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Please help! I am setting up a tank to grow out my angle fish babys to I can sell them to my local pet stores. Can I keep and breed these in that tank or could they be predators to the baby angles just like plecos?
A friend of mine bought two of these for his tank, liked them so much so he bought a third. His tank didn't have particularly good flow or low temps but they strated breeding like crazy, those 3 turned into 10+ real quick. Got way out of hand
Yup. Agreed. I watched his videos and made the decision to get these guys. I think I spent all of today looking for them and finally found a fish store that had some left. I bought the entire lot for $6 each.
I had mine for about a month and I absolutely LOVED him! He was in a 10 gallon tank with a good flowing hang on back filter. He was with a mystery snail, nerite snail, and a king half moon betta. I had some brown diatom algae on the bottom of the tank and some green hair algae on one of my sword plants, the hillstream loach and nerite snail cleaned the tank soooo well. Like I said, the bottom of the tank had a thin layer of brown algae scattered around and in a couple weeks the sand was as clear as when it first went in the tank! At first the betta would swim after him but only so close as to see what he was, he’s a very curious and active betta, but the loach would outswim him any time the fish got close. It didn’t take very long for them to get used to each other though. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the loach for 2 days so I checked in the filter and he ended up caught in the impeller :( I plan on getting another because of how awesome they are, as well as one for my 20 gallon community tank. I would just be cautious about certain filters. This video really does help with all around info for these little guys and I know it’s definitely helped me.
I love them, actually have them in all my community tanks. They do just fine with the heater, they do just fine (for me) with just a sponge filter (IE low flow). And they're adorable. For catching them, I do it by hand, no net. Cup hand against the glass over them, gently move your hand up (they go with) and when you get to the top of the water a little patience and they pop off the glass, close hand gently and there you go! Works for me.
@@MidnightGeekSS Never happened to me! I handle most of my catfish and loaches They tend to stay quite still. I do the same catch by hand holding gently and dont panick them. Most of my fish react to a net as I rarely use them, but my hands my fish are happy with from maintenance, planting and feeding,Makes catching them alot Easier.
@@MidnightGeekSS nope, I wouldn't have even guessed they HAD spines. (But I'm not squeezing or anything and they generally don't really struggle/flop.)
@@seangriffiths9163 Ah, it's so sweet your fish don't mind your hands anymore :). I'm a complete noob, just cycling my first aquarium right now and doing research, never had any fish, so I have no idea how much of a connection is possible to make with these pets.
I just adopted two Hillstream Loaches and they are amazing! I named one Sting and the other Ray. LOL! Very pleased with these little fellas. Thank you also to Cory at aquarium co-op you are my go too for anything we need to know about! I support and love Aquarium Co-op!
Every fish spotlight turns in to a definitive overview of keeping aquariums as a hobby. The way you present it so seamlessly is why your channel is so successful. I look forward to browsing your library further.
Hillstream loaches need more love!!!! I'm glad you told the truth about them - now for my observations. My Sewellia have been breeding like rabbits for the last three months. I started with a single one in a 15g tank - almost 7 years later him and a single oto have become fast friends and will often share a rock or some wood. At the beginning of 2019 I bought a group of 6 for a 40 breeder along with 20 LF white clouds. pH 7.6 hardness around 180-250ppm. I keep them in a tank in the garage with the heater set to 71. During the summer, the temp hits 81 or 82. (Southern CA) Filter is an Aquaclear 110. Varous live plants (I'm still a plant noob), lots of wood, and several softball size rocks. (and smaller ones) Half eco complete/gravel (front planted half) and half sand. (rear half with wood and rocks) A single airstone. The tank is fed frozen brine or mysis, Co-0p fry food, bug bites, Sera Viprasomething flakes, OSI shrimp pellets and NLS algae wafers. Shrimp pellets is the favorite! In the fall, as soon as the tank temp fell to 73, I started seeing 2mm fry on the wood. (I'll save the story of me handing out breadsticks at work in celebration for another time) Depending how cold it gets the tank temp stays between 68 and 71. (Was it the temp? or did they just mature?) I continue to see new 2mm fry every week. ( and 3-4-5-6-7-25mm fry as well) The smaller fry prefer root wood and plant leaves to rocks. At about 10-12 mm, they seem to favor rocks. Hatches seem small, but with so many hiding places, who knows? They enjoy the flow, and use the big rocks under the Aquaclear as a sparring ground... or mating ground?? They also like areas of quiet as well on occasion. I may add "grandpa" into the tank soon, not sure. As for all the offspring; I could always sell them... or start another tank... Note: 25mm = 1 inch, 12mm = 1/2 inch, 1 mm is the width of pencil lead.
Yes, thanks very much for the highly detailed info! Definitely a fish I'll be getting one or more of in the new year, thanks to Cory debunking some of the popular ideas out there.
Very encouraging that my water quality will fit their tolerated parameters! My friends seem to have babies all the time & now will eventually get one from them. Currently cycling 40, very tall, 360" square area, but rippin' current & well aeratated too. Looking to add 1-2 after planted, so at least 2 months out. This has made my day because I just ❤️ these guys!
I honestly love my hillstream loach, it's so cute and I love how it looks like its gliding when it free swims to find a new place to rest. I've also not needed to do much of anything else to keep it happy and it's at around 25C, decent flow in the top section mostly only but it seems to never stop munching. Nothing bothers it, and it likes cucumber. It was also listed as a "gold ring" variant, so the markings are really pretty too. Can't recommend them enough.
