A little about clown loaches...

[shazam26]

Hello, me again!
Well, we found the red fin giving the balas quite a chase- not harming them, not even initiating chases. It would just join in whenever they'd jet around the tank, and frighten them considerably. It's gotten to the point that they won't come down near the bottom or middle area, not even to eat. So, I called the pet store owner & sadly he believes it's better that I not have the balas- for one, although it's temporary, he figures it would be hard to get an adequate tank to support them, and they seem to be extra skiddish. Therefore, he said I can take them back for a refund and get some more loaches to put in with the red fin. Oddly, the red fin never gives chase to them. As a matter of fact, he enjoys their company, and interacts with them differently than the bala. I'm going to get two more companions for my weather loach, and perhaps a catfish.
Now, currently I don't have my large tank- which size I'm going to go with, I'm unsure of yet- that's why I'm posting this. I'd love to rear clown loaches- what's the tank size requirement for these lovely creatures? And, above all else, would they interact well with the species mentioned above?
If not, I'll stick to what I have currently. I wouldn't want any more fish being upset! I'm very sad to return the lovely balas, but the pet store owner believes it wisest- they don't seem to be taking to the liveliness of the tank. Better off to a great home than stay here stressed out, right?
Anyway, does anybody have the info I'm looking for? (No duh ) Thank you.

[adampetherick]

Hello, me again!
Well, we found the red fin giving the balas quite a chase- not harming them, not even initiating chases. It would just join in whenever they'd jet around the tank, and frighten them considerably. It's gotten to the point that they won't come down near the bottom or middle area, not even to eat. So, I called the pet store owner & sadly he believes it's better that I not have the balas- for one, although it's temporary, he figures it would be hard to get an adequate tank to support them, and they seem to be extra skiddish. Therefore, he said I can take them back for a refund and get some more loaches to put in with the red fin. Oddly, the red fin never gives chase to them. As a matter of fact, he enjoys their company, and interacts with them differently than the bala. I'm going to get two more companions for my weather loach, and perhaps a catfish.
Now, currently I don't have my large tank- which size I'm going to go with, I'm unsure of yet- that's why I'm posting this. I'd love to rear clown loaches- what's the tank size requirement for these lovely creatures? And, above all else, would they interact well with the species mentioned above?
If not, I'll stick to what I have currently. I wouldn't want any more fish being upset! I'm very sad to return the lovely balas, but the pet store owner believes it wisest- they don't seem to be taking to the liveliness of the tank. Better off to a great home than stay here stressed out, right?
Anyway, does anybody have the info I'm looking for? (No duh ) Thank you.

Personally I'd have returned the red fin, they can be agressive towards other species not just it's own.

Clowns grow to the same size as Bala's even slightly bigger so in regards to tank size it depends if you want to upgrade again in the future, full size clowns need a very big tank. Emma on here for example has hers in an 8ft tank.

[helen nightingale]

And, above all else, would they interact well with the species mentioned above?

No, sorry this would not be a good combination. waether (dojo) loaches need quite cool water whereas clowns need water at the warmer end of the tropical scale, so the two species would be very unhappy together! see these links:

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=2625

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=2847
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=3311

you will find out the conditions both fish need here. Adam is right with his advice on clown tank size - sadly he isnt exagerating, they do need huge tanks with equally huge filters

there are some danios that can take cool temperatures, or white cloud mountain minnows if you want to stick with the weather loaches

make sure you chose your catfish carefully too, as some can get very big! i have been in some fish shops where the staff have no idea what species of catfish they are selling, so have no idea how big they get have you seen this website? www.PlanetCatfish.com i was recently reccommended it, and it does seem to be very useful.

[shazam26]

Oh dear! Well I'll stick to my weather loaches, and the catfish I was planning on purchasing is a Peruvian pictus. They're said to get along well with loaches and red fins, and they grow to an estimated maximum of 4.7". I would have brought back my red fin but I've had him the longest and am very fond of him. -_- If need be, I'll buy him his own tank. As for the balas, they were super skiddish and I was very worried for them. They also couldn't handle the swift & unpredictable movements of the loach, either. It would just be best if they were put into an environment with strictly balas, it seems.