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This is a disaster waiting to happen, cichlids are aggresive and this loach needs a 200gal tank when it gets bigger. They get massive about a foot long and a 55 is no where near big enough. Sure he is small now but in about a year he will be 10" and too big. I think you should upgrade to a 200 and put 6 in there because they are a very social fish.
I have to agree with Jason here, keep the long term in mind. If you plan to get him a suitable home in the future then that's one thing, but just know that these fish get huge and really should be in groups.
I know what you mean. Lots of fish grow slowly, but a 55g is not a suitable tank size for a group of adult clown loaches, so it's hard to o.k. it with the long term in mind. All kinds of tank setups can work for all kinds of fish if it's only short term, but for fish that live a decade or two it's just a good idea to plan for the future, or at least advise according to it.
I got together and they are snuggle and "sleep" in a little cave together just fine. School follow and dance together all the time. Even go solo out and search around. I would like one more of roughly the same size. But it's hard to find them that large. Let alone find them at all.
200gal is what they would need for them to be happy, they like to explore and play around with their friends. These fish are extremely sociable and love eachothers company. Trust me if you want them to thrive the larger the better
I could see a group of 4-5 in my 125 but they'd be the centerpiece, and honestly I'd still like to go bigger for their sake. I actually really like clown loaches and seriously considered getting a group of them but opted not to because I never plan to have a much larger tank than the 125.
I've seen some on display that literally look like professional size footballs rummaging around on the bottom.