New to loaches (and fish in general)

SheDevil · Post by **SheDevil** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:52 pm

Hi! Glad I stumbled across your site. I bought a 55 gal. concave front D-shaped tank a few months back for $100 and started with 6 Glowlight tetras, 6 Rosy tetras and 4 catfish tetras (?). We also added several live plants at the same time...and now have a HUGE overflow of snails. At first I thought they were cute and perhaps beneficial to the balance of the tank. Then I found that they multiplied at a very accelerated rate. Very quickly we had a big problem. I did some research (mostly because I didn't want to just kill the little critters or flush them down the toilet) and purchased my first clown loach on Saturday. I originally wanted more than one...but the darn pet store only had two in stock, and the second looked to be "dead" to me. It wasn't moving at all and I thought was caught behind the filtration pump. I pointed it out to the employee at the pet store and she said she would remove it...and that they would be getting more clown loaches on Wednesday. So, this is Thursday, and I went down to the pet store again to purchase more clown loaches. Much to my surprise...the same clown was in the same tank and looking somewhat lively. Still lethargic...but more active than a few days ago. I felt bad that I didn't take the poor guy the first time I visited...and I brought him home today (against the pet store employee's advice). She said that he had been "acting funny" and she wasn't sure if he would make it. Well d'oh!!!!!!! These poor babies were in a 10 gallon tank with absolutely NOWHERE to hide and probably under stressed conditions. *sigh* He's just lying around in the tank, swimming a bit...but obviously totally stressed out now. His colors are dull, unlike the first one I bought. I hope that he (or she!) will be okay. I'm really worried about him...but at least I got him out of that store. I'm hoping that he is a survivor! I also picked up two dojo loaches as well as 6 painted tetras today. I wish I would have researched the painted tetras before I bought them. They are very pretty...but I absolutely ABHOR what torture they must have gone through in the dyeing process. UGGGGH!!!! What kind of people do these things to fish? And how stupid I feel for perpetuating their habits by purchasing those fish. I wish I would have been better educated about how a fish becomes "painted". I thought it was a natural coloration as in the neon tetras and a few other tetra species.

Anyway, glad to meet you all.

Hope to learn a lot from this forum!!!

clownloachfan · Post by **clownloachfan** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:28 pm

Hi, and welcome to LOL.
first i would like to recomend a couple of articles for you to read about clowns
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/cl ... cracanthus
http://www.loaches.com/articles/an-intr ... ping-botia
As you read, you will find that these guys need buddies. 5 or six is the minimum. You should also not buy fish that act sick. I hope the sick one comes around for you.
As for the catfish tetras i am guessing they are glass catfish(Kryptopterus minor) is this what they look like?http://www.scotcat.com/images/kryptopterus_minor3.jpg

newshound · Post by **newshound** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 4:03 pm

loaches are bad fish for people starting out IMO
it is bad to buy loaches just for snail control
loaches need clean clean and just so you know clean water
a %50 water change should be done weekly
Always use a Qtank for 4 weeks before introducing a new fish to your main tank or else you could kill off your healthy fish

SheDevil · Post by **SheDevil** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:04 pm

clownloachfan wrote:Hi, and welcome to LOL.
first i would like to recomend a couple of articles for you to read about clowns
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/cl ... cracanthus
http://www.loaches.com/articles/an-intr ... ping-botia
As you read, you will find that these guys need buddies. 5 or six is the minimum. You should also not buy fish that act sick. I hope the sick one comes around for you.
As for the catfish tetras i am guessing they are glass catfish(Kryptopterus minor) is this what they look like?http://www.scotcat.com/images/kryptopterus_minor3.jpg

Nope. That is not how my catfish look. I will try to take a pic of them...they are quite active.

And I will add more clowns as they get some in. I cannot wait as these guys are the life of the tank...hehe.

SheDevil · Post by **SheDevil** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:07 pm

newshound wrote:loaches are bad fish for people starting out IMO
it is bad to buy loaches just for snail control
loaches need clean clean and just so you know clean water
a %50 water change should be done weekly
Always use a Qtank for 4 weeks before introducing a new fish to your main tank or else you could kill off your healthy fish

Well, we keep the tank pretty clean. I love the loaches so far, they are beautiful and wonderful creatures. There is nothing more appetizing than seeing these little guys sucking the snails right out of their shell...

clownloachfan · Post by **clownloachfan** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:51 pm

Did you read the articles? Do you know that they need food besides the snails? Good foods to feed are sinking wafers, shrimp pellots, flake food, bloodworms, brine shrimp, cucumber, etc.

Blue · Post by **Blue** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 6:41 pm

For a 55g, I would stick with the smaller species instead of clown loaches.
Botia dario, Botia histrionica, Botia striata, Botia almorhae, Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki are a few I can mention.

Rocco · Post by **Rocco** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 6:45 pm

Ditto on what Blue said. If you want really active loaches, the B.Almorhae are the ones to get. a.k.a. yoyo loaches.

Clowns can grow to about 16" in the wild and probably about 12" or more in an aquarium. For comparison, your aquarium is 36" by 18" by 20" If I'm not mistaken.

It would be like a human living in a large carton box.

Barb · Post by **Barb** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:32 pm

I made this mistake. I bought a 20 gallon and 2 clown loaches. Found out that was too small and someone recommeded a 75-gallon. I bought the 75-gallon, and that is also really too small for clown loaches. The get big and need a lot of room. Minimum of six feet to swim is what I've read. And, they need at least 5 or six together.

clownloachfan · Post by **clownloachfan** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:40 pm

As my signature says

bslindgren · Post by **bslindgren** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 1:46 am

Botia kubotai is a great one for that size tank. Clowns are great fish, but be prepared to upgrade your tank size (which I believe is an unavoidable disease that afflicts all clown loach owners....the loachaholics call it 'assimilation' - resistance is futile!)

helen nightingale · Post by **helen nightingale** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:57 pm

welcome, Shedevil

you have definately come to a great place to learn and get addicted to loaches.

remember that we all make mistakes, and most of us did silly things when we first started out. as long as you are prepared to learn from mistakes you make, there is no reason why your clowns should not live a very long and happy life. so please do consider the size of tank and the current they need. if you cant provide what they need, you should think about swapping them for a smaller species. smaller loaches are still wonderfull fish.

as one of the clowns sounds like he is off colour, could you give us some specific information? this can help to get him better.

what are your levels of ammonia, nitrate and nitrite?
what is the temperature and pH?
do you know how hard the water is?
what is your water changing routine like?
what are you feeding them?

i just want to check you are aware of the loachy play dead trick? sometimes it still gets me when i see an upside down tail sticking out from underneath a piece of bogwood, especially when they have changed favourite sleeping positions

SheDevil · Post by **SheDevil** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 12:08 pm

I can't even find the little bugger! He/she has been hiding since the first night I brought him/her home. There aren't THAT many places to hide in the tank...just a few pieces of wood with a labyrinth of holes...and a vase thingy and a cool rock type decoration. Anyway, I have visually inspected all of those items and no clown! I dunno, do they ever burrow? I'm all out of ideas here, LOL. There is no possible way he could have got out of the tank...he's just GONE!!! I'm such a n00b, but I'm worried about the little guy.

helen nightingale · Post by **helen nightingale** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 2:27 pm

have you tried lifting the ornanments? it can be surprisinf how small a gap loaches can fit into, and how they can dig their way under things to hide.

if there are not that many hiding places, it may help to put more in, to make him more sequre.

good luck

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