Redoing viquarium, ideas?

[Fishguy2727]

I am going to move the viquarium up to my room so I will be redoing it. I will have the land area at the other end so the land will be by the window and the water will be visible from the room. Most of it will stay the same but I may add a breedable trio of house geckos and I want to expand on the fish. I will definitely add hillstream loaches since this tank will have an actual stream. I will probably have assorted danios (pearl, white cloud, leopard, etc.). If there are any decent newts at the reptile expo this saturday I may add something like that. Any comments or suggestions?

[Wild Turkey]

Comment: Cant wait to see what you do with it fishguy, i was absolutely astonished by this vi when i first saw it, i literally had no aspiration or plans to get one before i saw it, now ive been researching like mad

[Jacko]

Looking at pictures of your tank, unless you completely redo the stream part to cause complete and heavy circulation throughout the entire water section, hillstreams would be a no go, the current stream you have does not look to be the type that gives enough current for hillstream loaches.

Including the frogs, other fish and lizards, you'll have one hell of a time keeping the tank clean enough to keep the hillstream loaches happy, they really need pristine water.

Technically that would be a paludarium, not a viquarium.

[Fishguy2727]

Viquarium is the name of the product used to make this setup (the plastic rock wall, stream, and wall).

Whether you call it a paludarium, viquarium, vivarium, aquaterrarium, semiaquatic setup, or whatever, it is the same thing.

The stream itself is a stream. That would be ideal for the hillstream loaches. The rest of the water area will be lower flow, but it definitely has the stream part that the hillstream loaches want. They don't need high flow in every part of the water area.

[Jacko]

The stream itself is a stream.

Umm... what does that mean? Yes, a stream is a stream.
Hillstream loaches are fish. Frogs are frogs, newts are newts?
Hillstream loaches are fish that get 2-3 inches each and school. unless you turn most of your land as well as your water into high flow then it is not "ideal", how many gph are you gonna have running through there? I think you should do a bit more research on hillstream loaches.

Whether you call it a paludarium, viquarium, vivarium, aquaterrarium, semiaquatic setup, or whatever, it is the same thing.

Not really, vivariums and paludariums are completely different things. A paludarium is a part aquatic terrerium, like what you have. A vivarium is a nearly completely terrestrial tank with land plants and pretty much biotope specific with hardly any water, maybe a small bowl at the most. Without pictures, the word can give an idea to someone that isn't what actually holds true. Like when you say viquarium, it looks like vivarium so I imagine a nearly completely terrestrial tank with just a little water.

[Fishguy2727]

You are applying some pretty strict definitions to loose common words.

Actually vivarium is a latin term literally defined as 'place for life'. A paludarium is a vivarium with land and water. I use viquarium as the name for this because it is the name of the product used to make this setup. Everyone else seems to know exactly what I mean so there is not an issue.

No, the entire enclosure may not be ideal for hillstream loaches but they have ideal conditions in there, as well as low flow resting areas. In my opinion based on my research of hillstream loaches a setup with an actual stream is much more ideal than almost any aquarium that attempts to recreate their natural conditions. They have the conditions they need.

[Jacko]

In my opinion based on my research of hillstream loaches a setup with an actual stream is much more ideal than almost any aquarium that attempts to recreate their natural conditions. They have the conditions they need.

What sources are you using? From all the information I have piled up on them and the personal accounts from alot of other hillstream loach hobbiests as well as my own personal experience, they are a high current fish, high oxygen fish. Your small stream is not a recreation of their natural habitat, their natural habitat is a stream, including some rather deep parts, all fast flowing and highly oxygenated. In my personal experience and from my research, yes an actual stream is more of a proper home for them than many tanks, but a small pvc/ceramic stream is not, they need more flow than that thing.

From a latin point of veiw, yes that would apply, what I mean is the terms used in the hobby by people I know who keep vivariums and paludariums (even those with both call them seperate things). Calling a paludarium a vivarium is confusing because they are not the same thing, I'm not criticizing you for calling it a viquarium or a vivarium. Heck, you could call it Mars, I'm just saying that it's confusing to call one thing something that it isn't.

And I'm not saying you have to do exactly what I'm saying, I'm just giving you my comments and suggestions.

[Fishguy2727]

The stream has high flow, definitely fast and high oxygen. They will do well. Considering all the tanks that aren't designed for them at all that they do well in, they will do great in this setup.

Anyone else have any suggestions or comments?

[Jacko]

The stream has high flow, definitely fast and high oxygen. They will do well. Considering all the tanks that aren't designed for them at all that they do well in, they will do great in this setup.

I know you've pretty much dismissed everything I've said, I love hillstream loaches and want to see them given a proper home, I'm just saying your stream will not likely support 6-8 of them as you think they do, they are really active and that stream is what, 2 inches deep? Do you know how many GPH is runnign through the stream?

[Fishguy2727]

I can't remember the exact gph, but it is fast. I think this is a better setup than almost any full aquarium they are ever put in.