@@MattThibodeau No I usually add one in for a few hours every week, sometimes other good sinkable veg too to see what goes for a nibble. My dwarf cories like it sometimes and my snails too. Helps to anchor it to the substrate if you have pretty high flow, too! Hope yours like a good munch too! :)
@@MattThibodeau And by "one" I mean a slice haha, I usually cut the skin off too but that's probably not entirely necessary it's just a bit thick for most fish to chew through!
@@MattThibodeau Good luck! :) Just try not to leave the veg in longer than you'd leave your lights on or so, since it starts to break up and can be a pain to remove and you don't want too much of it floating off to eventually rot.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, CORY! I've fallen in love with this fish, seeing it pop in a few channels like yours and Rachel's, but as she's got hers in a fast-flowing 150 with other hillstream species, I figured I'd never have a tank that would suit them. But very reassured that as long as I keep them in a stable tank and well fed, that I can look at including them in either my goldfish tank or a larger community tank, makes me very, very, happy. You've even got me wondering if they'd work in my planned betta sorority; with less fancy fins and no drive to build bubble nests, the girls could have a higher flow and make for happier hillstream loaches...
I watched a video made by Cory that mentioned that these guys don't really need a hillstream tank made for them more than a year ago. I set up a 20G long, placed large rocks. Grew lots of algae and used a aquaclear 50. After 3 months I added the loaches. And I can say they are the hardiest fish I ever owned. Never had any problems and they are nearing 1 year with no losses. Fed them repashy soilent green and allowed algae to grow on the rocks and sides of the tank. Very active fish. I'm glad I saw that video and tried it.
There are 5 types of Hills stream that i know with similar body: 1. Butterfly 2. Reticulated 3. Spotted 4. Borneo Sucker (bluefin tail) 5. A hybrid between those species I think it is the best to tell us which species did you have so we will know what you said is for that particular species.
For any doubters that wants a second opinion, LRB keeps these in unfiltered tanks with no air stone and they do fine. He released a video about them a day or 2 ago.
At first I bought 3, and one of them was smaller than the 2 (the only ones that the seller was able to catch), so one of the bigger loaches started chasing and harassing the baby. Went back to the store, got 2 more smaller guys, the same size as my smaller one. Now the 3 babies are always in a group, hanging out together, roaming the tank... and the 2 bigger ones aren't touching the babies and just minding their own business. Lesson learned - 1. they LOVE being in a group, you can see right away if you had only 1 and more arrive, they will be happier! 2. When you get them, make sure they are all the same size! They are great fish, love them so much! And cant wait for the smaller guys to grow bigger so all 5 can roam around together 😊
they are amazing little guys, AMAZING algae eaters, they have huge/fun personalities too. I have a heavily planted scape and they keep everything so clean and shiny lol. I can't scream enough how much I love these guys and Khuli loaches. so cute! :3
Have been binge-ing (binging? bingeing?) your podcasts non-stop over the past few weeks, you mentioned that some people just consume and don’t leave comments/be engaged. I am totally guilty of this, so I figured I’d leave a comment saying I appreciate all the work you do and that you inspire me to stay involved in the fish keeping hobby. Thanks Cory! :)
I was actually breeding these at one point. Lots of smooth rocks in the tank, and TONS of filtration. I had 3 X Aquaclear 110 filters on a 29 gallon tank. NO HEATER or cold water.
I'm actually setting up a 33 long right now, and these guys were already on the stock list. Thanks a ton, Cory! As well as all of you guys sharing your experiences here in the comments. This hugely helped boost my confidence going in.
Perfect timing! Thanks for this video. It has helped a lot as I made my decision for bottom dwellers in my new tank I just bought seven of these for $6 a piece from a fish store. They were the last ones there so I said I wanted whatever was left, and the owner was happy to be rid of them because they're a pain to catch. They were supposed to be more expensive, but the owner kept dropping the price per fish as he found more. 😂 When you said they could be $150 for 10, I about died.
Yeah, they are hardest fish to catch, dont wanna go in 10 mins before shop closing and ask for these! The shop employee wont be happy, and they might be rough injuring when catching them.
Beautiful addition to any tank. I have a few in a 20 gallon and have young. I feed them with high quality algae flake to supplement what they find naturally. Really healthy fish that are always entertaining.
Just got my first hill stream today. Put him in a 65 gal community tank. He was hard t o get out of the bag, but is in the tank and eating away on the algae on the back glass. Very weird looking but cool fish. Only have two Corey's so he should do okay. I always make sure some bug bites and flakes get to the bottom. Have a blessed day.
Discovered these fish soon after getting into the hobby and dedicated the better part of 6 months to constructing a dedicated cold-water Hillstream tank with a manifold system. Since then, my experience has been similar. Sewelia species are pretty bulletproof. They've survived pH fluctuations, ich, algae blooms and every other issue a new fish keeper will put his creatures through. ON THE OTHER HAND, most other Hillstream loaches (which look almost exactly like these guys) such as Gastromyzons and Beaufortia are much more sensitive. I've lost entire groups of non-Sewelia loaches during transitions but these dudes keep on ticking. I think that they are generally more aggressive eaters and less shy, so they perhaps out-compete their other Hillstream friends on the bottom.
I found out the hard way to never keep them in a rimless tank. All three of mine climbed out and I had the water level 3" from the top. They were also very aggressive towards each other in my 150 DD RR tank.
I've had 5 in a rimless for over two years, never lost one. White clouds, zebra danios, amano and cherry shrimp all have jumped, but never the sewellia.
