How Many Clown Loaches Can I Fit In A 300l Tank?

[ey2006]

I recently got 3 clown loaches which are about 2" each for my tank. I wanted to add a few more, but wasnt sure if there is enough space for more.

My stocking is:

- 8 Rummynoses
- 8 White Clouds
- 6 Corys
- 5 Yoyos

Most of the fish I have are small fish (apart from the yoyos) so could I potentially add a few more clown loaches?

I do understand that the clowns can grow to 12", but that would take a few years wouldnt it? If that is the case, I do have plans to rehouse them to a bigger 650L tank later on.

Thanks.

 

[Alex_]

i really wouldent add anymore.

 

[SamUK]

i really wouldent add anymore.

am i missing something?


he has a 300 litre tank with 16 little tetras in and then some loaches and corys.


hes way understocked and could easily add more loaches.

 

[ey2006]

Thanks for the replies.

Sam, I thought the same, that I might be able to add one or two more clown loaches.

Perhaps its because the yoyos and clowns do grow very big, but as mentioned in my initial post, I do intend to rehouse them when they grow bigger.

 

[Jules H-T]

I'd happily add another 2

 

[dwarfgourami]

300 ltrs is nearly 80 gallons; that's a nice good size. Don't see that an extra couple of clown loaches would come to any harm in there. And clowns are quite slow growers, aren't they?

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

yeah they grow slow and i would add anouther 2 if i were you because they like to live in bigger groups as they are very social fish

 

[RipSlider]

To be honest. I would probably add another 6 or so.

Steve

 

[ey2006]

Thanks for the replies, I added another 2 clown loaches in today and it somehow triggered a total behavioural change in the clown loaches! They all seem to be a lot more active now and are schooling. The 2 new ones are still settling in, but on the whole, the group seems to be better off with the addition of 2 more clowns!

I also noticed one of the bigger clowns fighting another clown - is this normal? Are they merely establishing a pecking order?

 

[mikev]

I also noticed one of the bigger clowns fighting another clown - is this normal? Are they merely establishing a pecking order?

Perfactly normal, they are resetting the hierarchy, and the things will settle down within at most two weeks.

As for the growth: figure out about 1"/year. Your tank should be good enough for them for a couple of years.

 

[ey2006]

I also noticed one of the bigger clowns fighting another clown - is this normal? Are they merely establishing a pecking order?

Perfactly normal, they are resetting the hierarchy, and the things will settle down within at most two weeks.

As for the growth: figure out about 1"/year. Your tank should be good enough for them for a couple of years.

Thanks for the reply mikev. Glad the tank will be enough for them for a few years, there is a good chance I may get a bigger tank before then, but I'm content with 2 tanks at the moment.

With 5 clown loaches now, do you think there is any need to add any more? I wanted to see how they go and if the clowns are healthy and no noticeable problems such as ich, then I might add 2 more and leave it at that.

Is that okay or too much?

 

[mikev]

You can add two more (if you are planning on a bigger tank later), but you don't have to rush into this.

Five is a reasonable shoal, and you can wait until you see a clown you cannot resist, this will happen sooner or later. (this is what I did, I have six right now)

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

if i had a big enough tank i would fill it with just clown loaches im getting a bigger tank in december we'll see what happen then

 

[ey2006]

You can add two more (if you are planning on a bigger tank later), but you don't have to rush into this.

Five is a reasonable shoal, and you can wait until you see a clown you cannot resist, this will happen sooner or later. (this is what I did, I have six right now)

I'll do just that. I was just worried that if I added 1 or 2 more loaches later on, it may stress out the existing ones since I didn't introduce them all at the same time.

Is it okay to get clown loaches in even numbers (say 6)? I read that its better to get odd numbers like 5 or 7, but not sure if this is true - do your 6 clowns school together all the time? Are they shy during the day?

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

i dont think keeping them in odd numbers is really bennificial and they may be shay for a little bit but not long it shouldnt stress out the ones you have at the moment either