Tank Mates For Clown Loaches

[kingmed]

I live in Pennsylvania, work for a Doctor friend of mine who when he bought his house had a 150 gallon tank built into the wall but was used as a saltwater tank. We are getting ready to clean the tank and really want to put Clown Loaches in it as one of the center pieces, I'm thinking about 5 maybe 7 at the most--but I was wondering what else could go with them. I think my Dr. friend wants a tank full of peaceful community fish like tetras and others, I mentioned angelfish and he said they probably wouldn't go along with the peaceful small fish. Any suggestions would be appreciated, I thought something like an angelfish group as a centerpiece for the middle of a tank would be awesome and adding some smaller fish like neons, and other groups of fish. I know that a nice looking pleco of some kind or a few of them may be good along with possibly a group of corys. Would upside down catfish be good in a community tank, my mind seems to be kind of blank so help would be appreciated. THANKS.

 

[Lateral Line]

Small tetras like Neons are the natural diet of AngelFish. It can work when the Angels are small, but as soon as they are large enough, they will start to eat them. You will hear stories of people raising Angels with small fish and the Angels never "think" to eat the small fish that have always been around them. One day, they will.

In a good sized tank, a group of Congo tetras can be stunning. They will give your tank some focus in the mid/upper levels.

 

[loachman]

Large schools of rainbowfish such as red irian, turquoise, or bosemani are very nice. Active and colorful.

Some of the barb or larger danio species all look very good. These are good if you're going for a Asian biotype theme as well.

 

[Mad Duff]

Barbs such as Puntius filamentosus and Puntius johorensis look great with Clowns as do the bigger Rasbora species, there seem to be a lot of Rasbora caudimaculata - Red Scissortail flooding the markets at the moment and these are stunning fish when they get their full colouration.

 

[vally136]

Barbs such as Puntius filamentosus and Puntius johorensis look great with Clowns as do the bigger Rasbora species, there seem to be a lot of Rasbora caudimaculata - Red Scissortail flooding the markets at the moment and these are stunning fish when they get their full colouration.

a group of silver dollars would look good, they are peaceful fish i have a few of them in my tank, and a group of tigar barbs others people seem to have trouble with tigar barbs but mine hasn't messeswith the other fish they get along fine and i have 4 clown loaches in with the silver dollars and tigar barbs ...........good luck with your tank let us know what you decide to get.. vally136

 

[lukestanislaus]

i have 5 clown barbs and 8 tiger barbs and they tend to school together which is nice, the clown barbs will take off and the slower tiger barbs will try to keep up. its really cool sequence of activity, i guess they do it because of the similar coloration

id definitely recommend tiger barbs because they really are an active schooling fish, much moreso than many of the tetra species in my experience
P
but thats a really nice big tank, GL with it! wed love to see pictures