Clown Loach & Neons.. bad start?

Yes, freshwater fish love freshwater. You haven't mentioned if you have chlorine or chloramine in your water. You can find out from your water company. If you do have chloramine then you will need a special water conditioner liek Prime or Amquel that not only breaks the chloramine bond but deals with the ammonia. Regular conditioners deal only with the chlorine part.
 
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