Seeking clown loach owners in Honolulu

LeahK

AC Members
Jul 5, 2007
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Hi! Right now I live in beautiful Honolulu, Hawai'i. But at least 1 of the following 2 things will happen in the next 2 years or so, I just don't know which will happen first: either my 4 clown loaches will outgrow my 55-gallon tank, or I will be moving back to the mainland US. Either way, I don't want to wait until the last minute to find a good new owner for my clowns. I'm not ready to face giving them up just yet :headshake2: but I'd love to get in contact with any other forum members and/or responsible clown loach owners who also live on Oahu or in the Honolulu area.
My loaches are very special to me, in part because the largest one was rescued from the local Petland, where his last owner dropped him off after he grew too big for that person's tank. I found him in a tank full of catfish, with a scratch on his head, trying to wedge himself under a piece of driftwood that was way too small for him to effectively hide under. I'm determined that, after being rescued once, this fish will not end up back at a pet store to be sold to someone who won't take proper care of him.
The ideal person would be settled here on Oahu (i.e., you, unlike me, don't plan on moving away), and you'd have a well-maintained 125-gallon tank with room for four clowns. That's my "wish list" for a potential new owner, but I'm definitely willing to negotiate. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in one day adopting my loaches, please post to this thread. Mahalo!
 
Well, I guess this place isn't crawling with fellow islanders. :headshake2:
I had the same problem over at loaches.com, where I posted a similar thread. I'm sure this post will get outdated soon, but please do keep me in mind for the future. Like I said, I'm in no rush yet to re-home my clowns, but if you ever come across someone who lives in Honolulu who has a big enough tank to house them one day, please send him/her my way. Just send me a private message through Aquaria Central. Thanks!
 
Aw, thanks for the bump! But I'm sure this thread won't stay active much longer.... Hopefully, though, enough people have seen it and ya'll will all remember my name for the future.
My next option is the Honolulu Aquarium Society. I'm a member, so I just to get more active in getting the word out about my clowns. I saw just some clowns at a lfs, all of whom were smaller than my biggest clown, and they were going for $31.99! So someone will be getting a great deal from me, since I'll give my guys away for free to the right owner.
 
Well, this is an unexpected option. I was at the Waikiki Aquarium this weekend. It's mostly devoted to saltwater exhibits, but they had a few freshwater tanks, one which had two clown loaches (at least from what I could count). Both were about 4 inches long (which is just a little bit smaller than my biggest clown), and they were living with two discuses and schools of various tetras. The tank was large and heavily planted, with a huge, lovely piece of driftwood in the middle. Like clown loach paradise!
I told the cashier on the way out about my own clowns, and how I'd eventually need to find them new homes. He said that it would not be unheard of for the aquarium to accept donated fish from people's home tanks, and he encouraged me to call on a weekday and speak to one of their specialists.
I sent an email inquiry to the aquarium on Monday morning. If I don't get a response within a week, I'll call. To anyone reading, please think positive thoughts about my clowns getting to go live at the Waikiki Aquarium! It'd be great -- I'd know they'd get good care, they'd live in a large enough tank, and I could even go visit them!
 
Good luck, Leah. I wish I was near you so I could get those clowns but living in Southeast Asia, I hate to think how much I can spend just to ship fish across.:(
 
I spoke with someone at the aquarium today who told me to call back next week when the woman who runs the freshwater tank gets back from vacation. (Funnily enough, her name is Leah too!) He did say that he thinks she might be considering breaking that tank down. I wonder why. I wonder what the aquarium will do with its clowns if that happens.
So, I might be back at square one after I speak with her next week, but I'll keep this thread updated. Who knows, maybe she'll get inspired to do a whole new clown loach tank because of my donations!
And, of course, Lupin I'd totally love to ship you my clowns! That's exactly why I posted here and on loaches.com -- I'm looking for the Lupin or the Emma Turner of Honolulu! I just hope that person actually exists (or the Waikiki Aquarium takes my fish).
 
Ok, please keep the good vibes coming, especially for the next few hours! I spoke with the biologist Leah at the Waikiki Aquarium, and she said that the freshwater tank was slated to be broken down, but she wasn't sure if the aquarium plans to keep their loaches and put them in a new freshwater tank. If that's the case, then she said they might still be able to take mine. She's going to bring it up at a board meeting today! She's supposed to call me back this afternoon and let me know what's up..... Now I just feel nervous, waiting.
 
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