hillstream loach feeding/care

[snapdragon9]

I have been searching for months at my LFS for a hillstream loach and they finally had some. They aren't loaches at all, I have read. They are actually a kind of pleco. I have done the necessary brushing up on their care online....however I was wondering if any one has actually kept them.

He is kept in a 20L, that has been up and running for about a year now. I perform weekly water changes, and the parameters are all at zero. There is sufficient algae sheets on the extensive rockwork that I have, so that should provide him with plenty of food. However, I was wondering what other kinds of foods have been successful. I also supplement with romaine lettuce weekly, for him and the other tank mates. I also feed omega one veggie formula, as well as some mysis or bloodworms every now and then.

[Fishguy2727]

What is the temp?
What other fish are in there?

They are a loach, not a pleco.

They are native to fast-flowing mountain streams. So there should be lots of current, lots of oxygen, and low (room) temp.

I only feed New Life Spectrum. The residual algae should be good, plus the supplemental foods that they decide to grab.

[aquakid]

theres a new type of filter that hillstream loaches love, it suckes water in one end and spews it out the other like a real stream, that is the only way to observe the loaches like in their natural habitat although i dont know if any small pet store has it

[KingFisher]

Hillstreams like highly oxygenated water with a lot of flow. It is very important to keep the water as clean as possible. Lots of light on the tank will help keep the algae growing for them, and in addition, you can place rocks outside in a shallow container of water in the sun to grow more algae for them. Just put one of these rocks in the tank when it is covered, and swap it out with a new one when the hillstreams have eaten all the algae from it. Here is a link to a tank I set up for mine: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Fishguy2727]

Make sure to use old water from water changes to grow the algae in. It has algae in it as well as the needed nitrate, phosphate, and other nutrients needed to properly grow the algae.