Mine do occasionally jump each other, but I think its more play fighting than anything. After giving each other a bit of a runaround they settle right next to each other on a rock or the window. Never seen one of em go above the waterline. What were your tank parameters?
These fish are by far my most favorite algae eating fish. 24'c low flow planted tank with lots of rocks, and mine are all quite happy. They are real suckers for shrimp food.
I subscribed 5 years ago when I first got into the hobby after seeing your DIY pleco cave video, and I still love your videos, to this day. Crazy to see how the channel grew to 375k!!
I am planning to get back into the hobby after 10 years away, I want to get Dwarf Snakehead pair and hopefully want them to pair up with these and have a lot of these in with them and maybe some top dwelling fish like 3 African Butterfly fish
This is great Cory. I got one a few months ago. I love him. He seems to be active and having fun. I added a long airstone at the back under the Amazon sword plants, and he loves to play in there. often see him laying on the plant leaves in the bubbles. My water is a stable 7.4 ph, temp 77.4, I don't have a lot of algae, but there is some growing at the back and on a few ornaments, and I leave it there for him. right now he's housed with cardinal tetras and some random snails. Plan to add some blue shrimp down the road. I'm feeding the fish small sinking pellets. flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp now and then. I've tried sinking algae wafers, but he doesn't seem to go for that....looking at other food I can give him
Been looking into these lately; almost as if you're in my search history....🤣 Thanks for the wealth of knowledge brother. Will definitely be adding these to my betta setup I'm building....
I got a hill stream loach and it died 2 days after getting it it was in a cool water tank and I was adding algae wafers for feeding and when I found it dead it was half covered in a white film like a mold, I had it in a 153 litre tank and it was about 18 degrees cels
We love our hillstream loaches....we are hoping to breed them soon....ours actually do quite well in a pretty well heated tank too and are super active and healthy and fun.....love em....👍👍😀😀
i saw 1 baby one at a local pet store which were going to stop selling fish, got it for 3 euros. watching this vid right now to see how well my current tank suits it (small tank, 60 cm by 30 cm i believe). i have 4 corydoras and 2 pleco algea eaters and already kept the tank at 24 - 26 degrees celcius so i think i'm good! thanks for the video! :D
I'm gonna pick one of these up at my LFS tomorrow so I wanted a refresher course on these little creatures. My first scavenger/sucker fish, I'm excited!
I kept the lights on for 14 hours on my hillstream species only dirted planted tank and they bred like MAD, I had algae spikes at breeding cycles when I would HAVE to take out babies because the tank was getting full, shortly after the algae would be gone. They LOVE northfin kelp wafers.
I wanted to get one but was told they need really fast water flow according to pet shop and my fish don't like that. I will now see if they have them for sale again they are about £7 in UK.
They dont mind regular flow at all, as long as its not brackish they will be just fine. Just give them some smooth stones to hang out on, and keep the temps around 24'c.
I think the name "Hillstream," may influence that thought. Rachel O'Leary has a Hillstream tank which has a lot of flow as the name denotes, but they do well in low current systems.
Thanks Cory. One of my fav fishes. Have a 55G, bought 3 cause I fell in 💖 with Rachel O'Leary's. They must love the setup I have. Lots of rocks and plants. They have been breeding ever since they reached full size. They are impossible to catch. Maybe if I remove all the tank mates, drain the tank and uproot the plants I'd have better luck. Until I absolutely have to, I will just increase the water change schedule to handle the biolode.
QUESTION: I love these and I keep my baby Hillstream Loach in my 40g goldfish, grow out tank... SO... Do you know if goldfish repashy is good for them too? Or should I be feeding a different kind? OR... are the Sera green tabs maybe better for her, as I feed those occasionally too? CURIOUS, if I've been accidentally starving her! She's done well for a couple of months, but I don't want her to suffer at all! Wanna make sure I'm doing the right things.. Whatcha think? Any advice would be awesome! Thanks for the care guide, in any case! ✌😎
I need to see if my LFS have any of these I was thinking about getting a pleco or 2 for a 29g guppy tank but these are half the size and look a little cooler 😎
Wow that makes me feel better about thinking of getting a couple. I liked them but thought I did not have the right conditions for them. Thank you for your tips.
I've always wanted to do a river tank with these guys, but the proper one-directional flow and dimensions have always dissuaded me from trying. Regardless, these are awesome fish!
I have 3 in a 75 and I like them because they look like little stingrays. My group is one of the funniest groups I've seen, they all climb around my fake giant driftwood and when they touch each other they lose it and all start running around on it.
Well, if you're handy enough you could create some sort of shelf structure inside a standard tank, buid a sort of several storey house for the fish. That would buy you some additional space for the bottom dwellers, at least the types that like to climb.
My husband just bought me three for my birthday 😭😭😭 going in my 65 gallon I'm so happy! I asked him how he knew. He said my TH-cam account is linked to the TV 🤣 and I had a large amount of care videos in my history
1 month ago I got my butterfly hillstream loach. And I did research but this confirmed some stuff. He is in my 12 gallon all planted with spider wood big rocks. Only thing in there is ghost shrimp a black mystery snail pleco and the hillstream loach I do put cucumber in there
"Really worthwhile watching", Was a bit concerned that keeping them with my Fancy Goldfish would be an issue in my 125 gallon tank. After watching this purchased six so far they seem to love their new home, look fantastic: and my tank too, saved a mountain of time cleaning things ( and in the long run cleaning materials). Thanks for for your help.
