I hate to be this guy...

I certainly agree, and if I had the option, I'd already be starting a 150ish gallon tank. I can't, however, because my folks will not allow me to start another aquarium while I'm living here. That is my only reason behind waiting another 8-12 months before setting up a bigger aquarium, because at that time I'll be moving out on my own and can set up basically whatever I want. If I was currently a home owner... well, rest assured, I'd have a friggin big tank for them, and they'd have a whole bunch of buddies to play with.
 
Will they let you replace your 55 with a 75 or 90 now? They are all 48" long, just 18" deep vice the 12" on the 55.
 
I'd love to, but they won't let me. They insist that this is the largest tank I can keep in this house. (they're not all that knowledgeable about fish... that's pretty much my department) After seeing the size of it though, I really want a 240 now. :-P If only I can find an appartment that'll let me have a 240..... hahahahaha! I guess I should keep dreaming...
 
Don't lose any sleep over you overstocking.

OK... I KNOW I'm overstocked.. most of my fish are small, and I have plans for some as they grow out.. either distributing to friends or moving to another tank.
HOWEVER, i think people blow this "grow into the tank" out of proportion. Those Clowns may not exceed 6"...

There are a lot of things you can do with your fish... get a bigger tank, setup another.. sell them or trade them at the LFS when they start getting too big. The options are endless.. Why have an empty tank because of what may happen 2 years down the road. Not to mention you're basing everything on potential. My son has the potential to be 7' tall, but he could also be 5'3... My point is... do what you like.. if you have problems.. do something about it.

I have 7 Millennium Rainbows that I got cheap because they were so small. When they grow out, I can either keep them, sell them for a profit, or breed them and sell the fry... I haven't decided, but I still have PLENTY of time to decide this.

Therefore.. I'll tell you what's in MY tank... and I'll tell you that they are all happy and very active. I don't see agression or stress... water is clear and nice, and tests out well.. and my fish don't die!

60 gallon Community
1 x Eheim 2213 and 1 x Fluval 405
Heavily planted... NO CO2
7 x Boesmani
2 x Turquoise Rainbows
2 x Small Kissing Gouramis (Wifes fish... when they grow, I can talk wife into bigger tank...)
3 x Clown Loaches
2 x Corey Cats
2 x Blue Rams (I get the most comments on these guys)
1 x Krib
6 x Pristella Tetra
3 x praecox Rainbow
1 x Bristlenose Pleco (who does a great job)


Overstocked? I don't lose fish... and I don't get illnesses. And it looks NICE.

(of course, I also have 3 other active tanks(20l, 37 and 50) and have a 10, 20l and 40g that can be setup on short notice.)
 
The fact that your fish haven't died (yet) DOES NOT mean you are doing everything right. Housing clown loaches in a tank smaller than 180g for extended periods of time will stunt their growth. A fish that dies at 15 instead of 25 has died prematurely.

It is your job, as the person who choose to adopt these fish, to see that they thrive, not merely survive. If you can not/are not willing to do that, you shouldn't have fish.

Get a pet rock.
 
Akysten said:
Don't lose any sleep over you overstocking.

OK... I KNOW I'm overstocked.. most of my fish are small, and I have plans for some as they grow out.. either distributing to friends or moving to another tank.
HOWEVER, i think people blow this "grow into the tank" out of proportion. Those Clowns may not exceed 6"...

There are a lot of things you can do with your fish... get a bigger tank, setup another.. sell them or trade them at the LFS when they start getting too big. The options are endless.. Why have an empty tank because of what may happen 2 years down the road. Not to mention you're basing everything on potential. My son has the potential to be 7' tall, but he could also be 5'3... My point is... do what you like.. if you have problems.. do something about it.

I have 7 Millennium Rainbows that I got cheap because they were so small. When they grow out, I can either keep them, sell them for a profit, or breed them and sell the fry... I haven't decided, but I still have PLENTY of time to decide this.

Therefore.. I'll tell you what's in MY tank... and I'll tell you that they are all happy and very active. I don't see agression or stress... water is clear and nice, and tests out well.. and my fish don't die!

60 gallon Community
1 x Eheim 2213 and 1 x Fluval 405
Heavily planted... NO CO2
7 x Boesmani
2 x Turquoise Rainbows
2 x Small Kissing Gouramis (Wifes fish... when they grow, I can talk wife into bigger tank...)
3 x Clown Loaches
2 x Corey Cats
2 x Blue Rams (I get the most comments on these guys)
1 x Krib
6 x Pristella Tetra
3 x praecox Rainbow
1 x Bristlenose Pleco (who does a great job)


Overstocked? I don't lose fish... and I don't get illnesses. And it looks NICE.

(of course, I also have 3 other active tanks(20l, 37 and 50) and have a 10, 20l and 40g that can be setup on short notice.)
Click to expand...

Encouraging other to purposefully overstock there tank and stunt the growth of their fish is pretty irresponsible! :mad: The bottom line is if you cannot afford to properly house a fish then you should not purchase it.
 
keep in mind also that clown loaches should be kept in 5s or more, they are schoolers. So that with overall size, lets say12-15" need to be both factored in beofre choosing clowns. From what I understand to house a school of CL you need a 240g for them to grow and have enough in there to be happy and feel safe. On the other board I post on, I see a lot of ppl getting clowns and not realize that they need 5-6 minimum to feel safe. Im sure you did your research, and I'm not pulling a heavy on ya, I just had to get rid of 2 because I didnt have a large enough tank to have a school. I have an empty 180g wide that I was going to transfer them in, but still, thats pushing it. Then to have others in there, not enough room. So they went to a good home. Its sucks cause they have great character, but needs tons of room!

JMHO.

Zig.

P.S They can and will live past 50 yrs, some have gone as old as 75, so 25 yrs is only half their life! :)
 
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When I got my clown loaches I was told that 3 would be enough for them to feel secure. However after having them for a year I completely disagree with this idea. I would agree with you that 5 should be considered the minimum group size. As we speak I have 4 more in quarantine waiting to join them when they move to their new 90 gallon home. I would say that a standard 180 gallon could house a nice shoal of loaches till they reached 8-10". At this point they would need a much larger home.

FYI: The oldest known clown loach in captivity is around 40 years old...In the wild they may live longer than humans.
 
I have found that most LFS will not even tell you about the potential size of your new purchase but I have to agree with most when they say If you cannot properly house your fish perhaps you should stay with something smaller.
 
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