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| FAQs About Clown Loach Selection
Related Articles: Loaches, Dojos/Weatherfish,
Related FAQs: Clown
Loaches,
Loach Selection,
Clown Loach Identification,
Clown Loach Behavior,
Clown Loach Compatibility,
Clown Loach Systems,
Clown Loach Feeding, Clown Loach Disease,
Clown Loach Reproduction,
Loaches 1, Loaches 2,
Loach Identification,
Loach Behavior,
Loach Compatibility,
Loach Systems,
Loach Feeding, Loach Disease,
Loach Reproduction, |
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Snails and clown loaches...
contr. 11/26/07
Hi guys, I was wondering, I have a snail problem and I was thinking about
getting a clown loach.
<For a start, no kind aquarist gets "a" Clown Loach; they are schooling fish,
and should be kept in groups of three at least. Single specimens are nervous,
unhappy, and constantly stressed.>
Do you know what community fishes go well with clown loaches?
<Almost anything too large to be eaten and robust enough to deal with their
pushy personalities. Classic tankmates are things like Spanner and Clown barbs,
Silver Dollars, medium-sized gouramis, Australian Rainbowfish, plecs, Brochis
spp. catfish, etc.>
Are they aggressive?
<More boisterous than aggressive. Singletons sometimes turn nasty (frustration
more than anything) but in groups they mostly confine their aggression towards
one another. I wouldn't mix them with anything else that was a territorial
bottom-dweller, that would be asking for trouble, but otherwise Clowns are
pretty good pets.>
I so far have a 45-50 gallon tank with lots of snails, 3 platies, and 2
swordtails. Also, do my fishes I have eat snail eggs because I have seen them
eating things on the plant.
<Platies and Swordtails both eat algae. They *must* eat algae. Aquarists often
ignore this. For lack of anything "green" in their diet, Livebearers will peck
at the green algae on plant leaves.>
Another question is, about how many snails do clown loaches eat? (I have gold
Inca snails.) This is because I don't want all the snails gone.
<They will all be gone. Imagine keeping cats and mice in the same enclosure.
That's what we're talking about here.>
Will the clown loach eat all of it or just some and the snails reproduce
again...and the loaches eat and etc.?
<The Clowns will eat them until they are all gone.>
I'm planning on getting just one clown loach.
<Don't. Keeping one Clown Loach is cruel. A single Clown Loach is one of the
saddest sights in the hobby. They have strong social instincts and a deep desire
to be with their own kind. Only aquarists who don't care about the feelings of
their fish keep them singly, and I have no time for such fishkeepers! Serious
Loach-keepers actually recommend they should be treated just like any other
schooling fish and kept in groups of 6 or more. I certainly consider keeping 3
the absolute, non-negotiable minimum. If you want a singleton bottom-dweller of
some sort, get something that doesn't mind being kept alone. Loricariid catfish
tend to fit into this bracket. Besides plecs, many of the whiptails make
fascinating pets and they won't harm snails. There are also some lovely
Synodontis out there that can work well in medium/large-sized fish communities,
such as Synodontis decorus and Synodontis angelicus. A school of Brochis spp.
catfish would also be a lot of fun.>
Thanks for all your help.
~Chris
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Buffering Fresh, 2.1
>Marina,
Thanks for the advice.
>>Quite welcome.
>!ST bubbles from the bubble stones, not the powerhead.
>>Gotcha, so you've got excellent oxygen/carbon dioxide (O2/CO2) exchange.
>I did check KH and GH.... both WAY TOO LOW...... so I guess the
best thing to do is to find some of the Seachem products.
I do like Seachem best, as I said. The products were quite easy to
find online, and relatively inexpensive.
>I have read that clown loaches do much better as a pair or more? Is that not
so?
>>They may be a bit happier, but honestly I've never known them to do
poorly if kept singly, either. They can grow quite large, though,
something to consider.
>Thanks for all the help. Monica
>>Again, very welcome, I'm glad I was able to answer your questions. Marina
Lookin' for Loaches
Hey guys, first thanks for all the great info on this site. It has saved a
lot of headaches so far. I have a 25 gallon tank that just finished cycling. I
have 3 Serpae Tetras and 2 Zebra Danios. I have a fine sand substrate and I am
looking for a fish to add that would help stir up the bottom of the tank a
little. The LFS recommended a Clown Loach but that advice I'm not sold on since
I've heard they can grow to 12 inches.
