armadillo

Could I keep a clown loach on its own, or do they need tank mates?

Is a 29G too small for one?

Butterfly

Clown Loaches are very social fish and it's not recommended to keep less than three together. There is someone here than has just one (Tom?) and it's doing well. You just don't see their cute behaviour. They sleep together, swim together and squabble over food They also get very Large, up to 12-14 inches.
My first experience with them- I bought three and one died, replaced it and it died so I left them alone as a pair and they were great. They started out in a 30 gallon long and in the first year grew to be six inches and very fat. I did 2x weekly 50% water changes. They insist on clean, highly oxygenated water. They went to the 75 gallon and grew another 1-2 inches. I was doing 2x 25% water changes. They had two filters amounting to a little over 800gph. When we moved they didn't make it. There are pictures of them in my gallery I think.
All this to say, they are wonderful fish, grow fast the first year and will need a much larger tank at that time. They are heavy waste producers and you have to keep an eye on your water parameters. They are ICH magnets and good barometers of whats going on in your tank because if something is going on in your tank they will be the first to show it.
I now have more Clown Loaches. We bought 6 tiny ones at Petco still n the shippers bag. Two were so tiny we lost them and one of the remaining four is still tiny don't know if it will make it or not but the other three are doing great. all are 2 inches or under
Heres some great info on them
http://www.loaches.com/species-index...a-macracanthus
The article says they are nocturnal and they are to some extent but it doesn't take them long to recognize that they will be fed if they come out during the day.
Was going to link the thread with the tank pics and little clown pics but evidently when Mike moved it over the pics didn't come with it. If you like I'll look for them. Sorry for the book, you know better than to get me to talk about loaches
Caril

armadillo

Carol, you can talk about loaches all you like, and I'll sit back, sip my tea and listen with glee. I love loaches too. I love that they're so peaceful, and entertaining, and sociable with each other, and I love that your'e so passionate and knowledgeable about them. Aaaaand, I am the world's most verbose person, I can hardly blame you for being word-happy!

Great link. It's definitely convincing me not to do it. It wouldn't be fair on the fish. I don't anticipate we'll ever get a 70G, and that's quoted as a minimum after a year. Also, I had no idea they got so huge. I knew they got big, but I didn't know their body would become so massive.

That picture of the aquarium in the article is so impressive. They're huuuuuge fish. And I love that she has 50 or so of them. Must be a swimming pool-sized aquarium!

One really great thing is that thanks to this article, I now know that other species of the genus Botia predate on snails. Reading about this now, and could do with your lights again. I'll start a new thread.

Butterfly

Yes that tank is huge, I don't remember exactly how big it is- 300-400 gal. It's at Maidenhead aquatics in Peterborough England. The lady who helps run it is a Mod at
http://forums.loaches.com/index.php .
carol

Tom

I see my name. But mine died about 2 months ago. It just stopped eating and sat in the corner or under the rock and just sat there, all day, or at least when I watched it. It was really sad. I think that it died because the temp in the tank went a little too jugh and I had found a few fish die the same day as the loach.

But it did do really well in my 36 up until that point.
Tom

Butterfly

Yes Tom you saw your name You were the only one I could think of who kept one alone.
Carol

Tom

Well I'm honored that you thought of me. I was going to say something witty but I'm watching tv too so I forgot it.
Tom