they are definitely some sort of Beaufortia. Although I can't find pictures for almost all on the list, they all seem to differ size wise, from very small 2.7-3cm to larger 12cm varieties. It doesn't matter practically, but it would be nice to know what I've got.

[Loachloach]

Size reference picture. I've had the hillstreams for nearly 9 months and they're still tiny.