I have bred over 500 of these fish 2 foods Baby Brine shrimp and algae waffers turn off filter and and air to sponge filter they will actually go to top of all sides to eat brine shrimp
Thank you! I have been wanting these guys for ages, i was planning to put them with my axolotl. He only has a couple of apple snails as tank mates, and they don't keep up with the algae load alone. I can't put any of my pond snails in (which I find super efficient for keeping tanks clean) because Spirit likes to eat them, and he is still only a juvenile so I am afraid of impaction. I have always loved the look and personality of these cuties and wanted to put two in with Spirit (axolotl) but everything i looked up said they need high flow which is NOT what spirit has of course lol. Now I know that I can do this without worry that they won't thrive. Thanks Cory I love your logic xx
Thank you for this video, there is a lot of contrary info on the internet and I was starting to get worried that I wasn't doing enough for my loaches. I trust your judgment though and by your standards I'm doing just fine with my little guys.
I have a 90 gallon tank with two of them in there, I have had pretty good success with them. I will say though feeding them can be a thing. I feed them Rapashy and they absolutely love it. I do have to give them each their own piece though, if I only put one in then one will hog it and keep chasing the other away. Giving them each their own piece and they are both happy with no squabbling lol. They are a super awesome fish to have in your tank, they do their own thing they don't bother the other fish and they look really cool. I would not just get these as a cleaner fish though, they will eat algae and help keep your plants clean but there are only certain algae they will eat. They won't eat hair algae or stuff like that, they do love to rasp on driftwood too. You do have too pay attention with the feeding though or they will die. Oh and as for the Rapashy, there is not a creature in my tank that doesn't love it. That's my two cents on my experience with these cool little fish.
I've had 3 of these in my 55gal and they're a blast! In the 1yr or so I've had them I've only had to clean my glass like twice 😂 my temp is 78*, pH is 7.7 or so and the flow is low-meduim. I've not had any breeding but it's very possible that I ended up with all 3 of one sex.
love them , thanks for recommending them . It took a while to find a place that wasn't out of stock but Aqua Huna has them and I will be buying more ... Set up a new tank just for Hillstream loach , and maybe some carbon rili
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Have you noticed that they are yellow and black an brown and black
@@bart-stam how do you breed them?
That mystery catfish from the Peru exporter is a soldier catfish, they get 20+ inches long
Please help! I am setting up a tank to grow out my angle fish babys to I can sell them to my local pet stores. Can I keep and breed these in that tank or could they be predators to the baby angles just like plecos?
Hello Cory, I have purchased Repashy food for the loach but I don’t think it ever touched it. The one I used is Igapo explorer. Is there a reason??
I want them simply because they look like tiny rays to me.
MiG-21bis Fishbed-L same
I the shape of them look like a spaceship that why im so attracted to them
same
MiG-21bis Fishbed-L same
exactly what i thought,
Size: 3 inches 0:48
Gallons/Fish: 6 6:25
Min Tank Size: 20 gallons 1:25
pH: 6.8-7.8 1:39
Temp: 68 - 85 (the temperature section)
nice
Thank you for this
thank you, wish this was in the description
Thanks
thanks!
A friend of mine bought two of these for his tank, liked them so much so he bought a third. His tank didn't have particularly good flow or low temps but they strated breeding like crazy, those 3 turned into 10+ real quick. Got way out of hand
omg....lol
Oh wow
geez, what do you even do then... release them into the ocean?
@@mesofius they're freshwater. You can give/well then to shops or friends
@@rconn4501 fish food for other fish
TH-cam recommended me this video after getting home from purchasing some tiger hillstream loaches. Aaaalways watching!
I have one of these little guys, and he's hands down the goofiest and funniest guy in my tank
What temperature do you keep them? I really want one.
@@ilivefortropicalfish6837 I keep my at 25°C and she seems to thrive, and is always very curious too
@@kellint2962 Thanks that's the temp my tank is at anyway so I'll probably buy 2-3 next week
@@kellint2962 By the way where did you get yours?
@@ilivefortropicalfish6837 a local fish shop to me
Every time i watch one of Cory’s species guide it really makes me want to get that fish. Love the videos Cory
Every. Single. Time. :) LOL
Yup. Agreed. I watched his videos and made the decision to get these guys. I think I spent all of today looking for them and finally found a fish store that had some left. I bought the entire lot for $6 each.
Bro same my first community tank was pretty much based on them
Me too
I'ma order some now..
South side Chicago 🔥😤👍
I had mine for about a month and I absolutely LOVED him! He was in a 10 gallon tank with a good flowing hang on back filter. He was with a mystery snail, nerite snail, and a king half moon betta. I had some brown diatom algae on the bottom of the tank and some green hair algae on one of my sword plants, the hillstream loach and nerite snail cleaned the tank soooo well. Like I said, the bottom of the tank had a thin layer of brown algae scattered around and in a couple weeks the sand was as clear as when it first went in the tank! At first the betta would swim after him but only so close as to see what he was, he’s a very curious and active betta, but the loach would outswim him any time the fish got close. It didn’t take very long for them to get used to each other though. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the loach for 2 days so I checked in the filter and he ended up caught in the impeller :( I plan on getting another because of how awesome they are, as well as one for my 20 gallon community tank. I would just be cautious about certain filters. This video really does help with all around info for these little guys and I know it’s definitely helped me.
