Clown Loach Survey

[itiwhetu]

Never kept them but kept other loaches. Seen enough to know what the deal is, they dont have very difficult care needs IMO - keep them in a group, sand substrate etc. But they do get very big... eventually.

For me they are so common in the hobby and they grow so slowly most of the time a 4 foot tank is going to be their best chance. With some fish for example an Arrowana, people not buying or returning them after research online will stop stores from stocking them excessivly but Clown Loaches are a fish that are popular with people who wont research etc and as discussed here imported in their thousands so what ever we say most of them are going to end up in bad tanks. Like Common Plecos and a few other species a four foot tank is the best most could hope for and if its a dedicated aquarist, weekly water changes, cycled tank, good food etc I think thats a good position to be in - given the scale of the industry selling them.

So IMO 4 foot is ok but if someone here was asking for advice, I'd suggest a different loach like a Skunk or YoYo.

Wills

Thank you @Wills that is the sort of considered opinion that I was hoping for in this thread, not ideal but the best we can hope for. I am not all for keeping clown loaches but people will purchase them and therefore there needs to be a realistic approach to them being kept in aquariums.

 

[seangee]

I had a group of 3 from 2004 - 2016. I am pretty sure I started with 5. No idea on the dimensions of the tank but it was 450 litres. I rehomed them when I downsized my tank. New tank is 1m long (3.3'). The smallest was around 11" and the largest aron 14" by then and there was no way they could have made it in the new tank.

I did manage to keep an eye on them for a few years because my LFS kept them in one of their big display tanks. I lost track when they did a store revamp but they told me one of their staff (a real enthusiast who was also a breeder of other fish) took them home.

I still have a bristlenose from that tank (also bought in 2004) but gave away his 3 friends when I downsized.

 

[anewbie]

I put 5 in my 120 (4ftx2ftx2ft) 2 years ago. This summer I added 2 more tiny ones (unsure if one of the new ones has the skinnies); next year I'll move them into a 450 (10ftx3ftx2ft) and add 3 or 4 more bringing the total to 10 or 11. I'll leave them in that tank but if height of 2 ft proves problematic when they get larger then I might stick em in the basement in a taller tank. Their tankmate are angelfishes, tetra, zebra loaches, yoyo and pleco. The largest of the 5 original is now pushing 6 inches so they have grown pretty fast for clown loaches. I'm not super fond of yoyo loaches but the zebra loaches are really nice - all the loaches will glass surf together when they are in the mood which makes for a rather rowdy crowd at times esp with the smaller zebra next to the larger clowns.

 

[Colin_T]

A tank that is 2 foot high is fine for loaches.

 

[anewbie]

A tank that is 2 foot high is fine for loaches.

Not sure; despite your reassurance. I saw someone with a 20 year old clown that was over 11 inches in a 12ft x 3ft x 3ft tank and it was not a small thing quickly moving from end to end. They were trying to breed it but the 20 year old male jumped out. Doubt they would have been able to breed it but some one i trust reported their yoyo bred in a tank that was well not what you would expect. It was setup for the kids and had fluorescent substrate and well kid type of objects in the tank.... Anyway we shall see - I am a bit surprise how large they have gotten the past 2 years - hopefully they will slow down a little this year.

 

[ShinySideUp]

Old thread I know but just seen it as don't get here very often.

I have six Clown Loaches in a 6 foot, 700 litre tank and for years they have been absolutely fine: no ammonia, no nitrites and enough nitrates to keep the Vallisnaria going for years too; weekly water changes. I haven't added any new fish, new decorations or anything new at all for over five years but all of a sudden I have a major problem. My largest Clowns are having serious skin problems and look like their skin is sloughing off, like a snake's. I looked online but there was nothing useful so I phoned my LFS and found an experienced Clown Loach owner who had had this problem himself some fifteen years ago and actually lost one of his fish before he found out the problem. I took a water sample to him and he tested it for all the usual -- all fine -- but he suspected the pH was off and tested it. It was below 5 (as far as his test kit would go) and was exactly the same problem he had. The answer? Crushed oyster shells. I have put some in tonight and will see how the fish are tomorrow.

As I understand it:

Apparently, the pH of the water here in Cornwall is artificially 7 but there is no calcium carbonate in the water and as such the pH drops over years as the substrate loses its CC to the tank water. The acidity increases to the point where clown loaches can no longer tolerate it and they reach a tipping point where they will die within a few days if nothing is done. After his water checks revealed the low pH I bought some crushed oyster shell and put them in the filter this evening. I will update over the next couple of days in case anyone else comes across this with their Clowns.

 

[GaryE]

I had them for years. I should have had them for decades.

It's something I repeat, so you can put me on mute, but why plan for failure? They will grow if you you allow them to. And as social fish, they will outgrow your tank. The only way you can avoid that is if you expect them to die young in your conditions, and that's hardly a good starting point for any aquarist with skills.
I kept mine when I was way newer at this, and should never have have given in to temptation and bought them. They are beauties, but.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

I currently have 5 small ones in my 4ft, which is 2ft high. Had two for a couple months because the shop only had a couple at the time, but got another three today. Very tiny, only delivered to the shop recently, and are already so friendly towards the older two. The older two aren't big at all either, maybe just under an inch and a half. As for the new ones, maybe even less than an inch.

