75 gallon

[scootie1282]

I have a 75 gallon, fully cycled tank with a couple of clown loaches that will be upgraded when needed. They are still like 4 inches. Any suggestions on what fish to put with them? I can't decide!!! Thank you!

 

[Byron]

Can you provide your water parameters (tap water), GH and pH particularly?

A caution on the clown loaches, species Chromobotia macracanthus; you need to add two or preferably three more to the two as soon as you possibly can. Loaches are very highly social fish, and a group put together in an aquarium will quite quickly develop an hierarchy. This is crucial to their state of well-being. And before you say it, if you do , what is occurring within the minds of the two loaches is not likely going to be evident to you, but if left too long may become apparent down the road with increased disease and even death. And the increased aggression from stress may cause them to lash out at other species too.

You do realize this fish attains 12 inches on average, though some report 16 inches; between 8 and 12 inches is normal in an aquarium, and growth from the 2 inch size often available in shops to 5 inches is quite rapid. This means a group of five or six will need a 6-foot tank.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Clown loaches grow to big, I would say. bichirs! Here’s an article about them that I wrote:https://www.fishforums.net/threads/an-illustrated-article-to-the-bichir-folio-1.475855/

I highly recommend you read it. It is very formal, and Bichirs are very rewarding fish.

If those don’t suit your fancy I would go for an interactive fish such as a Flowerhorn. Not sure if you could upgrade in the future, but a 75 would be the bare minimum. They play with ping pong balls, decorate the tank themselves, and so Many other things. Of course, you would need to remove the clown loaches, I think you should anyway, tbh. They grow big, and like big groups.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

As Byron had mentioned, the choice of your fish will depend on your water GH and pH.
You can check your tap water company website for the tap water analysis.
Check the water hardness and pH.

If you have low GH & pH(soft water) you can go for South American and Asian fish.

But if you have hardwater(high GH, pH), you can go for African fish and live bearers (Guppies, Mollies, Platies) or Rainbow fish.

If you have soft water:
For South American fish, you can consider a group of Earth eaters(the smaller species) such as the Guianacara species. Red Head Tapajos probably may work though some prefer to get a 6ft tank for them.

Also, keep some Tetras schooling fish that are bigger in size such as Congo Tetras, Colombian Tetras, etc.

Personally, I don't like Clown Loaches as they will grow too large and ugly when they are big.

Some info:

Guianacara & Cichlasoma - Venezuela | Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine

The husbandry of all forms of Guianacara species in the aquarium is identical. Learn more about these species.

www.tfhmagazine.com