Clowns

[spencer1]

this my first time . iwas kind of wonderin g fi you can put clown loaches with malawi cichlids.

 

[justmatt]

this my first time . iwas kind of wonderin g fi you can put clown loaches with malawi cichlids.

I have a clown loach in with my malawis... but it is probably 3-4 times bigger then any of my malawis so they wouldnt really mess with him.
Infact it stole the log hideout from one of the malawis who always chased off the other fish when they tried to go inside it.. now they share it together, although the malawi quite often gets kicked out as the loach is a tight fit into the log so not room for both of them

 

[denis coghlan]

Based on what I have read! I would say that water parameters (pH, hardness) and aggression would be the biggest issues with keeping a clown loach with Malawi cichlids. Over all, I think that there are other species that would be better suited than clown loaches in this sort of setup e.g. bristlenose plecs, syno catfish....

But as you have read above "from actual" personal experience clown loaches can live with Malawi's.

It just depends on what you want yourself! but I personally wouldn't

 

[Ferris]

It can and has been done but there are 2 distinct problems:

1. Diet - CL's require a lot of protein and meaty foods wheras most Mbuna are Herbivores and feeding meaty protein can prove fatal to them as their digestive systems cannot process it.

2. Water - CL's prefer soft water with a Ph around 7 and Mbuna need hard water with a Ph around 8. Both can survive each others water parameter's but will be living in less than ideal conditions.

One other factor would be potential size. Mbuna do fine in a 4 foot tank of around 55 gallons or more. Clown Loach should really be kept in groups of at the very least 3 and as they reach 12", they need a bigger tank.

 

[vic]

Clown loaches are very social and prefer to be in groups of 5+. This means a tank of at least 70USG.
Vic