Clown loach infatuation

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goalorientation

Aquarium Advice Activist
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May 25, 2006
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I've three Clown Loaches (botia macracanthus) 1.5" in my 29g with cichlids from all over the world. Two of them were in my dad's community 30 and nearly annhilated his snail population. Are clown loaches even considered an aggressive fish?? cause I know the stores don't consider them such. They can be kept with just about any fish of the same size, but be careful because the other fish(es) could easily outgrow them for these beauties grow very slow. I'm talking like 1/16th of an inch in 6 months! These "community fish" beat my cichlids to breakfast and supper. Any cautions as we make the transfer from juvenile to adulthood, in regard to water parameters? These clown loaches are all over the tank and I avoid choosing favorites but they sure give the black shark (labeo chrysophekadion [in different tank]) a run for its money. Are clown loaches as sensitive to good water conditions as they seem? because given the clean and correct environment, they really thrive (though this may be true with all fish).
 
The biggest concern I have is that they are in a 29 gal tank. Clown loaches grow far too large for a tank of that size. Do you have plans to upgrade?
 
We'e got 5 Clowns in a 90....they're ~2".....the most fun fish to watch. They are not afraid of anything, especially when it comes to food. They seem to try to attach themselves to a gourami, or other larger fish as the food draws all together. They won't back off even when a 3" Golden Wonder Killie hammers into the shoal.
Yet, no offensive is taken by any of the fish back @ the Clowns.

I wouldn't worry about having them grow too large for your tank for quite a while. They grow very slowly, even though they seem to constantly eat most anything put in front of them. A year from now, they might double to 3"+ and you'll love 'em so much, you'll want to buy 'em a bigger house.

CH
 
Yeah they're like the referees of the tank and they're the smallest! They give my convicts kisses all the time, along with the jewel cichlids.
 
i love clown loaches. I have two right now, will soon be buying more (they are $8.49 each though, so I don't buy a bunch at one time.) I plan to eventually have between 3 and 5 in my 55g. By the time they start to outgrow it, i will probably have a bigger place, and a bigger tank to move them into.

I only buy the ones with funky stripes though. One has four stripes instead of three, and the other ones middle stripe is curved at the dorsal fin like a puzzle piece instead of straight. I had one with the same curved stripe, and a spot in between two stripes, but he died in my last ich battle a few months ago.
 
hsherman1986, You'll notice a difference in the way they play when you get a third one. The third is like the "magic number" for getting them to act like everyone says they do. Very active colorful fun fish to have around. Not aggressive, but can surely hold their own when an aggressor comes at them.
 
JRagg said:
Not aggressive, but can surely hold their own when an aggressor comes at them.

Boy is that right! My 3 clowns deal with a blood parrot, 3 jewel cichlids, and 2 convicts with the greatest of ease!
 
JRagg said:
hsherman1986, You'll notice a difference in the way they play when you get a third one. The third is like the "magic number" for getting them to act like everyone says they do. Very active colorful fun fish to have around. Not aggressive, but can surely hold their own when an aggressor comes at them.

I used to have three at once, but one died from ich, one died from internal parasites, and the third at that point went back to the lfs. Then I decided i wanted to keep them again, so slowly but surely...:D Hopfully I will be able to buy the third on friday (waiting for the next shipment to come in)
 
I would love to have clowns again in my tank. I have gone through so many. I bought three, and two died from ick. I bought two more to replace those, and then all three just kept wasting away. They just would not eat. I bought shrimp pellets especially for them, but they would not touch anything. It was sad, and so I am afraid to buy three more to try again.
 
hsherman1986 I wouldn't recommend buying them from the LFS right when they come in, cuz they're so stressed out and very easily susceptible to sickness. The conditions of transport are questionable for the particular pet store corporate I work for, and I wouldn't be surprised if all others are likewise. Give them at least a few weeks to settle in. Their freakin' employees should know better than to sell them so fast, but hey- they're not allowed to refuse a sale. The clown loach is a very delicate fish, and come from the Indonesian area. That being said, transportation is quite a ways and a lot of fish don't make it to where they ultimately go. Make sure to look for active and plump ones when selecting.
 
[quoteMake sure to look for active and plump ones when selecting.] Yes, we're into our third week on a foursome of clowns that arrived plump as you say. They joined a single CL that is a bit smaller and not as plump. Now I'm noticing the new clowns are not as plump as when they arrived. All are healthy looking otherwise. I wonder if I'm not feeding enough...........the thing with the stomach the size of the eye doesn't seem to fit imo. These clown go crazy for most anything I feed. Lately, mosquito larvae has been a treat nearly every day. These clowns will take food from largr fish's mouths if they can....so it's not like they are missing opportunities.

Should I be feeding more to make them plump?

CH
 
They like blood worms and beat my CA cichs to flakes. I try and trick em by throwing shrimp pellets in but keep em low cuz i think they up the bio output. My juve's are like 2" and fed 2x daily... I noticed the ones at a petco i interviewed for today are big like 6" but are missing that nice red color in their fins. I think that's where the health really reflects. Anyway I read somewhere that a fat loach is a healthy loach.
 
6" @ the LFS. Wow...how old would they be? Are they wild caught or from somebody's tank?

CH
 
Mine grew an inch prolly in half a year so maybe 2 years or so bein they're on a once a day/every other day schedule. Anyone exp. w/bigger loaches?/growth rate?

I would think bred in captivity somehow though its very rare, being that most all the fish we get are from breeders (not fishermen!).
 
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