PlanetCatfish.com

Hi,

here is my background info

65gal community, 5 months old
48" T5NO coralife - 8 hrs / day
air pump + air stone - 8 hrs / day
150W heater
lace rock deco, driftwood, eco-complete planted substrate with top layer of play sand


paramters:
81F
7.8 pH
0 amm
0 nit
10-20 nitrate
weekly 25% change + prime dose

stock: I have 4 juvenile plecos: 2 X L333 hypan., 1 X L260 queen arab. and 1 X L66 king tiger , 5 cardinal tetras, and 5 mollies. All fish in tank since 3 months. Not much bioload.


PROBLEM: L066 king tiger

my L66 doesn't seem to be thriving as my other 3 juveniles, which are feeding heavily and growing rapidly. All it does is come out at night and swim the parameter of the tank, along the glass and even along the surface, in a seemingly attempt to escape or jump? It does not stop swimming, and ignores my rapashy meat pie, SERA catfish wafer, and even tetra bits. Eyes seem ok, but his belly i am worried, it isn't sunken but its really thin. Is this signs of stress, how can I help increase its appetite?

Just a couple of things...

You only have the airstone switched on for 8 hours a day? Which 8 hours? Generally, Hypancistrus come from highly oxygenated waters 24/7. This may have an impact.

Secondly, and probably less importantly, i'm not a fan of deep substrates or substrates where one medium is topped off with another. Pool sand is very fine & great on its own but perhaps not, over the top of another medium, i'd be concerned about stagnation as the medium is not turned over & there may be build up of gases.

thanks for the tips, i increase temp from 80 to 82.5F and left aeration on full time, the L66 seems more willing to locate food rather than swimming continuously.

High oxygenation is very important at increased temperatures as the higher temps generally have less oxygen in the water

Richard B wrote:High oxygenation is very important at increased temperatures as the higher temps generally have less oxygen in the water

Not only is there a generality or correlation, higher temperature causes decreased gas solubility. I have bubblers on all my loricariid tanks, and powerheads on most of them.