Clown loaches and Pl*cs

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Scottw68TN

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Sep 15, 2003
Messages
586
Location
Nashville
I have a 75 with 2 Plecs (oh sorry Pl*cs) 3" + 4" 2 medium Apples snails 1" + 2" across, a crab (I think) and of coarse a few community fish.
8 tigers
4 platys
4 Danios
4 tetras
Will 2 clown loaches cause havoc or be too many scavengers.
I will be trading a pl$^%$%$#c in when he hits about 6" to 8"
 
Plec pleco plecostomus *grins* I live on the edge.

I have 3 clowns (the recommended minimum; more is better with them) and an 8 inch plec along with 5 angels in my 55g. No probs at all. I feed em all the stuff recommended for each type, and everybody eats all of it...the loaches suck up the algae wafers, the angels inhale the tropical sinking wafers and the plec thinks angelfish food is delicious. Go figure. Just make sure you offer enough of the correct foods and you should be fine.
 
Would 2 be to agressive for some of the fish I have.
And do they eat 1/2" fry.
3 seems to much for my 75 because of there size.
I'll forgo them all together if 2 won't be nice.
 
Pleco's also love Tubifex worms.

Atleast the ones I've seen do, Its funny to see them hang from the top of the tank, sucking on a tubifex cube, floating like a bobber :p
 
You may find 2 loaches will be extremely skittish; they really like to be in large groups (is why 3 is the recommended minimum). The other guys should be fine, but they may eat the fry. You may want to look at some of the smaller loaches, like yo-yos. Also need a few buddies, but full size are about half the size of the clowns.
 
The lfs I visited today offered a discount on clown loaches if 3 or more were purchased. I did not notice that offer on any other tanks. I guess the owner aggrees with you. :D
 
Damn. All of a sudden I wish I lived in Texas *grin* a discount on loaches?? Too cool.
 
Well I got 3 Yo-Yos 6.00 Each. Not bad since clowns are 9.00. AND I got a Dojo, I would have gotten 2 but they only had one.None of them are shy and went right to work even the dojo hangs out in the front contrary to what I've read about having just one.
 
Pretty much all of the loaches like to be in larger groups. Of course the odd individual might be fine with just having other similar fish as well.
 
I have two clown loaches with 1 pleco 1 red tail shark 6 barbs 2 swordtailsl, and 2 cats. the loaches are doing great. They hide a lot, but i think they are really cool fish
 
One of my new loaches is swimming kinda funny. Jerking sideways and back again. Kinda like a twist. Eats ok but I think hes got a problem.
 
Hrmm..

Does it look sorta like he's trying to rub something off of him? Have you noticed him doing it against stuff in the tank? Does he look like he's breathing heavier then the others?

I believe yoyos are wild caught just as the clowns are. Means they most likely are carrying parasites. Loaches are especally susceptible to ich. Its possible he has ich and is trying to "scratch" them off.
 
Check your water parameters; its always the first thing to do when fish start acting wonky.

For some reason I'm still thinking parasite. Did you QT them before adding them?
 
Parameters are great! a-0 ni-0 na-10ppm. Tetra died!
No I didn't qt this time I have a tank but it was needed to seperate some aggression victims and about 40 mts I'm temporarily housing. The LFS had tese perticular fish for awhile and they are the best shop in town.
 
Loach looks ok now. but 2 tetras died. I got 6 lemon tetras and 3 yo yos all at once. but the load was for a 75 gallon tank. The water didn't change at all. Since this is a loach post I'll ask another question. Do yoyos eat MTS and how? Do they have to be tiny or will a 2 inch loach take on a 1/2 MTS or larger. I would like to get them out of my qt tank but if the yoyos don't control the population I won't.
 
Urgh. Sorry bout the Tetras :(

Your parameters DO look great. I'm betting either they came from the lfs ill (the stress of moving and new parameters may have been enough to trigger things), theres something IN the tank which is causing the fish to die, or your water parameters are very different from the lfs's parameters and the fish couldn't handle the change (my guess). How did you acclimate the new guys? I'm wondering if the Ph levels are very different.

The yoyos will most likely eat the snails; when I was looking for loaches yoyos were originally recommended to me. I got clown loaches only because I couldn't find yoyos. Both are said to eat snails; I KNOW the clowns do LOL I've heard of them even harassing the big apple snails, so I'm guessing even a 1/2" MTS may become a snack.
 
My Barbs harassed a huge apple snail out of the tank! my ph is 7.2 should be the same at the store. I floated the tetras for an hour giving and taking a little water every 15 minutes. the loaches used a hang on type qt thing. After looking at the loaches again one still keeps turning on his side violently then back then goes about his business of finding food and harassing its tank mates. More like getting in there face. I'll tell you what they are holding there own with those barbs.
 
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