Had kept one before, got it as a gift from my dad when I first started with my 2ft. Was a friend to the red tail shark, then carked it a couple months later due to ich.

So far, I've had no problem keeping them in this tank. My only regret is not having gotten them some companions sooner. Feel like they're definitely underappreciated, but do need proper TLC if you want them to thrive.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I had them for years. I should have had them for decades.

It's something I repeat, so you can put me on mute, but why plan for failure? They will grow if you you allow them to. And as social fish, they will outgrow your tank. The only way you can avoid that is if you expect them to die young in your conditions, and that's hardly a good starting point for any aquarist with skills.
I kept mine when I was way newer at this, and should never have have given in to temptation and bought them. They are beauties, but.

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I'm the same, I bought them years ago in my naivete but I've done my best for them and they've taken up a large proportion of my living room with their tank; I cannot go any bigger. Until today, they have been in rude health and the tank is a veritable 'knocking shop' for bristle-nosed catfish and there are about forty of them now, from one breeding pair, lurking amongst the copious quantities of wood. I try to grow algae where other folk are trying to get rid of it! .

 

[ShinySideUp]

I currently have 5 small ones in my 4ft, which is 2ft high. Had two for a couple months because the shop only had a couple at the time, but got another three today. Very tiny, only delivered to the shop recently, and are already so friendly towards the older two. The older two aren't big at all either, maybe just under an inch and a half. As for the new ones, maybe even less than an inch.

Had kept one before, got it as a gift from my dad when I first started with my 2ft. Was a friend to the red tail shark, then carked it a couple months later due to ich.

So far, I've had no problem keeping them in this tank. My only regret is not having gotten them some companions sooner. Feel like they're definitely underappreciated, but do need proper TLC if you want them to thrive.

Like it or not. you'll need at least six-footer eventually. They grow bigger and they get uglier!!

For smaller tanks I would heartily recommend Zebra loaches, they do much the same as Clown loaches without the problems of large tanks and seemingly almost as long lived.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Like it or not. you'll need at least six-footer eventually. They grow bigger and they get uglier!!

For smaller tanks I would heartily recommend Zebra loaches, they do much the same as Clown loaches without the problems of large tanks and seemingly almost as long lived.

I'm aware, but thank you for the advice! As I've already said, they're still all very small and won't grow to full size overnight. I already have plans for a 6ft, since the feller in my profile pic will be packing on some pounds in the years to come.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I'm aware, but thank you for the advice! As I've already said, they're still all very small and won't grow to full size overnight. I already have plans for a 6ft, since the feller in my profile pic will be packing on some pounds in the years to come.

Can't see it clearly but I'm assuming it is a pleco from your comment. I used to live in Maidenhead and was very near the original shop of Maidenhead Aquatics, they used to have a large, floor-level, tank in which they kept the plecos that people had handed in. When fully grown, they are absolutely massive beasts but they seemed quite comfortable in their home there. I expect they ended up on some niche restaurant's menu at some point

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

Can't see it clearly but I'm assuming it is a pleco from your comment. I used to live in Maidenhead and was very near the original shop of Maidenhead Aquatics, they used to have a large, floor-level, tank in which they kept the plecos that people had handed in. When fully grown, they are absolutely massive beasts but they seemed quite comfortable in their home there. I expect they ended up on some niche restaurant's menu at some point

That sounds wonderful. I used to work at a Maidenhead shop, they just kept the plecs in the sumps at the bottom of the systems. Mostly commons as you'd expect, one big one (around 1ft) called Kong, used to love going in to see him in the mornings! Some really gorgeous ones in there. And yes, it's a plec - sailfin pleco (pterygoplichthys gibbiceps) - called Pocoyo. Been my little guy since last January.

 

[Uberhoust]

I personally have never kept clown loaches but my father kept a group of 5 clown loaches, from about 1968 to 1975. They lived in a very large custom tank till 1970 (guess about 200 gallons). We then moved and my father took the clown loaches and a 55 gallon tank with us for the move and the loaches lived in that until he sold them. I expect the tank change was a bit of a shock to the fish but they seemed happy with the new tank. They were the focus fish in the tank and very active in the early evening. I remember the loaches getting to about 6" possibly more before being sold. I don't think we could have had many more fish in the tank. I still have the rock that they would cluster in, even though there were other hiding spaces during the day they always crowded under the same rock.

 

[anewbie]

I had them for years. I should have had them for decades.

It's something I repeat, so you can put me on mute, but why plan for failure? They will grow if you you allow them to. And as social fish, they will outgrow your tank. The only way you can avoid that is if you expect them to die young in your conditions, and that's hardly a good starting point for any aquarist with skills.
I kept mine when I was way newer at this, and should never have have given in to temptation and bought them. They are beauties, but.

No clue what you are saying. Many people keep clown loaches for multiple decades. Perhaps you are replying to a specific post but without context it sounds more like giberish.