How quickly do clown loaches grow?

This came up in another thread but hopefully some clown loach experts will see it here.

How quickly do these guys grow?
I have two in a 400 litre tank which I have had for 6 months and they have grown but not as fast as I would have expected for fish that get to the huge sizes I have seen. Do they take years or do I need to look into what is stopping my fish from thriving?

 

Keeping a close eye on this thread!

 

Clowns tend to grow fast the first year and then slow done. They need lots of swimming room, pristine water quality, high oxygen content, and high quality food.
Mine grew to 7 & 8 inches from approx 2 inches in the first year.

carol

 

Thanks Butterfly. Great link. My aquarium fits the bill there. pH 6.6, soft water, lots of shelter. Food fits. I did get a bit slack on the size of my water changes so I just checked and my nitrates were 40 so I'll increase the amount I change.

I only have two but the bioload would be prohibitive to get more. I could do a big rearrange. Do you, or anyone, have any idea if the don't grow well in small groups?

I'm also going to compare photos of them at first and now. They may have grown more than I think.

 

It's recommended you have three or more but the first group I had years ago started out as three and one died so I replaced it and it died so I left it at two and they did fine.
Recommended tank size is 75 gallon which accommodates their activity level well.
carol
If you click on the camera under my name there are pics of the first clowns I ever owned. Fat little suckers they were too

 

they will grow to 6'' quickly (well, not as fast as most large fish), but then they slow way down. clown loach are known to release a hormone that stunts their growth if they don't have large enough quaters to live in, but this can be removed using carbon (at last, another use for carbon except for removing meds) but needs to be replaced on a regular basis.

as for only having 2 and not having a good enough filter for a 3rd... I recommend getting a better filter. Since they're such emotional fish, it would be nicer and more considerate for them if you got them a third (or fifth) friend.

Cordi

 

clown loach are known to release a hormone that stunts their growth if they don't have large enough quaters to live in, but this can be removed using carbon (at last, another use for carbon except for removing meds) but needs to be replaced on a regular basis.

Cordi

I respectfully disagree.
Any documentation to back that up? I'm always willing to learn something new
carol

 

clown loach are known to release a hormone that stunts their growth if they don't have large enough quaters to live in, but this can be removed using carbon (at last, another use for carbon except for removing meds) but needs to be replaced on a regular basis.

I've never heard this before. Is there any documentation on this? I'd be interested as I now have Clown Loaches.

From what I've read, they grow very quickly, reaching 4-6 inches in the first year typically. Then, their growth slows down tremendously as they begin to thicken in girth.

I've seen much documentation that Clown Loaches require pristine conditions and will not survive otherwise. However, I do not find this is completely true. As most Clown Loaches are wild caught, the pristine requirement is obviously necessary while they are smaller.

A couple of months ago, I rescued a couple of Clown Loaches that were living in such filth that all the documentation indicates this is not possible. The tank water stunk so bad that I actually gagged trying to drain the tank and remove the fish. The two Clowns I rescued were 6-7 inches in length. And, are a couple of years old according to their previous owner.

The two I picked up have survived, but constantly hide. As I decided to keep them, I purchased 3 more. Now, they are active, swimming all over the place. Even come up to the water surface when I approach the tank, ready for their food. I've recently start feeding them spriulina flakes. They go nuts over it!

Good luck with your Clowns!

 

Interesting food for thought. Mine are in 400 litres so they should not be cramped. The water in that tank is usually good - nitrates max 10 but recently crept up to 40. I suspect because I had less plants in there using it up. I have upped my water changes. Stocking levels stopped me from incresing my numbers, rather than filtration but I can move some of the other fish out.

Mine hang under driftwood and in dense planting but they come out. Especially if I am near the tank for a while. I just went to photograph them to compare sizes (they have grown more than I though, just not as much as the Bala sharks I got at the same time) and they came right out and posed for the camera. I use sinking pellets and wafers and they go for that rather than coming to the surface for flake but I have two angels and a blue and pearl gourami who crowd out the area I feed them through. Surface hogs

Time to move some fish around to make room for more....

 

Interesting food for thought. Mine are in 400 litres so they should not be cramped. The water in that tank is usually good - nitrates max 10 but recently crept up to 40. I suspect because I had less plants in there using it up. I have upped my water changes. Stocking levels stopped me from incresing my numbers, rather than filtration but I can move some of the other fish out.