I love them, actually have them in all my community tanks. They do just fine with the heater, they do just fine (for me) with just a sponge filter (IE low flow). And they're adorable. For catching them, I do it by hand, no net. Cup hand against the glass over them, gently move your hand up (they go with) and when you get to the top of the water a little patience and they pop off the glass, close hand gently and there you go! Works for me.
Do the spines on the sides hurt ?
Thanks for the tip on catching them.
@@MidnightGeekSS Never happened to me! I handle most of my catfish and loaches They tend to stay quite still.
I do the same catch by hand holding gently and dont panick them. Most of my fish react to a net as I rarely use them, but my hands my fish are happy with from maintenance, planting and feeding,Makes catching them alot Easier.
@@MidnightGeekSS nope, I wouldn't have even guessed they HAD spines. (But I'm not squeezing or anything and they generally don't really struggle/flop.)
@@seangriffiths9163 Ah, it's so sweet your fish don't mind your hands anymore :). I'm a complete noob, just cycling my first aquarium right now and doing research, never had any fish, so I have no idea how much of a connection is possible to make with these pets.
Finally someone says everything I’ve been saying about hillstream loaches in all the Facebook groups.
Ross Martinez beware the rage of an offended Facebook group lol
Adam Till yea I just learned a lesson lol never been bullied so much for a statement lol
I just adopted two Hillstream Loaches and they are amazing! I named one Sting and the other Ray. LOL! Very pleased with these little fellas. Thank you also to Cory at aquarium co-op you are my go too for anything we need to know about! I support and love Aquarium Co-op!
I know this is a year out but cute names. Hope they are still well
I have one in my ten gallon tank with my betta for 3 months now with low flow with a heatet it seems healthy and active
Every fish spotlight turns in to a definitive overview of keeping aquariums as a hobby. The way you present it so seamlessly is why your channel is so successful. I look forward to browsing your library further.
Hillstream loaches need more love!!!! I'm glad you told the truth about them - now for my observations.
My Sewellia have been breeding like rabbits for the last three months.
I started with a single one in a 15g tank - almost 7 years later him and a single oto have become fast friends and will often share a rock or some wood.
At the beginning of 2019 I bought a group of 6 for a 40 breeder along with 20 LF white clouds. pH 7.6 hardness around 180-250ppm. I keep them in a tank in the garage with the heater set to 71. During the summer, the temp hits 81 or 82. (Southern CA) Filter is an Aquaclear 110. Varous live plants (I'm still a plant noob), lots of wood, and several softball size rocks. (and smaller ones) Half eco complete/gravel (front planted half) and half sand. (rear half with wood and rocks) A single airstone. The tank is fed frozen brine or mysis, Co-0p fry food, bug bites, Sera Viprasomething flakes, OSI shrimp pellets and NLS algae wafers. Shrimp pellets is the favorite!
In the fall, as soon as the tank temp fell to 73, I started seeing 2mm fry on the wood. (I'll save the story of me handing out breadsticks at work in celebration for another time) Depending how cold it gets the tank temp stays between 68 and 71. (Was it the temp? or did they just mature?) I continue to see new 2mm fry every week. ( and 3-4-5-6-7-25mm fry as well) The smaller fry prefer root wood and plant leaves to rocks. At about 10-12 mm, they seem to favor rocks. Hatches seem small, but with so many hiding places, who knows? They enjoy the flow, and use the big rocks under the Aquaclear as a sparring ground... or mating ground?? They also like areas of quiet as well on occasion. I may add "grandpa" into the tank soon, not sure. As for all the offspring; I could always sell them... or start another tank...
Note: 25mm = 1 inch, 12mm = 1/2 inch, 1 mm is the width of pencil lead.
Catfish Cave thanks for the top notch info!
Yes, thanks very much for the highly detailed info! Definitely a fish I'll be getting one or more of in the new year, thanks to Cory debunking some of the popular ideas out there.
Love how down to earth you are and how you speak from actual experience and not “read off of wikipedia” 😂 Keep up the great work!
Cory is one of those dudes you just want to kick back and hang with after a hard day at work
Very encouraging that my water quality will fit their tolerated parameters! My friends seem to have babies all the time & now will eventually get one from them. Currently cycling 40, very tall, 360" square area, but rippin' current & well aeratated too. Looking to add 1-2 after planted, so at least 2 months out. This has made my day because I just ❤️ these guys!
I've always loved the hillstream loach but I've always thought it might be a little outside of my abilities. Feeling better about it now.
I honestly love my hillstream loach, it's so cute and I love how it looks like its gliding when it free swims to find a new place to rest. I've also not needed to do much of anything else to keep it happy and it's at around 25C, decent flow in the top section mostly only but it seems to never stop munching. Nothing bothers it, and it likes cucumber. It was also listed as a "gold ring" variant, so the markings are really pretty too. Can't recommend them enough.
Chris Janes going to get gold version looks stunning.
@@gbjanuary Great choice!
@@MattThibodeau No I usually add one in for a few hours every week, sometimes other good sinkable veg too to see what goes for a nibble. My dwarf cories like it sometimes and my snails too. Helps to anchor it to the substrate if you have pretty high flow, too! Hope yours like a good munch too! :)
@@MattThibodeau And by "one" I mean a slice haha, I usually cut the skin off too but that's probably not entirely necessary it's just a bit thick for most fish to chew through!
@@MattThibodeau Good luck! :) Just try not to leave the veg in longer than you'd leave your lights on or so, since it starts to break up and can be a pain to remove and you don't want too much of it floating off to eventually rot.
