clown loach

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how many clown loaches should i buy? are they loners or do they prefer
to be in a group if so how many?
any advice will be welome

[Gill Passman]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> how many clown loaches should i buy? are they loners or do they prefer
> to be in a group if so how many?
> any advice will be welome
>
Get as many as you can accomodate in your tank....Clown loaches are
incredibly social fish and do not like being kept alone....I have 6 myself
in my Community Tank and would get even more if there was enough space...

Clown Loaches will "dance" in a good social group....and there is always the
total joy of seeing the "Clown Loach heap" when they sleep....which they do
on the bottom of the tank which will spook you if you don't know better -
lol - sometimes on their sides, sometimes upside down and sometimes at such
weird angles you don't really want to think about it - <g>

These fish should never be kept without their own kind. They should be in as
big a social group as you have room for.

For more info check out:-

http://www.loaches.com/

Oh, and BTW beware the Ich....an irratition which IMHO doesn't really
detract from the joy of keeping these wonderful and very entertaining fish
but it is hard work if you get afflicted with it.

Gill

[Dick]

On Thu, 16 Jun 2005 22:34:46 +0100, "Gill Passman"
<gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote:

>
> wrote in message
oups.com...
>> how many clown loaches should i buy? are they loners or do they prefer
>> to be in a group if so how many?
>> any advice will be welome
>>
>Get as many as you can accomodate in your tank....Clown loaches are
>incredibly social fish and do not like being kept alone....I have 6 myself
>in my Community Tank and would get even more if there was enough space...
>
>Clown Loaches will "dance" in a good social group....and there is always the
>total joy of seeing the "Clown Loach heap" when they sleep....which they do
>on the bottom of the tank which will spook you if you don't know better -
>lol - sometimes on their sides, sometimes upside down and sometimes at such
>weird angles you don't really want to think about it - <g>
>
>These fish should never be kept without their own kind. They should be in as
>big a social group as you have room for.
>
>For more info check out:-
>
>http://www.loaches.com/
>
>Oh, and BTW beware the Ich....an irratition which IMHO doesn't really
>detract from the joy of keeping these wonderful and very entertaining fish
>but it is hard work if you get afflicted with it.
>
>Gill
>
Gill, how long have you had your Clowns? I have a total of 11 in 3
tanks. Been there 2 years. When I first got them they were far more
fun to watch, but now they rest out of sight and are no more
interesting than my flock of SAEs. Well, they are a bit more
colorful. I do get to see them at least twice daily when it is meal
time.

How big are your Clowns? Mine run between 4 and 5 inches. Shorter
than the SAEs which run 5 to 6 inches. Both like to stay together,
and at times both species school together. Now that is a sight!

I agree with "get as many as you can accommodate..." except the long
thread exchanges over long term size. I haven't seen any new growth
with the Clowns in the last year, but still hear echoes from some who
have seen them grow to much larger sizes. I can see this could be a
major problem, especially as the SAEs have grown so large in the same
2 year period.

So, Stephen, Clowns are social critters, they do enjoy swimming
together, but I would as your source, your LFS or what, how large
their fish have gotten in the past. Also consider Clowns have a long
life and you are making a commitment. I have heard estimates that are
longer than my own life expectancy.

I don't have a local fish store and order all my supplies via
Internet, thus I keep my operation simple feeding only flake food.
They come to the top and eat, then continue as "bottom fish" as great
scavengers.

One caution, if you have any snails you want to keep, don't have the
Clowns and the snails in the same tank. Clowns are often purchased to
control snail populations.

I have 2 Clowns in a 10 gallon tank. They seem quite content, then
again I have 6 in a 75 gallon tank and 3 in a 29 gallon tank, so how
many to have is really a question of tank size and pocket book.

If you can, either inspect the prospective fish very carefully or
quarantine them if possible when you buy them. They are sensitive to
Ich! My first shipment of 7 all had Ich. The vendor replaced them
and admitted to having shipped sick ones by accident (an employee
ignored a sign on the tank).

dick

[Gill Passman]

