Companion for Dwarf Gourami & Clown Loach

[Gomisan]

I have bought a new tank, in the short term it's a hospital tank for my Dwarf Gourami, and it's recovering well from some fin rot.

When I've finished treating him, I want to move my Clown Loach into the tank, as it's a bit bigger than the current one.

I am planning on adding maybe 2 or 3 more clown loaches, and I'd like to have 1 or 2 more fish to join the Gourami. So I'd love to hear suggestions.

The Serpae & Neon tetras I currently have will stay in the older smaller tank, I suspect the Serpae's were the cause of the fin damage in the first place.

(BTW - the tank is 45L and has medium to soft water, with a pH of 7.5 and temps is constant at around 28C.)

[YoFishboy]

Hey Gomisan..clown loaches are a great fish..i have several..however a 45l/12g tank is really too small for loaches...they really should have some room and be kept in a group...they can also get up to a foot in length...however about 8 inches or so is a more common size found in an aquarium after many years...they can live for decades! A 200l/55g tank is really an ideal minimum size for clown loaches. A few peaceful tetras or the like might be better companions for the dwarf gourami. Good luck with the fin rot!

[Gomisan]

The Loaches would certainly be moved to a bigger tank before their size became an issue. I've got enough tetra's already :) But I understand your concern.

Maybe I just need to be a bit more patient and leave him to be an 'only loach' for a bit longer.

So in that case? What might suit the Gourami as a companion?

Some that interest me include: Red-Tailed Black Shark, Electric Yellow Labs, or a Blue Chicilid.

I'm really open to suggestions though. I'd prefer something with a vivid colour to stand out in the tank, and that doesn't mind being solo. Low aggression is a factor too.

[YoFishboy]

Well, again, I think that you are considering fish that are both too aggressive and large for your tank...dwarf gouramis are good community fish for similar sized, peaceful fish....how about some Harlequin rasboras? Cherry barbs?Again, think small, peaceful. You really don't have too much room in a tank that small. Good Luck!

[Darwin]

Personally, I would forget about the loaches until you have a much bigger tank. I started out with two loaches (90L tank) not realising just how big they get - I was told by the LFS that they wouldn't get bigger than 15 cm and they were right since mine died pretty soon after I got them. Even if they got too 15 cm that is still too big for a 90L tank much less a 45 L tank.

I can't tell you how guilty I feel about buying two very adorable wild caught fish that have a potential life span of 30 plus years and putting them in a much too small tank which no doubt contributed to their premature demise.

Please don't make the same mistake. If I were in your shoes I would return the poor lonely loach to the LFS and wait until you actually have that bigger tank and can create a good place for a group of loaches. OR just get that bigger tank now !!! From the sounds of your other posts you might have more trouble convincing your girlfriend that a 55 G tank is the same as your 38 L but with different dimensions !!!

[Gomisan]

LOL, you think she'll notice a nice 3 foot+ tank in the living room???

The local fish stores here do not accept fish returns. So the loach stays, but will be moved into progessivly bigger tanks as and when I can.

[YoFishboy]

LOL, you think she'll notice a nice 3 foot+ tank in the living room???


Hey....aquariums are "fine furniture", the centerpiece of the living room....oh and, by the way, 55g tanks are 4 feet long..DOH!

[Gomisan]

I'm looking at deeper than average aquariums if I get a bigger one, probably custom made as there is a local guy who has very reasonable prices.

OK.. now we're getting off topic.

Any more fish suggestions (I don't really like the Cherry barbs or Harlequins I'd researched them a little earlier.)

[Darwin]

What about blue rams - they are very pretty and not aggressive. I'd like to keep them but I don't have room and i don't think they'd go so well with serpaes and giant danios.

[Gomisan]

here's a thought. What about a Rainbow? Melanotaenia trifasciata.

It's an Australian fish, and smaller than some of the other rainbows get.

To be honest, I may end up not getting any more fish at all for this tank. All the fish I look at, or want are larger and would want more space than I have.

The smaller fish I like, wish are few, are things like the tetras I already have.

[Gomisan]

It's academic now, whether the Loach should have been in the tank. I found him on the floor this morning.

I have no idea what happened. He hadn't shown any signs previously of being a jumper. But the tank, though glass covered, has a cut-out in the glass for the filter/pipes/cables etc. He must have jumped through that, and flopped about on top till he fell off.

I'm really upset, he was like a little puppy or something, always sniffing about the tank, and excited to see you.

[Pufferpoison]

i hate to be blunt, but that was way too small for a loach. Loaches MUST have other loaches to be happy and healthy. They are very playful and companionship is a must. The tank was way too small and unfortunately, you found that out the hard way. Sorry for your loss. In the future, please research before you buy fish.