Came here for the care guide, stayed not only for the very helpful advice but also for those gorgeous adorable goldfish in the background!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, CORY! I've fallen in love with this fish, seeing it pop in a few channels like yours and Rachel's, but as she's got hers in a fast-flowing 150 with other hillstream species, I figured I'd never have a tank that would suit them. But very reassured that as long as I keep them in a stable tank and well fed, that I can look at including them in either my goldfish tank or a larger community tank, makes me very, very, happy. You've even got me wondering if they'd work in my planned betta sorority; with less fancy fins and no drive to build bubble nests, the girls could have a higher flow and make for happier hillstream loaches...
The sound of Corey's and Dean's voice always puts me at ease
I watched a video made by Cory that mentioned that these guys don't really need a hillstream tank made for them more than a year ago. I set up a 20G long, placed large rocks. Grew lots of algae and used a aquaclear 50. After 3 months I added the loaches. And I can say they are the hardiest fish I ever owned. Never had any problems and they are nearing 1 year with no losses. Fed them repashy soilent green and allowed algae to grow on the rocks and sides of the tank. Very active fish. I'm glad I saw that video and tried it.
There are 5 types of Hills stream that i know with similar body:
1. Butterfly
2. Reticulated
3. Spotted
4. Borneo Sucker (bluefin tail)
5. A hybrid between those species
I think it is the best to tell us which species did you have so we will know what you said is for that particular species.
For any doubters that wants a second opinion, LRB keeps these in unfiltered tanks with no air stone and they do fine. He released a video about them a day or 2 ago.
Yep saw that vid the other day. I liked how they play fight all over the substrate rocks etc.
At first I bought 3, and one of them was smaller than the 2 (the only ones that the seller was able to catch), so one of the bigger loaches started chasing and harassing the baby. Went back to the store, got 2 more smaller guys, the same size as my smaller one. Now the 3 babies are always in a group, hanging out together, roaming the tank... and the 2 bigger ones aren't touching the babies and just minding their own business. Lesson learned - 1. they LOVE being in a group, you can see right away if you had only 1 and more arrive, they will be happier! 2. When you get them, make sure they are all the same size!
They are great fish, love them so much! And cant wait for the smaller guys to grow bigger so all 5 can roam around together 😊
they are amazing little guys, AMAZING algae eaters, they have huge/fun personalities too. I have a heavily planted scape and they keep everything so clean and shiny lol. I can't scream enough how much I love these guys and Khuli loaches. so cute! :3
Have been binge-ing (binging? bingeing?) your podcasts non-stop over the past few weeks, you mentioned that some people just consume and don’t leave comments/be engaged. I am totally guilty of this, so I figured I’d leave a comment saying I appreciate all the work you do and that you inspire me to stay involved in the fish keeping hobby. Thanks Cory! :)
Thank you for this! I’ve been researching all day about them and think I am going to pull the trigger and get a few!
I was actually breeding these at one point.
Lots of smooth rocks in the tank, and TONS of filtration. I had 3 X Aquaclear 110 filters on a 29 gallon tank. NO HEATER or cold water.
I'm actually setting up a 33 long right now, and these guys were already on the stock list.
Thanks a ton, Cory! As well as all of you guys sharing your experiences here in the comments.
This hugely helped boost my confidence going in.
I have one in my 29 gallon and he is one of my favorite ones to watch.
I've had 3 Borneo loaches a few weeks. Today I have babies. Glad to find this video.
Perfect timing! Thanks for this video. It has helped a lot as I made my decision for bottom dwellers in my new tank I just bought seven of these for $6 a piece from a fish store.
They were the last ones there so I said I wanted whatever was left, and the owner was happy to be rid of them because they're a pain to catch. They were supposed to be more expensive, but the owner kept dropping the price per fish as he found more. 😂
When you said they could be $150 for 10, I about died.
Yeah, they are hardest fish to catch, dont wanna go in 10 mins before shop closing and ask for these! The shop employee wont be happy, and they might be rough injuring when catching them.
I JUST GOT ONE TODAY FOR MY 55 AFRICAN CICHLID TANK AND I THINK I DOINKED UP THIS BUY!
I’ve been keeping and breeding these fish for about two years and my experience is somewhat different from traditional wisdom. Went from 7 to 28+
Beautiful addition to any tank. I have a few in a 20 gallon and have young. I feed them with high quality algae flake to supplement what they find naturally. Really healthy fish that are always entertaining.
Love yalls little species profile videos. Once i saw these loaches I knew I had to have them. Think I might just be into loaches though haha
Love that I just search a particular fish, and up pops the COOP!
Just got my first hill stream today. Put him in a 65 gal community tank. He was hard t o get out of the bag, but is in the tank and eating away on the algae on the back glass. Very weird looking but cool fish. Only have two Corey's so he should do okay. I always make sure some bug bites and flakes get to the bottom. Have a blessed day.
Discovered these fish soon after getting into the hobby and dedicated the better part of 6 months to constructing a dedicated cold-water Hillstream tank with a manifold system. Since then, my experience has been similar. Sewelia species are pretty bulletproof. They've survived pH fluctuations, ich, algae blooms and every other issue a new fish keeper will put his creatures through. ON THE OTHER HAND, most other Hillstream loaches (which look almost exactly like these guys) such as Gastromyzons and Beaufortia are much more sensitive. I've lost entire groups of non-Sewelia loaches during transitions but these dudes keep on ticking. I think that they are generally more aggressive eaters and less shy, so they perhaps out-compete their other Hillstream friends on the bottom.
