How Long Do Clown Loaches Take To Get Full Grown?

[nukeonekitty]

I was curious of how long it takes clown loaches to get full grown. The clowns are 3 inches at the store. I have a 90 long wait for them!

 

[nukeonekitty]

Is this an overly asked question? Just curious if that's why I am not getting a reply.

 

[djloach]

I was curious of how long it takes clown loaches to get full grown. The clowns are 3 inches at the store. I have a 90 long wait for them!

They can potentially get up to a foot long but it might take 8-10 years or more to achieve that. But they need a really big tank to get that size (6' in length).

 

[dave_m13]

I purchased 3 about 2 and half years ago, they were about 2" then now only about 3-4" so pretty slow growing but they are quite stocky looking. Compare this to my flying fox which I have had a similar time it has grown to 5" from 1" pretty quickly but is more torpedo shaped.

 

[The-Wolf]

it is generaly belived that borneo clowns grow fast up to 6" then the rate slows to approx 1" a year
I have found that sumatran clowns are very slow growing in comparrison to bornean clowns

 

[nukeonekitty]

Well I am planning on getting a new place in the next year so I think clowns will do fine in my tank for a year. (90 gal 72"x13"x21")

 

[crazie.eddie]

If you have children or grand children, then they should be able to see the clown loaches at the full grown (12" or more). Otherwise, they appear to be slow growing. I have 5 clown loaches, my largest is about 5", which I had for 7 years. My smallest is about 3.5". I bought them before at different sizes at the store, from 2" to 2.5".

I supposed you can get them to grow faster if you feed constantly and perform frequent water changes.

 

[nukeonekitty]

Not trying to be a jerk, but why do people make such a big deal when people want to put cl in their 50 gal tanks? If they take that long to grow you have PLENTY of time to think upgrade.

 

[crazie.eddie]

They grow quickly to about 3"-4", from that point on, they appear to grow allot slower. They like to be in groups, like current, and are shoaling fish. Therefore, a larger tank is required for them.

 

[nukeonekitty]

Would 5 be okay?

 

[Rhiannon]

Not trying to be a jerk, but why do people make such a big deal when people want to put cl in their 50 gal tanks? If they take that long to grow you have PLENTY of time to think upgrade.

After reading how slow they grow, I was just thinking exactly the same thing.

People are quick to jump on people here for putting fish in tanks that are to small, but if they are going to take like 7yrs to reach 5", why do people make such a fuss? Not being mean or anything, just asking for a reasonable answer..

 

[The-Wolf]

Not trying to be a jerk, but why do people make such a big deal when people want to put cl in their 50 gal tanks? If they take that long to grow you have PLENTY of time to think upgrade.

After reading how slow they grow, I was just thinking exactly the same thing.

People are quick to jump on people here for putting fish in tanks that are to small, but if they are going to take like 7yrs to reach 5", why do people make such a fuss? Not being mean or anything, just asking for a reasonable answer..

I think the reason is
in the clown loaches 40+ year lifespan a lot can happen in your personal circumstances
yes you maybe able to upgrade your tank, but then again you may not
people here do tend to err on the cautious side of things and insist on a tank suitable for the life of the adult fish
just in case.
most of us a responsable enough keepers to be able to rehome fish that get too big for our tanks
but there are many that arn't responsable enough to even consider that option.

 

[dwarfgourami]

and added to what the Wolf says, if you need to rehome a large fish, you may not be able to find anyone to take it off your hands. I would agree that clown loaches seem less of a problem that more fast-growing species, like plecs or certain sharks, but there is still the fact that there are far more clown loaches sold than tanks big enough to house adult clown loaches (even allowing for a reasonable mortality rate), and this is a bit worrying. It does mean you can't count on there being anyone out there willing to take over responsibility for your loaches. I try not to jump on people too much, but I do think anyone who buys any animal should have thought through the whole situation.

 

[crazie.eddie]

Would 5 be okay?

Yes

Not trying to be a jerk, but why do people make such a big deal when people want to put cl in their 50 gal tanks? If they take that long to grow you have PLENTY of time to think upgrade.

After reading how slow they grow, I was just thinking exactly the same thing.

People are quick to jump on people here for putting fish in tanks that are to small, but if they are going to take like 7yrs to reach 5", why do people make such a fuss? Not being mean or anything, just asking for a reasonable answer..

As I mentioned earlier..They like to be in groups, like current, and are shoaling fish. Therefore, a larger tank is required for them.

The more water changes and more food, the faster they will grow. About 7 months ago, all my clowns were in a 55 (US) gallon tank. The largest was about 4.5", while the smallest was 2.5". When I moved them into my 125 gallon (473 liter) tank, I made more frequent water changes, due to young discus, and also more feedings. Most of the fish grew rapidly within the few months of them in the tank. From that point on, the largest and the smallest grew rather quickly. The others grew as well, but not as rapidly. Now, majority of my clowns are close to the same size, previously they were all different lengths.

 

[~T~]

I have 6 clowns and 3 of them I have had for over 10 years and one of the others must be even older as I got it a few years after my first 3 and it was bigger than them.My biggest is about 5-6" and smallest is about 4".They have lived in several different tanks and now live in an 80gal.