A little peak at the lfs I go to

[RedDevil83]

Well two 2.5 inch clown loaches for 20 bucks was a deal I couldnt resist and they have good hiding spots inside the hollow logs. They guy at the lfs had both in a tank smaller than mine. Said he's had them awhile and had a hard time selling so that's why I got them for cheap..it was a bad location for him I guess. Not many customers.

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[sinibotia]

Well two 2.5 inch clown loaches for 20 bucks was a deal I couldnt resist and they have good hiding spots inside the hollow logs. They guy at the lfs had both in a tank smaller than mine. Said he's had them awhile and had a hard time selling so that's why I got them for cheap..it was a bad location for him I guess. Not many customers.

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It's partly about the cichlid aggression, so the logs help. But it's also about water quality. Clown loaches hail from waters that are literally akin to what discus are found in- ranging from very low hardness to outright blackwater blackwater (undetectable KH). Although they adapt to it better than discus, it's really just not good to keep them in water so far at the other end of the spectrum. And 60 gallons is ok for them for a while, but they can max out at anywhere from 9 to 14 inches, so it's no good for them for the long term.

Still, glad that they're getting better care than at an LFS. Please don't take it as an attack! Just sharing knowledge about some of my favorite fish

 

[RedDevil83]

It's partly about the cichlid aggression, so the logs help. But it's also about water quality. Clown loaches hail from waters that are literally akin to what discus are found in- ranging from very low hardness to outright blackwater blackwater (undetectable KH). Although they adapt to it better than discus, it's really just not good to keep them in water so far at the other end of the spectrum. And 60 gallons is ok for them for a while, but they can max out at anywhere from 9 to 14 inches, so it's no good for them for the long term.

Still, glad that they're getting better care than at an LFS. Please don't take it as an attack! Just sharing knowledge about some of my favorite fish

I know it's not an attack, no offense taken, everything you said is true but they are not big enough to cause too much concern and I will get them the home they need.

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[sinibotia]

I know it's not an attack, no offense taken, everything you said is true but they are not big enough to cause too much concern and I will get them the home they need.

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I just wanted to be sure. Some people (including me sometimes) have a tendency to jump down people's throats about fishkeeping faux pas. I know you 're a good fishkeeper!

 

[RedDevil83]

I do need to clean my decor though it's growing bb fast. Did a 50 percent wc but didn't wipe the decor. Got the gravel though helps when you have a sink to tank suction device lol

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[TMRC Exotics]

While were on the subject of clowns sini, in your opinion how (and why) essential is it these fish are in groups and what would you consider a minimum group #?

Secondly have you actually seen tank raised 14 inch specimens (even 12"?) because I find it hard to believe at their growth rate. I've seen some around 10 years old in the 8 inch area that I know were properly cared for.

 

[sinibotia]

While were on the subject of clowns sini, in your opinion how (and why) essential is it these fish are in groups and what would you consider a minimum group #?

Secondly have you actually seen tank raised 14 inch specimens (even 12"?) because I find it hard to believe at their growth rate. I've seen some around 10 years old in the 8 inch area that I know were properly cared for.

Very essential. They're like wolves- they have a "pack"-like social structure in groups. It doesn't kill them to keep them alone, but it can drastically change their behavior and make them either incredibly shy or very aggressive. And of course they are not happy in that state. I would say a minimum group is 3, but 5 is highly preferable. With just two, you have a dominant loach and a non-dominant loach which can lead to the "lower" loach getting harassed incessantly. More is always better.

I know I saw a picture around somewhere, a while back, of a clown loach up against a tape measure that was around 13.5 inches from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. I'm going internet-diving to find it but in the meantime have a picture of Marge, an 11.5 inch clown loach

 

[LayzorBeams]

That fish looks like a striped potato. Just saying...


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[sinibotia]

This isn't the photo I was remembering, but it's one hell of a clown loach, and the person who snapped the picture said it was his "2nd largest":

 

[PoppaRyno]

I have a 9 1/2 14yr old clown loach.

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[TMRC Exotics]

OK, is it fair to say that generally most adults seen tend to be around 10" with some reaching larger? I've had a heck of a time reliably finding data on any over 10"?

I guess what I'm asking is how many have you personally encountered above around 10"?

 

[sinibotia]

Their growth and adult size is definitely variable, but they also live decades and require groups, which is why IMO 100 gallon/6 foot tank is the minimum. Even assuming you get just three and they only get 10 inches, that's prettymuch two oscars worth of bioload right there.

I would say 10-11 inches is the norm. I've witnessed some 12" and one time, a 13".

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Alright. That answers about most of my questions. I've been looking at the little guys a while and considered rescuing a few from my LFS. I would start them in a smaller tank. In your opinion at what size would they outgrow a 4 foot tank? Say a 55 just to limit the floor space further, I would expect a group of 3 to be fine on up to 7-8 inches, would you agree?

 

[sinibotia]

Alright. That answers about most of my questions. I've been looking at the little guys a while and considered rescuing a few from my LFS. I would start them in a smaller tank. In your opinion at what size would they outgrow a 4 foot tank? Say a 55 just to limit the floor space further, I would expect a group of 3 to be fine on up to 7-8 inches, would you agree?

As long as you keep up with water quality as they get bigger, that would be totally fine. I've done that in the past, and it's fine as long as you stay on top of providing an upgrade when it's needed. Definitely get as many as you can- even a group of 5 would be good up to around 7-8 inches.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Their growth and adult size is definitely variable, but they also live decades and require groups, which is why IMO 100 gallon/6 foot tank is the minimum. Even assuming you get just three and they only get 10 inches, that's prettymuch two oscars worth of bioload right there.

I would say 10-11 inches is the norm. I've witnessed some 12" and one time, a 13".

They really have that much bioload as adults??? Dang....


Caleb

 

[sinibotia]

They really have that much bioload as adults??? Dang....


Caleb

Just look at that big girl! Does she look easy on a biofilter to you? They're comparable in size and in diet to an oscar as adults so I think it's a fair comparison for bioload.

Or compare it to an arrowana....

 

[RedDevil83]

That fish looks like a striped potato. Just saying...


Sent from my bed, the only space available to me that isn't smothered in dirty laundry or aquariums.

Lol!

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[TMRC Exotics]

I have a 9 1/2 14yr old clown loach.

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How big?

 

[RedDevil83]

Pics please!

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[brennae]

Not to burst in on this topic but I know a guy who has a whole group of Clown loaches that are over 20 years old. I did see them a few times for myself and they are in a 200 gallon tank. They swam all over the tank. They had hidey holes but mostly they were out and dancing around. In my estimation most of them were 10 inches + long. They were not quite as fat as Sini's first pic but they were all really colorful. Next time I see the owner I'm going to ask how long the longest one is for you all.

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