At what size do Clowns need a 6 foot tank?

[Boromark]

I have a 48x15x18, 47 UK gallon/ 212 litre tank.

I have six three-inch Clowns and I am beginning to wonder if the tank may be too small for them.

I have read on this forum that keeping Clowns in too small a tank stunts them, with bad consequences for their health and life expectancy.

At what size would people recommend moving Clowns up to a 72x24x24 tank?

I am seriously considering this move although the tank alone appears to cost around £300 according to the enquiries I have made, and with the cabinet and etc to add it's a big investment, and maybe I don't need to consider upgrading just yet?

I'd appreciate any advice, thanks,

Mark

[Ashleigh]

Hi Boromark,

I currently house 20 ish clown loach of varying sizes. Six between 5-8 inches and the rest between 2-4 inches. At the moment they are housed in a 5 x 2 x 1.5 (112 g) and seem to be growing well although they could do with a bit more room within the next year or so. Daily water changes 10-20% are done on this tank though to assure water quality doesn't slip as it is fairly heavy in stocking.

I would personally think that a tank with a slightly larger foot print and volume would benefit your loaches as at 6 inches they are fairly bulky and would enjoy the space.

Have a look on ebay for cheap deals-I got my 5ft with stand, external and internal filter, hood and lighting for £52 or £57 - can't remember which
I also sold my 6 x 2 x 2 that I had at my parents house in Ireland for £60 last year-its difficult to get rid of large tanks and usually people are willing to give them away at a much lower price than they are worth


Ashleigh

[Boromark]

Hi Ashleigh,

Thanks for the advice.

I didn't lay out my information as clearly as I could - my Clowns are only three inches. The fact that no-one has advised me to upgrade with 3" fish suggests to me that I don't need a bigger tank for a few years yet - maybe until they reach 4" or 5" or so. It doesn't seem that I'm in any danger of stunting them at the moment.

Having said this, I have followed your tip and had a look on eBay, and sure enough a 6' tank sold for £80 yesterday, a lot less than I have been quoted for brand new! So I think I'll keep an eye out for something like that in my area.

I know it sounds a silly question, but how many people does it take to lift an empty 6' tank? I suspect it's a lot heavier than my 4' one.

Thanks for the help,

Mark

[Ashleigh]

Hi Ashleigh,

Thanks for the advice.

I didn't lay out my information as clearly as I could - my Clowns are only three inches. The fact that no-one has advised me to upgrade with 3" fish suggests to me that I don't need a bigger tank for a few years yet - maybe until they reach 4" or 5" or so. It doesn't seem that I'm in any danger of stunting them at the moment.

Having said this, I have followed your tip and had a look on eBay, and sure enough a 6' tank sold for £80 yesterday, a lot less than I have been quoted for brand new! So I think I'll keep an eye out for something like that in my area.

I know it sounds a silly question, but how many people does it take to lift an empty 6' tank? I suspect it's a lot heavier than my 4' one.

Thanks for the help,

Mark

I missread your post, I thought it said 3 six inch 4ft should be fine for a good while. Id start looking once they reach the 5 inch mark.

Two men managed to lift my 6ft though it did look like a bit of a struggle but they insisted they were fine Id say 3 men would be able to lift it eaisly.


Ashleigh

[Diana]

Took 2 strong boys (well, young men) to handle my 125 (American) gallon (6' x 18" x 2') tank. More than this would not have fit through the door, so having a third person might be OK in the wider areas, there will be times when 2 people will need to do the lifting.

Part of the tank size depends on how many total fish as well as what size they are, but I have found that in general fish need a foot of tank length per inch of fish length, when you are thinking about average activity level fish. Social species they will share the space, so you can get several fish in the tank, and count the same 6' length of tank for several 6" fish.
Something like a Gourami can get by with smaller tank for larger fish because they are more sedentary, but can be territorial if you have too many, so you might need more space for that. Algae eaters like common Plecs need the volume of water to dilute the waste between water changes, even if they are rather quiet fish.

Specifically Clown Loaches: I am moving my Clowns into the aforementioned 6'/125 gallon tank this summer. Stand is almost done.
The current Clown Loach population is 3 @ 4-5" (in a 4' long tank) and 6 @ barely 2" (in a 30" long tank).
Other fish are 2 species of medium sized Barb, a trio of young Bichers, one Pleco that was sold as a Common, but is staying smaller (6" long), and looks different. And several other fish.

[Boromark]

Thanks once again for your helpful advice, Diana.

A foot of tank to an inch of fish is the sort of arithmetic I like - not too hard to remember! It means my Clowns need to grow another inch before I need to consider changing my tank, unless one of Ashleigh's eBay bargains pops up.

Cheers, Mark