Clown Loaches

[anasfire23]

I bought a clown loach today and wanted to get some opinions on whether you guys think it will outgrow a 50g tank and how soon? I looked up a profile on it that said they get to be 16" fully grown then another said 6" in captivity. If they only get to 6" I can't see it outgrowing my 50g tank, just if it gets bigger really fast I'm going to be in trouble.

Also I know they like to munch on algae, that's what I got the little fella, but do I need to feed them anything special? Will he just eat the flakes and live foods I feed to my community fish?

Thanks in advance for any answers

[Danh]

You will want to get at least two more for them to school. It will eventually outgrow a 50g, but not very quickly. I just lost an 8" and have seen them up to about 12". A 12" clown loach is probably in the 10-15 year old range though. You've got plenty of time. I have 7 total now and have had as many as 10 at once. I've never seen them eating algae. Mine like blood worms and market shrimp the best, although they eat flakes and pellets too. The three that I have had for about a year now don't seem to have grown a whole lot. Not more than 1/2". I pack them with food once a day and do weekly 70% water changes. I personally wouldn't worry about having to get rid of a 6" clown loach or two.. They would go for at least $50 a piece easily.

[fishbguy]

deff. get a few more. they will out grow the tank eventually but they are really slow growers. when i used to get them think they will only grow 6 inches for my 20 cause i thought stunting was ok, they never ate algae. they like bloodworms, black worms, pellets, and snails.

[Clerk]

Clowns can like 10-15+ years, I have read even far longer.

Any aquarium fish can reach its natural size in the wild if its cared for properly.

a 50 gallon will be fine for now, I have a friend who has had some for 3 years, and just upgraded to a 125 for their permanent tank, in those years they reached a length of about 5-6 inches.

I would recommend either getting a 6 ft tank (with enough room for them to turn around on the sides) within the next few years, or trade them in every few years.

[MaelStrom]

I believe they are very active too so a big tank is a must ( please correct me if i am wrong)

[Gump]

Yes Mael they are very active and my school makes me think my 450 is too small.

Dan thats too bad about your 8".

In my school of 7 consists of two 9", 7", 6", 5", and two 3.5". None of them have eaten algae other than wafers, I don't think they have the proper mouth to eat off of rocks/glass. I feed mine prawns, talipia, pellets, squid, krill, worms of all types and snails. The two 9" are 13-14 years old and a lfs in my area had three that were around 30 years old and about the size of foot balls.

[Danh]

HOLY CRAP! How much were they?

My 8" had a crick in his back. He was very delicate. He seemed to actually prefer smaller tanks. He did horribly in my 180g, then seemed like he got a lot better in a 55, the moved with the other 9 to a 75 and he got really bad again. It was very odd.

[Clerk]

Perhaps his behavior showed better, but maybe it was the other inhabitants? a clown should always be happier with more room.

Sometimes they can be reclusive from time to time, sometimes for months hiding in an ornament or log, others may swim all over the tank at all hours of the day. Clowns have a lot of personality, but the one thing they share is size.

[anasfire23]

Mine is a recluse. I've had her for only 24 hours and she's been hiding in an ornamental log all that time! I know it's a she coz I checked her tail fins, they are straight not curved.I think I'll probably get her a few friends and then trade them in every few years. Did i read correctly that yours eat snails Gump? I've got a bit of a snail problem in my 50G and have been trying to get rid of them but the little buggers multiply too fast! If the loach is gonna eat the snails this will be a godsend!

[Gump]

They will clean your snail population out with out problem.

Dan they were not for sale.

[Betta1]

I got three small clown loaches simply to eat all my snails then return to the lfs for credit. You should def get two more, they really like to be in a group. A friend of mine has three he got a year ago in his 55g community tank and they haven't grown much so you should be fine for a while

[Ravynnm]

I know it's silly to post, "I agree with everything said." but I'm going to.

I have 4 clowns in a 55 blackwater. In 18 months they've gone from 3" to 4/5 inches. Yeah they get big, but I've got a couple years before I have to worry about 72" tank. Get your little buddy, buddette, some friends. I'm wishing I'd gotten 6 or 8 rather than 4. They love to hang out with their own. They are hell on wheels for snails. My tank was covered with them from new live plants. Within 48 hours, not a one was left. If you need algae control, I'm a fan of bristle nosed plecs. They don't get more than 5", you'll never see them, and you'll never see algae.

Rav

[anasfire23]

Thanks guys. I was thinking of getting some kind of algae eater and was thinking either 3-4 siamese algae eaters if I can find them or some kind of pleco. I've seen bristle noses at my LFS so I might go for one of them.

Once again many thanks on all the replies

[Danh]

I;ve never had a sae, but I would get a s. tanierus, not sure of the spelling.. aka fei feng, flagtail prochilodus. I have had several. They DESSIMATE algae. I have seen with with several friends also. They will get big... like 12" or so... but mainly eat algae when smaller. They are also fairly slow growers, and with size, are worth good money too. I have heard that they can suck the slime coat of some fish, but have never seen it happen myself.

[Gump]

I would disagree with the flagtail. I had a school of 6 and none of them ever ate algae and they would pester other fish. I lost 3 to fighting and split the other 3 up into their own tank and they didn't clean anything up.

I've since replace the flagtails in the 450 with a big SAE which spends all day cleaning but hes got a lot to clean so i was thinking of getting another one.

[Obsidian]

Reading this makes me sad for what my mom didn't know when I was little. We had 3 clown "fish" that I now know were loaches. All of them stayed small, I am sure from stunting. I don't think any was over 4 or 5 inches. I think the tank was a 20 ga, but it might have been a 30 ga. I know mom loved those fish and if she had known the tank was too small she would have rectified the situation. I know we had at least one angel in that tank, 2 or 3 clown loaches and what may have been a pearl gourami, but all I remember is it was white/ cream colored and about that size (for all I know it could have been a cichilid). I am glad that there is so much more known and understood now!