Thanks for any ideas.
<And indeed they can! There are so, so many options available for
you. Any of the smaller loaches, Botia striata, Botia dario, Botia
lohachata.... Kuhli loaches.... soooo many loaches out
there! Also Corydoras cats. http://www.loaches.com
is a nice place to start looking at loach options, and you can find loads of
info on cats of the genus Corydoras at http://www.planetcatfish.com
- as well as on the
wetweb site and FAQs. I would like to mention that loaches and Corys
are scaleless, and that you might want to keep an eye on them to see if they
react poorly to the sand if it is at all sharp. Also, please be sure
to keep loaches or Corys in groups of three or more, as they are schooling
fish. -Sabrina>
Loach party? (06/10/03)
Hiya campers!
<Hi! Ananda camping out in front of the computer tonight...>
I purchased some plants about a month ago, and while the peeps in the store
SWORE there were no snails in that tank, obviously there were as I have
apparently become a snail breeder (ick).
<Unless, of course, you have puffers or loaches! Since I have both, I
actually have a snail farm tank.>
Someone recommended loaches, and I went to the good LFS (which is 40 min.s away)
to pick up some yo-yos. Of course, they had none so I purchased 3 clowns instead
(like em just as well,
but was hoping NOT to need a new tank in the near future LOL).
<They don't grow super-fast, but they do grow. Kudos for getting a trio!>
One of the clown didn't make it (no surprise; I understand they are all wild
caught and they can be tetchy).
<Yup! Be very, very careful to match the water temperatures with all water
changes!>
The other 2 are happy, hale n hearty, and will be out of QT next week and into
the main tank.
<HOT DANG SHE QUARANTINED HER NEW FISH!! [insert applause here] My
loach-fanatic friend says you should try to get clown loaches that are at least
a couple of inches long (excluding tail length). And look for the ones that are
the most robust.>
I went to the icky LFS today to get some bloodworms (its closer), and noticed
THEY have yo-yos. So my question is, if I purchase a yo-yo to replace the clown
I lost, will he be just as happy hanging with clowns as he would with other
yo-yos?
<I haven't had yo-yos, but I'm not certain that they would.>
(This is assuming I can get the lil guy to survive; the icky pet store is a fish
morgue.)
<Oooh.. then don't get them there!>
I understand loaches are not happy alone (hence my original purchase of 3) but
can't seem to find if they will be happy with other types of loaches. I checked
your faq and loaches.com,
but there were no clear answers.
<You might want to post on both the WetWeb boards at http://wetwebfotos.com/talk
and the boards at loaches.com. We do have a yo-yo loach fan on the WetWeb
boards.>
I'd prefer to understock the tank as its a 25 gallon, and I've already got 2
angels and a liposarcus in there (and yeah, there will be a larger tank in the
future LOL just hopefully not till next year); hence my thinking of only getting
the single yo-yo. Any suggestions?
<Shop around for another clown loach. I usually like to get my fish from
independently-owned stores. But not with the loaches. I admit to getting mine
from a chain store, because they *consistently* had the healthiest clown
loaches. Something else to keep the loaches happy: give them some caves they can
hide and sleep in. My loaches absolutely love playing "loach pile" in
the carved strawberry rock pieces that came with my 55g tank. When they cruise
from one end of the tank to the other, I swear they go out of their way to swim
through the holes in the rocks!>
Thanx!
Allison
<You're welcome! And please join us on the WetWebMedia discussion boards and
give us a progress report. --Ananda>
Clown loaches for snail control
<Ananda here tonight, answering the freshwater fish questions...>
hi guys need your help again if you do not mind .
<Not at all -- that's what we're here for.>
100,s of stinking snails. these are the cone shaped type not sure of scientific
name.
<Probably the ones commonly called "Malaysian trumpet snails".>
guy at local fish store said clown loaches will not eat them shells too hard
<Baloney. My clown loaches eat these all the time. They don't need to crush
the shells; loaches suck the snail out of the shell.>
want to refrain from chem.s- he suggested a product called
had-a-snail.
<I'm surprised he's trying to sell you chemicals rather than more fish.>
at my wits end heeeeeeelp meeeee rocky
<Check out our loaches page and its associated FAQs: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/cobitids.htm
...also http://www.loaches.com has much
info from loach fans. --Ananda>
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