Yeah I lost my Gastromyzons last summer cause I didn't stop CO2 at 26 degrees...Swellia are hardy.
I found out the hard way to never keep them in a rimless tank. All three of mine climbed out and I had the water level 3" from the top. They were also very aggressive towards each other in my 150 DD RR tank.
What's DD RR stand for? I don't recall seeing either...
I've had 5 in a rimless for over two years, never lost one. White clouds, zebra danios, amano and cherry shrimp all have jumped, but never the sewellia.
Mine do occasionally jump each other, but I think its more play fighting than anything.
After giving each other a bit of a runaround they settle right next to each other on a rock or the window.
Never seen one of em go above the waterline. What were your tank parameters?
I have two and they exhibit the opposite behaviours. One is boisterous and is always around the tank, the other lives in the filter. Love them.
These fish are by far my most favorite algae eating fish.
24'c low flow planted tank with lots of rocks, and mine are all quite happy.
They are real suckers for shrimp food.
I just got 2 new ones today (Sunday 23rd January 2022) and there settleling In now so it's going all good.
I subscribed 5 years ago when I first got into the hobby after seeing your DIY pleco cave video, and I still love your videos, to this day. Crazy to see how the channel grew to 375k!!
I am planning to get back into the hobby after 10 years away, I want to get Dwarf Snakehead pair and hopefully want them to pair up with these and have a lot of these in with them and maybe some top dwelling fish like 3 African Butterfly fish
What do you think about keeping them in a cool water pond? About 1,600 gallons.
I really wanted one or two of these guys but didn’t feel my setup was appropriate for them. You’ve changed my mind, thank you!
So good to hear! I saw these at the local fish store and thought they were adorable but the employee said I had to have high flow.
This is great Cory. I got one a few months ago. I love him. He seems to be active and having fun. I added a long airstone at the back under the Amazon sword plants, and he loves to play in there. often see him laying on the plant leaves in the bubbles. My water is a stable 7.4 ph, temp 77.4, I don't have a lot of algae, but there is some growing at the back and on a few ornaments, and I leave it there for him. right now he's housed with cardinal tetras and some random snails. Plan to add some blue shrimp down the road. I'm feeding the fish small sinking pellets. flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp now and then. I've tried sinking algae wafers, but he doesn't seem to go for that....looking at other food I can give him
Try slice of cucumber weighted.
I just got one of these. He/she is about half an inch right now. Super cute!
Been looking into these lately; almost as if you're in my search history....🤣
Thanks for the wealth of knowledge brother. Will definitely be adding these to my betta setup I'm building....
I just picked up 2 today and They're tiny! I already love them :)
I got a hill stream loach and it died 2 days after getting it it was in a cool water tank and I was adding algae wafers for feeding and when I found it dead it was half covered in a white film like a mold, I had it in a 153 litre tank and it was about 18 degrees cels
We love our hillstream loaches....we are hoping to breed them soon....ours actually do quite well in a pretty well heated tank too and are super active and healthy and fun.....love em....👍👍😀😀
i saw 1 baby one at a local pet store which were going to stop selling fish, got it for 3 euros. watching this vid right now to see how well my current tank suits it (small tank, 60 cm by 30 cm i believe). i have 4 corydoras and 2 pleco algea eaters and already kept the tank at 24 - 26 degrees celcius so i think i'm good! thanks for the video! :D
Just bought a couple and of course Cory has a video for me. Thanks Cory!
They're so heckin cute!!
ive learned allot about the aquarium hobby,and certain fish from ur videos alone over the years
I'm gonna pick one of these up at my LFS tomorrow so I wanted a refresher course on these little creatures. My first scavenger/sucker fish, I'm excited!
Thank you Corey for renting out your brain, because of you I have an absolutely thriving 40 gallon tank!
I kept the lights on for 14 hours on my hillstream species only dirted planted tank and they bred like MAD, I had algae spikes at breeding cycles when I would HAVE to take out babies because the tank was getting full, shortly after the algae would be gone.
They LOVE northfin kelp wafers.
I've had my two in with my goldfish for a few years now,and both are doing fabulous.
I've been thinking about getting some for my goldfish tank.
Can u review the seachem tidal filters please would like to see your view of it.
I wanted to get one but was told they need really fast water flow according to pet shop and my fish don't like that. I will now see if they have them for sale again they are about £7 in UK.
They dont mind regular flow at all, as long as its not brackish they will be just fine.
Just give them some smooth stones to hang out on, and keep the temps around 24'c.
I think the name "Hillstream," may influence that thought. Rachel O'Leary has a Hillstream tank which has a lot of flow as the name denotes, but they do well in low current systems.
they cost about £0.56/pc in my country :p
@@lolNEED55 That is so cheap! I had to pay 12 euros a piece for mine.
Thanks Cory. One of my fav fishes. Have a 55G, bought 3 cause I fell in 💖 with Rachel O'Leary's. They must love the setup I have. Lots of rocks and plants. They have been breeding ever since they reached full size. They are impossible to catch. Maybe if I remove all the tank mates, drain the tank and uproot the plants I'd have better luck. Until I absolutely have to, I will just increase the water change schedule to handle the biolode.
