# Hillstream Loach? (Chinese)



## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

Anyone tried to keep these in a high pH tank? 
Everything I see says 6-6.4.
I'm wondering how they'd do in pH 8.4


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## esparzar1 (Jun 14, 2009)

I think they would be fine, but of course it's not the "ideal" situation......personal perference I guess....I have sharks (red tail/rainbow) in my tank with no problems. They "ideally" like a bit lower PH but seem to do fine......really I think it would be up to you.

I've never personally kept chinese loach but I do know that they are not quite as tough as some of the other tropical fish that usually do okay with cichlids (barbs/sharks)....hopefully someone can give you some better info :thumb:


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Hillstream Loaches (there are many species) are really not that easy to keep. Like clean water, well so do cichlids. But they may not like 80 F water, prefer cooler temps. And they will not like stress from rowdy cichlids.


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## eeztropheus (Jan 10, 2010)

I was just reading about hillstream loaches on another forum and from what I read I would advise against it. It would be a swift death sentence for the little guys. I keep clown loaches with my tropheus and burmese botia with my yellow labs and they do well.


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## Stubauka (Oct 2, 2010)

I have had two reticulated hillstream loaches in with my yellow labs for about 4 months now and they seem fine, however, my ph is only 7.8 and i did lower the temp in my aquarium to 75 degrees. I guess it all depends on if you are willing to give it a shot, but in my mind, there isn't a better glass/acrylic cleaner out there then a hillstream loach...i haven't had to scrape my acrylic since i got them.

Just make sure that you have water high in oxygen, i took the advice of f.mueller and got an eheim diffusor and it seems to oxygenate the water quite well.


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

noki said:


> Hillstream Loaches (there are many species) are really not that easy to keep. Like clean water, well so do cichlids. But they may not like 80 F water, prefer cooler temps. And they will not like stress from rowdy cichlids.


I understand, I have 2 in my 55 gallon and they are doing well. I love their behavior - the male we have loves to chase other fish


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## Stubauka (Oct 2, 2010)

i agree that their behavior is quite humorous. i have an acrylic tank and the loaches will glide along the top and then divebomb down towards the yellow labs. it makes my wife and myself laugh all of the time, catches the labs by surprise quite often also!! :lol:


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

It's like a flounder/cobra. He raises that front end and just attacks! Granted he can't do much with the small mouth on his underside.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2011)

hillstream loachs die... they need a tank with a very strong current and low ph... they'd be dead in a week in a high ph cichlid tank... i bought a few of them and had them in my 7.0 tropical tank with no cichlids and they all died... waste of money


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

Then you had something wrong... cause we've had a male & female pair in our 55 (previously in a 35) for months. We only had the Fluval 404 in the 35 Hex (which is really good flow). now in the 55 we have the 404 & a Koralia 450.

Doesn't have to be THAT strong of current - just enough to keep it moving.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2011)

idk man... i have an eheim 2213 and a marineland 200 on that tank and lots of air moving... i jus have bad luck with fish i think sometimes.. mine was alive for awhile but inevitably died.. same thing with all my rams they die


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

My wife's (we call the 55 hers) lost a few rams, especially neon blues - they seem more fragile. We also can't seem to keep kribs... dunno why!

Her current batch of rams are doing great (3 bolivians, 4 wc germans & 4 gold rams).

I wonder if they didnt have good flow where you got them from.


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2011)

*** gotten so many they always die.. bolivian rams are hearty they do fine.. every electric blue, electric blue balloon, gold balloon, gold sailfin balloon, german blue, balloon german blue dies lol... did i forget any? nah i think thats it.. i kill kribs too i have 2 females in there now that seem to be doing ok the one is huffin and puffin a lil bit she'll probly die soon... half the time they jus dissapear i dont even find them... the only thing that seems to get big in there are the sharks... golden shark got huuuuuge and so did the irridescent shark.. ima get some more bolivians when the lfs has them they are cheap and hearty


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