View Full Version : my new loach thread
evelyn80
01-28-2009, 5:31 PM
today i bought a clown at a different lfs. did i mention this is my FIRST loach? :thm: here is the pics! ill post pics to when i get my other clowns and kuhlis!
jackiomy
01-28-2009, 5:45 PM
Hurry and get more! They get neurotic fast without buddies. :)
He's a cutie patootie.
evelyn80
01-28-2009, 6:02 PM
neurotic? care to elaborate jacki? would he be alright till friday on his own?
groovitudedude
01-28-2009, 6:30 PM
They like friends. Lots and lots of friends. They love to shoal.
Jeremy Smith
01-28-2009, 9:07 PM
You should be ok till friday. Just don't put it off. The sooner the better but no need to panic.
grannylvsfish
01-28-2009, 9:22 PM
they need several buddys ( 6 I believe ) and they grow huge so you will need a very large tank. you do have a very large tank right? I wanted these but my 55 was to small . :(
evelyn80
01-29-2009, 10:52 AM
im getting a bigger tank as they grow granny plus there all 1 inch so no rush...
Nolapete
01-29-2009, 10:54 AM
3 is about the minimum, but the more the merrier. I have 7 in my 90 and they are crazy funny together.
im getting a bigger tank as they grow granny plus there all 1 inch so no rush...
Clown loaches grow too fast to be kept in a tank that small period. Keeping them in a tank that small "stunts" their growth so it appears as if they are growing slow, so using that as a judgment is useless. If you have the ability as you say to keep them in a bigger tank you should do so immediately. A 75 gallon is a more appropriate starter home for loaches. They should be able to live there for several years.
jackiomy
01-29-2009, 11:11 AM
I only had two and they were like glued together and wouldn't come out except at night and even then they were scared of everything. I gave them to a guy from MFK and he sent me pics of them in a huge tank with 5 buddies and they were swimming around like mad and looked very content.
evelyn80
01-29-2009, 11:54 AM
i read on many different sources including AC they grow at an inch a year... ???
jackiomy
01-29-2009, 11:57 AM
Mine got to be 4 inches in about a year and a half.
evelyn80
01-29-2009, 12:08 PM
oh boy...
i read on many different sources including AC they grow at an inch a year... ???
I am sorry you were misinformed, but that is absolutely not true. Clown loaches should grow very fast to 4"-5" inches in their first year. After they reach this size then they typically grow about 1/2"-1" in length per year, however they also grow a lot in width and height as well.
That being said even small Clown loaches produce huge amounts of waste and as mentioned already should be kept in small groups 5-7 minimum. The experts at Loaches.com recommend a 75 gallon tank minimum as the starting tank for keeping them properly.
evelyn80
01-29-2009, 12:14 PM
dang dang dang!! well it looks like through this misinfo and "bad lfs advice" i have an excuse to get a bigger tank :D
dang dang dang!! well it looks like through this misinfo and "bad lfs advice" i have an excuse to get a bigger tank :D
Good plan! :headbang2:
Just for reference purposes my oldest clown loach (almost 4 years) is just over 6" in length and about 8" around. However I also have one that is half that age and is of equal size.
evelyn80
01-29-2009, 1:24 PM
hows a 125 sound h3d? :D LMAO the p's aint gonna be pleased but whatever these loaches win anyday!
hows a 125 sound h3d? :D LMAO the p's aint gonna be pleased but whatever these loaches win anyday!
A 125 gallon should last them 5+ years, Then you'll have to go even bigger. ;)
Here is a great article about clowns, with all the details about their behavior and eventual tank-size requirements: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/clown-loach-chromobotia-macracanthus
I did basically the same thing as you--I asked the guy at the lfs (the manager, actually :mad2:) "Will these fish be ok in my 20 gallon tank?" And of course he said "Sure! Just keep your water clean!" Then I came home and read that article on loaches.com. :irked:
I thought about taking them back, but I couldn't stand the thought of that d*** manager selling them to someone with a fishbowl, so I upgraded to a 55 within a month and kept them for about another year, while I worked on finding them a suitable home. I'm happy to say they're with a new owner who is in the process of buying a 180 gallon! (They're in his 75 while he gets the bigger one.)
But anyway, I wanted to let you know, mine were also about 1.5-2 inches when I got them, and they more than doubled in size over the course of that year. And they don't just grown longer, they get fatter and taller. Just seeing them in my 55 made ME feel cramped.
I loved my clowns, but the more I learn about them, the more I feel like they should be advertised as EXPENSIVE specialty fish for dedicated hobbyists with seriously huge tanks. But then of course the stores wouldn't make so much money off them. The funny thing is, I went to the lfs that day looking for cory catfish, but the manager said that my gravel would wear down their barbels, and he recommended the clown loaches instead. Guess which fish cost more? :)
Edit: I should add, though, go for the kuhlis! They are also totally cute and fun to watch, and they are suitably sized for your tank. Maybe you could even mix them with some panda cories, and still have the black-and-orange bottom-dweller combo going on. :)
evelyn80
01-29-2009, 7:42 PM
A 125 gallon should last them 5+ years, Then you'll have to go even bigger. ;)
my 1000+ gallon pool!!! lmao
leahk: i ordered kuhlis to i have to move some of my fish in my 35 downstairs to my 15. man i cant believeit!! im so mad i got wrong info! an incha year why in god did i believe that! oh well its an excuse for a bigger tank. besides ive got a plan for them :) im gonna get a longer wider storage tub thats sort of tallish for them that should keep them good. then hook up syphon tubes so the water is added and cleaned in my 35 as well as have a penguin 150 on it