That sounds awesome 😊
QUESTION: I love these and I keep my baby Hillstream Loach in my 40g goldfish, grow out tank... SO... Do you know if goldfish repashy is good for them too? Or should I be feeding a different kind? OR... are the Sera green tabs maybe better for her, as I feed those occasionally too? CURIOUS, if I've been accidentally starving her! She's done well for a couple of months, but I don't want her to suffer at all! Wanna make sure I'm doing the right things.. Whatcha think? Any advice would be awesome! Thanks for the care guide, in any case! ✌😎
I’m so glad I found this. I’ve been looking at getting a few but the local store employee didn’t really know enough about them
Very informative. I have watched a few of your vids now and they are all extremely helpful.
I was contemplating getting a pleco, but these little guys look so cool!
I just bought these from petsupermarket, 5 for $12! Had no idea what they were and store clerk said it was some Chinese algae eater. They looked cool.
Back after awhile and the goldfish tank behind you looks outstanding.
I litterally bought 2 yesterday!
I need to see if my LFS have any of these I was thinking about getting a pleco or 2 for a 29g guppy tank but these are half the size and look a little cooler 😎
Wow that makes me feel better about thinking of getting a couple. I liked them but thought I did not have the right conditions for them. Thank you for your tips.
I've always wanted to do a river tank with these guys, but the proper one-directional flow and dimensions have always dissuaded me from trying. Regardless, these are awesome fish!
Thank you for sharing your first hand experience
I have 3 in a 75 and I like them because they look like little stingrays. My group is one of the funniest groups I've seen, they all climb around my fake giant driftwood and when they touch each other they lose it and all start running around on it.
Cool! I didnt want a hillstream loach but you changed my mind.
Thanks for this, Cory!Good stuff. I'm acclimating 10 as we speak and looking forward to breeding the. I appreciate the fantastic information. ~Ron
all my favorite species are bottom dwellers. I wish i could have like a really giant tank that’s only like 5” deep lmao
Me too.
Well, if you're handy enough you could create some sort of shelf structure inside a standard tank, buid a sort of several storey house for the fish. That would buy you some additional space for the bottom dwellers, at least the types that like to climb.
My husband just bought me three for my birthday 😭😭😭 going in my 65 gallon
I'm so happy!
I asked him how he knew.
He said my TH-cam account is linked to the TV 🤣 and I had a large amount of care videos in my history
1 month ago I got my butterfly hillstream loach. And I did research but this confirmed some stuff. He is in my 12 gallon all planted with spider wood big rocks. Only thing in there is ghost shrimp a black mystery snail pleco and the hillstream loach I do put cucumber in there
Hi cory I love this video. I was thinking of buying one of them. I’m glad you made this video I got a lot of info from your video. Thanks cory.
"Really worthwhile watching", Was a bit concerned that keeping them with my Fancy Goldfish would be an issue in my 125 gallon tank. After watching this purchased six so far they seem to love their new home, look fantastic: and my tank too, saved a mountain of time cleaning things ( and in the long run cleaning materials). Thanks for for your help.
I had these that came from Borneo. Loved the blue fin tip they got when they were happy. But such a pain to catch them when moving!
I have bred over 500 of these fish 2 foods Baby Brine shrimp and algae waffers turn off filter and and air to sponge filter they will actually go to top of all sides to eat brine shrimp
Thank you! I have been wanting these guys for ages, i was planning to put them with my axolotl. He only has a couple of apple snails as tank mates, and they don't keep up with the algae load alone. I can't put any of my pond snails in (which I find super efficient for keeping tanks clean) because Spirit likes to eat them, and he is still only a juvenile so I am afraid of impaction. I have always loved the look and personality of these cuties and wanted to put two in with Spirit (axolotl) but everything i looked up said they need high flow which is NOT what spirit has of course lol. Now I know that I can do this without worry that they won't thrive. Thanks Cory I love your logic xx
Your axolotl will eat them
Thank you for this video, there is a lot of contrary info on the internet and I was starting to get worried that I wasn't doing enough for my loaches. I trust your judgment though and by your standards I'm doing just fine with my little guys.
I think my tank NEEDS this loach... It's so cute 😍
I have a 90 gallon tank with two of them in there, I have had pretty good success with them. I will say though feeding them can be a thing. I feed them Rapashy and they absolutely love it. I do have to give them each their own piece though, if I only put one in then one will hog it and keep chasing the other away. Giving them each their own piece and they are both happy with no squabbling lol. They are a super awesome fish to have in your tank, they do their own thing they don't bother the other fish and they look really cool. I would not just get these as a cleaner fish though, they will eat algae and help keep your plants clean but there are only certain algae they will eat. They won't eat hair algae or stuff like that, they do love to rasp on driftwood too. You do have too pay attention with the feeding though or they will die. Oh and as for the Rapashy, there is not a creature in my tank that doesn't love it. That's my two cents on my experience with these cool little fish.
Bever knew it was a cold water fish thats why they kept dying learnd something today thanks!
Thank you!cool fish don’t have any right now but have in the past.
love your videos, very informative, specific parameters with numbers, real life experience. thanks a ton!
I love these guys, mine is so goofy and doesn’t allow himself to get bullied by his tank mates.
I've had 3 of these in my 55gal and they're a blast! In the 1yr or so I've had them I've only had to clean my glass like twice 😂 my temp is 78*, pH is 7.7 or so and the flow is low-meduim.
I've not had any breeding but it's very possible that I ended up with all 3 of one sex.
love them , thanks for recommending them . It took a while to find a place that wasn't out of stock but Aqua Huna has them and I will be buying more ... Set up a new tank just for Hillstream loach , and maybe some carbon rili
This is one fish I am definitely getting for my new tank, it is already on the list!
I had 2 in a 40b at 80° now i have 3 they had a baby and are doing great