yo-yo or clown?

[chilover1113]

Hi, I have a 50 gal. planted community tank. I have small fish; guppies, neon tetras, glowlight tetras, spotted corys and a few platies. I would like to add some yo-yo or clown loaches to my tank. I am aware of how big they each get and if I got the clowns I would be willing to size up my tank in the future. I just want to know which would be better for my plants and the fish I already have? Also, I've read that I *should* get 6, but would 4 or 5 be ok? Thanks!

[palaeodave]

If you want your plants to stay planted, got with the yoyo's. I've never kept clowns myself, but I've heard plenty of people talk about theirs uprooting plants all the time! A group of 5 yoyo's is fine......have you considered Botia striata? You could probably get a larger group in there....

[Beowulf]

If you want your plants to stay planted, got with the yoyo's. I've never kept clowns myself, but I've heard plenty of people talk about theirs uprooting plants all the time! A group of 5 yoyo's is fine......have you considered Botia striata? You could probably get a larger group in there....

While I have never had any problem with my plants, as long as they are well rooted they should hold up. Big question is are you willing in the next year or so to get a 100g++ tank? I would go with the YoYo's unless you are 100% sure about the tank.

[shari2]

Yanno, with my clowns it's been weird. In the 40g where they were too crowded, they uprooted everything even wiggled under the roots of the java fern on the bogwood. Snapped holes in echinodorus, bit off the new leaves on the crypts. The tank was a mess!

Moved them into the 55 and voila. The java fern is growing back( I moved one of the logs they'd decimated into the 55 with them), they cruise the crypts eating off the algae but rarely snip off whole leaves anymore. And they ignore the cabomba tornado that is taking up about a third of the tank.
I suppose if I were superstitious I should knock on wood now, eh?