starting a loach tank

altima se-r · Post by **altima se-r** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:45 pm

i have a 10 gallon tank, and i was wondering if i put a 50 gallon accu clear waterfall filter in it, would that be too powerful for 2 clowns and a polkadot?

chefkeith · Post by **chefkeith** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:23 pm

A 10 gallon tank is completely out of the question. You'll need at least a 100 gallon tank for clown loaches.

Diana · Post by **Diana** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:03 pm

How many gallons per hour does that filter move?

A 10 gallon tank is suited to fish that max out between 1 and 2". A school of foot long Clown Loaches would never make it.
A 10 gallon is OK as a quarantine tank for half a dozen small Clowns, but be ready to move them into a larger grow out tank as soon as they are through quarantine. The 10 will stunt their growth if they are in it for any length of time.

Kubotais also get too big. By the time you get a school of them they are better suited to a tank at least 3' long.

Have a look through the species pages and think about every one as a school of at least 5 fish, not just a single. Most Loaches are social, and need tank mates of the same species.

http://www.loaches.com/species-index

altima se-r · Post by **altima se-r** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:10 pm

as they grow im gonna get a bigger tank but for now this is just starting out, do you think an accu clear 50 waterfall filter would be safe for them?

mickthefish · Post by **mickthefish** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:19 pm

No it would'nt, if the loaches are going to reside in there for a while you will surely stunt they're growth, clowns can grow quickly so 10 gall would'nt be in their interest.
how long would it be before you got the larger tank?.

mick

shari2 · Post by **shari2** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:28 pm

No one means to discourage your interest in loaches, altima, but take a look at the link below and see why we say that a 10g tank is unsuitable:

http://www.loaches.com/articles/information-posters

altima se-r · Post by **altima se-r** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:22 pm

they wouldnt be in there for long maybe a few weeks. im just asking if an accu clear 50 waterfall filter would be too powerful for them

Diana · Post by **Diana** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:14 pm

A few weeks is fine, that is just long enough to quarantine and treat for internal parasites. Make a set schedule: The fish ought to be moved out as soon as it is clear that they have no disease or parasite problems.
Longer than a month and this is too small a tank for them. I would treat for parasites in this tank, though.

Get the fish in stages, so there are not so many at any one time in quarantine, for example 2-3 Clowns, then another group of 2-3 Clowns, then 5 Kubotai, then the other fish that you may want in the larger tank. Perhaps a school of Congo Tetras or other upper water fish.

Look for a filter that turns over the volume of the tank about 10 times per hour. I am not familiar with the filter you mentioned. Read the label and see how much water it moves.

Have the larger tank ready and waiting, perhaps doing a fishless cycle on it before you get the fish. If this tank is something close to 4' long then they could live in here for a year or so, then move the Clown Loaches up again. The Kubotai Loaches could stay in this size tank.

As seen in that poster, getting Clown Loaches is like getting a horse: They are not just a little fish, they are a commitment.

newshound · Post by **newshound** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 12:15 pm

don't buy clowns
they just get too large

Ravenmoon · Post by **Ravenmoon** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 12:26 pm

A ten gallon is way too small, I would have at least a 20 or 29 before I considered loaches and even then, I'd think about sids. Definitely not clowns though. They need a lot more room since they get so big.

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