"Dick" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 16 Jun 2005 22:34:46 +0100, "Gill Passman"
> <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >> how many clown loaches should i buy? are they loners or do they prefer
> >> to be in a group if so how many?
> >> any advice will be welome
> >>
> >Get as many as you can accomodate in your tank....Clown loaches are
> >incredibly social fish and do not like being kept alone....I have 6
myself
> >in my Community Tank and would get even more if there was enough space...
> >
> >Clown Loaches will "dance" in a good social group....and there is always
the
> >total joy of seeing the "Clown Loach heap" when they sleep....which they
do
> >on the bottom of the tank which will spook you if you don't know better -
> >lol - sometimes on their sides, sometimes upside down and sometimes at
such
> >weird angles you don't really want to think about it - <g>
> >
> >These fish should never be kept without their own kind. They should be in
as
> >big a social group as you have room for.
> >
> >For more info check out:-
> >
> >http://www.loaches.com/
> >
> >Oh, and BTW beware the Ich....an irratition which IMHO doesn't really
> >detract from the joy of keeping these wonderful and very entertaining
fish
> >but it is hard work if you get afflicted with it.
> >
> >Gill
> >
> Gill, how long have you had your Clowns? I have a total of 11 in 3
> tanks. Been there 2 years. When I first got them they were far more
> fun to watch, but now they rest out of sight and are no more
> interesting than my flock of SAEs. Well, they are a bit more
> colorful. I do get to see them at least twice daily when it is meal
> time.
>
> How big are your Clowns? Mine run between 4 and 5 inches. Shorter
> than the SAEs which run 5 to 6 inches. Both like to stay together,
> and at times both species school together. Now that is a sight!
>
> I agree with "get as many as you can accommodate..." except the long
> thread exchanges over long term size. I haven't seen any new growth
> with the Clowns in the last year, but still hear echoes from some who
> have seen them grow to much larger sizes. I can see this could be a
> major problem, especially as the SAEs have grown so large in the same
> 2 year period.
>
> So, Stephen, Clowns are social critters, they do enjoy swimming
> together, but I would as your source, your LFS or what, how large
> their fish have gotten in the past. Also consider Clowns have a long
> life and you are making a commitment. I have heard estimates that are
> longer than my own life expectancy.
>
> I don't have a local fish store and order all my supplies via
> Internet, thus I keep my operation simple feeding only flake food.
> They come to the top and eat, then continue as "bottom fish" as great
> scavengers.
>
> One caution, if you have any snails you want to keep, don't have the
> Clowns and the snails in the same tank. Clowns are often purchased to
> control snail populations.
>
> I have 2 Clowns in a 10 gallon tank. They seem quite content, then
> again I have 6 in a 75 gallon tank and 3 in a 29 gallon tank, so how
> many to have is really a question of tank size and pocket book.
>
> If you can, either inspect the prospective fish very carefully or
> quarantine them if possible when you buy them. They are sensitive to
> Ich! My first shipment of 7 all had Ich. The vendor replaced them
> and admitted to having shipped sick ones by accident (an employee
> ignored a sign on the tank).
>
> dick

"Dick" > wrote in message

> Gill, how long have you had your Clowns? I have a total of 11 in 3
> tanks. Been there 2 years. When I first got them they were far more
> fun to watch, but now they rest out of sight and are no more
> interesting than my flock of SAEs. Well, they are a bit more
> colorful. I do get to see them at least twice daily when it is meal
> time.
>
> How big are your Clowns? Mine run between 4 and 5 inches. Shorter
> than the SAEs which run 5 to 6 inches. Both like to stay together,
> and at times both species school together. Now that is a sight!


I set up the tank last September (my first and the house's second). I
started with the Clowns towards the end of October after the tank had
cycled.

It's difficult to get larger Clowns around here - the first three were
around 1 1/2 inches. I added the two larger Clowns around 2 weeks later -
they were around 3 to 3 1/2 inches (I'd put them at nearer 4 inches now).
They came in with the dreaded Ich but responded quickly to treatment. I then
lost one of my original Clowns (wasted away - I think it was a parasite) so
got another two. Right now the smaller Clowns are between 2 and 2 1/2
inches.

I have seen one that was around 8 inches once but resisted the temptation to
get it. Never seen one that large since....I'm guessing he was a "return".
In fact since I got my "larger" Clowns I've never come across any more.

Right at this moment they are not doing much at all....two of them turned up
when they sensed me approaching the tank - looking for food I guess - it's
around that time of the day :-)

The best way I found to observe the dancing is by sitting in the room
watching them with no distractions for hours on end....

Gill

[Uncle Davey]

Uzytkownik > napisal w wiadomosci
oups.com...
> how many clown loaches should i buy? are they loners or do they prefer
> to be in a group if so how many?
> any advice will be welome
>

The more you buy, the more they will be active and use all the space, rather
than shy away.

I would get five, but do bear in mind that they can get big over time.

And they don't like young water. You need to do gradual, regular water
changes, not swap a lot of water less frequently.

They are the ideal snail solution, but they attack apple snails also, which
most people who have them want to keep.

That's my lowdown on the good old Botia macracantha. You can see some of
mine in the pic half way down my Polish language page:

http://www.usenetposts.com/polindex.htm

Best,

Uncle Davey