Hey

[Peter!]

Hey!
Bought myself a little hillstream yesterday, I thought it was a common plec at first
But found out from Pleco Fanatics it is a Hillstream...what a silly mistake!
Anyway heres the little guy...
http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/7605/dscf2335ru9.jpg

Rescued him from a tiny goldfish tank that was only 10 litres...he now seems happy in my 8 gallon which has one tiny goldfish. He likes to hide in the plant pot in front of the filter which I have directed some of the waterflow and aeration into because they like current?
Any other things I should know?
Also what do they most like to eat?

Cheers!

[Martin Thoene]

Hi Peter! and welcome to Loaches Online.

What you have there is:

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/ps ... yzon-cheni

What you need to read is:

http://www.loaches.com/articles/hillstr ... -fast-lane

Martin.

[Peter!]

Thanks for that info

Is it normal for them to hide away a lot? Where I bought it from, he was in a tank that had no hiding spaces but now he's got a plant pot with a rock in it and seems to love it and spends a lot of time in there, it has some of the filter flow going in it and air.

Cheers

[Peter!]

Anyone?
Also, I dont know how to feed him. It is hard to keep food in the plant pot because of the current but I have boiled some cucumber and lodged a little under the rock in the plant pot so hopefully he'll find it.
any advice?

[mikev]

Algae wafers, Catfish wafers, Frozen Bloodworms, Frozen Shrimp, even tropical flakes.--they eat all of these here. I alternate the food with emphasis on more shrimp...while Chenis don't seem to care, Gastros in the same tank clearly prefer it.

They are much better off if there is some algae in the tank, they can find some natural live food, like copepods, in it. You can see the guy below grazing on ( ) BBA, they find something in it.

[Peter!]

Cheers for that!
I will buy some algae wafers and tomorrow im gonna put some pebbles in tank water in the sun and grow some!
Is it right for him to be hiding a lot?
In the LFS tank there were no hiding places for him, just a small tank. But he seems to liek hiding in the plat pot which is in front of the filter.

Cheers

[mikev]

Wafers: I use mostly these:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/205985/product.web
and mostly for backup (leave one wafer in the tank overnight in case someone gets hungry)

Is it right for him to be hiding a lot?

Probably... I'm really not sure how a single Cheni would behave especially with a g/f. I think your fish is about 1" juv, right? Here a couple like this do often hide, but it is from large Chenis.....

BTW, they are MUCH more fun in groups.

[Peter!]

Cheers
Yeah I may get another couple. I got one at first cos I really felt sorry for him in that small tank with nothing to do!
Just hope he livens up a bit for his sake, otherwise he'd be a bit bored!
I'll grow some algae, and give him a couple of weeks to settle in and consider buying more

Cheers!

[helen nightingale]

there could be many reasons why your fish is hiding. maybe he is (or has) suffering from lack of oxygen - as many people dont realise how much they need. it sounds like at the LFS they probably didnt realise. it could be that he has something wrong with him, or he hasnt been accliomatised properly. it could be that your water doesnt suit him. could you tell us all about your water parameters? or maybe he is lonely, or enjoying having somewhere to hide for a change?

best wishes, and welcome to loaches online

[Peter!]

Thanks Helen!
I have the Elite Mini Filter which has a Venturi Tube and is pumping lots of oxygen into the tank which is blowing through the flowerpot he is in. I have a goldfish in there and he does come out every now and then and does a "sweep" of all the rocks and ornaments sucking on them. I think he just needs to settle in and get used to his new environment.

Please dont kill me... I havent exactly got a test kit yet. I had the filter running with the Goldy and didnt look into how to properly take care of them until a week or so. I knew the basics and was doing 25% water changes daily and its been about 2-3 weeks now. I do about 10% water changes every two days and add Tetra watersafe which contains the good bacteria.
The Goldy seems to happy, he's not gasping or sitting in a corner.
I will get a test kit hopefully tomorrow or this week sometimes.
Once again please dont kill me

[helen nightingale]

Peter, dont worry, we wont kill you! as long as you are not rude to anyone on the fish forums, everyone will be happy to explain anything to you, so dont worry if you have any questions. everyone has to start somewhere, and the most experienced people still get something wrong sometimes. there are so many people that buy fish having no idea how to look after them properly, but fortunately most people learn quite quickly. i am still learning lots, and so are lots of other people here too.

the important kits to get are ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. you can sometimes get sets. i prefer the liquid tests, but you can also get tablets which dissolve (hard work, lots of tablet crushing) and dip tests (not always so accurate). other tests you could consider later on.

let us know how you and the little hillie get on

[Tinman]

Peter . I have been keeping fish 30 plus years and received more help here than I have ever seen or had in my fish keeping career. Keep an open mind and these people will take you straight to the pinnacle of fish keeping in no time. Many have different ways and you won't be expected to throw endless money in your tank. Many have spectacular frugal ideas that are top shelf. Just be honest....... Tinman

[Peter!]

Thanks for the replies guys. This forum is better than the others. If I had posted the same thing on *unnamed * then you would get your head bitten off by about 20 different people saying the same thing

Anyway...Yeah I was looking at the liquid tests, everyone seems to say they are a lot better and more accurate. Think I'll go check them out this afternoon.

Oh yeah and lil Hilly seems to be out a lot more, he came out around 8-9 this morning and is still dossing around the tank

Once again thanks!

[helen nightingale]

Peter, thats great news i am so pleased for you and him. keep up the good work