# Hillstream loach experience



## tiger15 (5 Feb 2021)

I am doing research on hillstream loach and read that they are good climber. Is there any chance that they will climb into HOBs. I once had a yo-yo loach, and it kept disappearing into my HOBs.​


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## Hufsa (5 Feb 2021)

I dont have any first hand experience, maybe try searching the loaches.com forum, I think I remember back from my loach keeping days they have some good articles as well. Especially the tutorial for setting up a fast flowing tank with circulation pumps.
BUT- if I were to set up a hillstream tank myself I would definitely be worried they might. They are the best shape for climbing up surfaces no matter how strong the current, and the surface of the HOB will be covered in delicious biofilm which makes it even more tempting.


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## MirandaB (6 Feb 2021)

Highly likely that they would,mine are always up climbing the glass as I only clean the front pane leaving the rest to get covered in algae.


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## dean (7 Feb 2021)

If the weir touches the surface they definitely will climb in 
They can climb up waterfalls so a 2” weir is no problem 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Garuf (11 Feb 2021)

I've bred Sewellia lineolata.
Given that they're a fish that really appreciates a really good churning current and actively choose very fast flowing areas when given them with a few slack current areas I'd be surprised if a HOB filter is going to cut the mustard. Especially given that say a stable colony of around 8 would need a circa 90l tank at the very minimum and a minimum turnover of 15-20 would mean at least a 1350-1800lph filter minimum. My experience with hobs is that they're rather gutless things so you'd likely want bigger or at the very least a good powerhead for additional current. 
I had around 10cm of glass above the waterline on my set up and I would frequently see them well in the middle, I'd expect them to easily navigate their way into a HOB.


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## tiger15 (11 Feb 2021)

I think they are cool looking fish, but I’ll stay out of them.  I keep the water level high and submerge the HOB weirs to eliminate cascading water noise.  I can’t take the risk of expensive hillstream loach disappearing into my HOBs.  I’ve read that yo-yo loach has swam up the intake pipe of canister and disappeared inside, and wonder if Hillstream can do the same if they can squeeze through the slots.


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## dw1305 (11 Feb 2021)

Hi all, 


tiger15 said:


> expensive hillstream loach disappearing into my HOB


It is going to sound a bit of a strange question, but does it matter? I've only used Eheim Liberty HOBs, but they would just be able to swim in and out via the outflow? 

It is actually quite a common question on Plec. keeping forums, _"Why does my Ancistrus/Panaque etc spend all night stuck to the outflow of my Hob filter?" _and I always tell them that they have oxygen issues, and usually they ignore me.

cheers Darrel


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## Garuf (11 Feb 2021)

You'd be right on with the oxygen thing, a lot of plecs come from surprisingly turbulent rivers. 

With hillstreams they're an easy to keep fish if you have high o2 and lower end temp (about 23) but they rarely show their best unless they have those big turnovers to bring out the rafting and flittering behaviour you only get with them, I also found that they didn't colour up when maturing unless they were given good turnover. I also found that when kept in sluggish tanks they were rather short lived compared to those I'd keep in a high turnover set up.


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## Sarpijk (11 Feb 2021)

I have a Hillstream loach tank. I keep Sewelia Lineloata, Gastromyzons Sp. and panda loaches. It is 100 litre with open top and I have never had any loaches venturing outside the tank. The water level is kept around 5 cms under the rim. The only casualty has been a panda loach that jumbed out.


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## tiger15 (11 Feb 2021)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> It is going to sound a bit of a strange question, but does it matter? I've only used Eheim Liberty HOBs, but they would just be able to swim in and out via the outflow?
> 
> ...


The trouble is that you can accidentally crush the loach or isolate it behind the cartridge with no return route when you clean the filter.  It’s hard enough to catch loach in the big tank as they can lay flat, and near impossible when you find them inside a HOB.


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