Mine hang under driftwood and in dense planting but they come out. Especially if I am near the tank for a while. I just went to photograph them to compare sizes (they have grown more than I though, just not as much as the Bala sharks I got at the same time) and they came right out and posed for the camera. I use sinking pellets and wafers and they go for that rather than coming to the surface for flake but I have two angels and a blue and pearl gourami who crowd out the area I feed them through. Surface hogs

Time to move some fish around to make room for more....

So if they posed where are the pics
carol

 

They are much better at posing than I am at photographing

They also forgot to point out how dirty the glass was and remind me to turn the flash off, ruining their best poses.

Follow up

I did a big move around involving 5 tanks to take up space in two of them and give me space for more clowns in my 400. They look tiny next to my old fish but the four of them are playing together like crazy. Funny but the two I had were like that when they first moved into the tank then slowed down. Hopefully this will head off any problem before it gets too bad.

 

I have a clown loach who is 10 years old and has been 4 inches long for 7 years - is he too small?

 

What size tank is he in?

 

I think it's about 47 litres.

I apologise in advance if this is the wrong size for the fish, and before anyone shoots me down in flames please note that I inherited the tank and fish. It was my mums tank and this clown loach is the last fish remaning, she died 7 years ago and my stepdad wanted rid of the tank so gave it to me last week. I know nothing about tropical fish so am trying to learn as much as I can!

Ok my partner (who can actually do math) has told me the tank is ATLEAST 60 litres.....

 

Yeah, hate to tell you, but your fish has been stunted. I understand that it isn't your fault.

Clown loaches are not recommended for any tank under 75 gallons (284 litres), with larger being preferable. They grow to be 16" and need to be in groups of four or more to be happy. This is a pic of Marge, an 11" clown loach (not mine . Here's a good profile for clown loaches: Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) — Loaches Online

 

Stunted.....?

 

Meaning because he was in too confined a space, he couldn't continue growing to his full potential. Like keeping a large-breed dog locked in a crate all the time. They don't have room to grow, so they just stop growing. The problem with fish stunting is that the fish's exterior stops growing, yes, but their internal organs generally keep growing. This is painful for the fish and can lead to a shortened lifespan.

 

He is 10 years old! I thought their average lifespan was 15 years? He seems like a happy guy, he zips about the tank doing acrobatics and camps out behind the filter, he certainly doesn't look like he is in pain. I feel awful for him now!

 

When a Clown Loach is kept under the right conditions, they can live 20 years or more. I have a pair that are about 5 years old that are almost 8 inches, and they were kept in a 55G (208L) tank by the previous owner.

 

I'm really interested in this subject, because a friend just offered me a crown loach. She says it's "years old" and only a few inches (4-6") long. Do some only get that big? Do loaches ever grow longer if they've once been stunted?

She has it in a 90-gallon tank, so it can hardly be stunted. It's together with a "white fish of some kind." Maybe it's too lonely to grow?!

 

Sometimes they will continue to grow if their in a too small tank if they go into a larger tank, you just have to try and see. They are social beings and require others of their kind.
Carol

 

Love your turkey! So what are you having for thanksgiving dinner.

Will a loach that's been the same size for "years" start to grow again? I would put it in our 30-gallon tank where there are lots of snails to fatten it up.
(Though I guess it sounds crazy to take it from a 90-g & put it in a 30-g.)

 

Love your turkey! So what are you having for thanksgiving dinner.

Will a loach that's been the same size for "years" start to grow again? I would put it in our 30-gallon tank where there are lots of snails to fatten it up.
(Though I guess it sounds crazy to take it from a 90-g & put it in a 30-g.)

We're having Ham(and Turkey )
I wouldn't move it from the larger tank, that should be large enough at this time. They grow very slowly but spend that time filling out and can become very massive and bulky. They also need more water changes, warm temps and lots of high protein food..
The links posted above are very good resources for information.
Carol

 

clown loaches have to be kept in a group of 5 or more they can get up to 6" but the biggest ive seen was 1'

 

clown loaches have to be kept in a group of 5 or more they can get up to 6" but the biggest ive seen was 1'

Fishfriend welcome to fishLore!
Check out the links above . Very good information there and they can get bigger than 1 foot.
Carol

 

I see you don't know about the nitrogen cycle. I think you should read up about that.A fish that's stunted won't grow to it's potential

 

oh boy its official I'm never going to my LFS ever again. they sold me 4 of these for my 20 gallon tall. well there babys so I guess when they start getting bigger ill have to send em off to new bigger homes