moving clown loaches to their new home

[icewind]

I had posted about a month ago concerning my clown loaches with ich, and happy to say we have come out of that with no loss of life and they clowns are doing great!! They have been in QT for a little over a month now and I feel safe to move them to the bigger tank, but not sure if the smallest on which is about 1- 1/2-2 " long will be ok as the bigger tank also houses peacocks and a front. that is about 7" Should I keep them in the QT for another month or so till he gets bigger, or are clowns usually fast enough and hardy enough to handle being with the bigger fish?

[icewind]

Sorry, I didnt mention that the larger tank the smaller clowns will be moving to also has a larger 4-5" clown loach that has been in there for over a year, he lost his mates back in May due to an ich outbreak, that was introduced when I added 3 yellow labs, who had also been in QT for over a month! So not sure if having the larger established loach will make it easier for the smaller loaches to adjust?

[redshark1]

When moving tanks there is always a good chance of ich re-occuring so watch out for this.

My gut instinct with fish is to assume that if it can be swallowed it will be so I would not put a small Clown Loach in with bigger fish that could possibly do this. I don't understand what your other fish are but if it will fit in the other fishes mouth then it's a no-no for me.

There is also a high danger to the bigger fish due to the Loach suborbicular spines (i.e. situated roughly under the eyes) which can stick in the mouth and throat and lead to choking or other fatal injury I would think.

Also bigger fish can sometimes stress small fish merely by their presence and this can lead to disease, hiding etc.

Adding to the existing Clown Loach should in theory help them settle in.

Not sure how much measurable growth you'd get in a month, mine were very slow growing (but I feed sparingly).

[icewind]

yes I am rather expecting another outbreak of ich when moving them to the larger tank, only because it has happened everytime I have added fish even with them being Q for at least a month! So I guess this means they will have to be in the Q tank for a few more months before adding them, I dont worry about the peacocks but I know the frontosa could easily eat something under about 3" !!! I was just hoping against hope they would be ok as the one clown loach in the larger tank has been by himself now for almost 6 mos. and I know they are suppose to be alot happier with other loaches. It has taken me months to keep a group alive long enough to last through a month in QT, so Im probably just anxious!! I think I will wait or maybe even look into rehoming the frontosa!! Thanks for the reminder of them having the spurs on the side of their cheeks, I had not even thought about that causing possible harm to the fish trying to eat them!!!

[icewind]

ok all at the risk of being annoying at all the questions I have been posting, I am just wanting to give an update on the status of the loaches being moved to their new home! I made the dicission to move the frontosa to the other tank and he seems to be adjusting very well so far. That took away the worry about the little loaches getting eaten as the peacocks that are in the other tank I dont believe would be able to eat them. so after doing a complete change out on the set up of the 75 g tank the new loaches are going into, I introduced them yesterday. They all seem to be doing well, following the larger clown who is about 4" and even though there was some territory settlement the first day, things are doing well and they seem to be enjoying each other and the little ones are not hiding and eating good. The peacock cichlids are not seeming to give them much notice. I have plenty of hiding places for them and open swimming areas as well. Im praying this will keep going in a positve direction as It has taken me about 3 months to get a group to live through a month of Q. the lFS recommended I do a week worth of ich guard at half dose as a prevention of another outbreak of ich and so I started that today. Im just happy to see all of them out and about playing and chasing each other around, it seems they are pretty comfotable in their new home. Thanks to all the advise you have given me and if you see anything wrong with what Im doing now please let me know. I am still learning alot even though my tanks have been going for a couple of years. I understand that 75 is the least concidered for the loaches, but I live upstairs and would be terrified to go to anything bigger, by the time they get alot bigger, maybe Ill be in a position to get a larger tank. I do 2x weekly water changes and vacume, have a 405 canister filter and do monthly water test unless I suspect a problem, then do as needed. My perameters are always in the right ranges that are recommended. I do not have to add anything other than conditioner to the water when I change as Im on well and I figure the conditioner will not hurt and maybe help break down some of the heavy metals associated with well water. Please let me know if you think I am doing ok with the maint. as its important to me to kmow Im giving them the best I can. thanks again for all the suggestions you have given to me.

[starsplitter7]

Questions are always welcome. Aren't those mostly African Cichlids you are mentioning? Loaches and Africans are not capaticble, which could explain why you have had more than one ick outbreak and at least one clown loss. Loaches like soft, acdic water. They prefer soft sand, not sharp or leaching rocks (smooth river stones), those are opposite conditions for African cichlids. Not to mention Africans are much too aggressive for clowns. I know people frequently put these together, but it isn't recommended.

If those are not Africans, I apologize. I am not a cichlid keeper. If I kept clowns with cichlids, I would keep them with some non-aggressive geophagus or Rams. There are no African cichlids that are compatible with clowns long term. Keep in mind Clowns should live 20 years. If they are dying younger or developing ick, there's a reason. I have gone 6 years without ick in any of my 11 tanks. I did get a horrible case in August, after introducing a siuck fish. My fault and I paid dearly for it.