Loaches Online Forum

Hi all, I am new here and would like to make a shout out to everyone. So hi!!

And I have a bit of a question too, a predicament u might say. I have had my clown loaches for a while now. I have been unable to put plants in my tank because the little buggers punch holes in the leaves, or uproot them or do something to cause a drama in there. I am at my wits end with these guys. I would really like a healthy looking aquarium with healthy fish and healthy plants, but they are making it very hard for me. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me. Maybe they dont have enough vegies in their diet, or maybe they are just bored? Any comments and help would be appreciated

Thank you
A.

heh, my little botias punched holes at first too but they gave up after awhile.
I thought I had nutrient deficiencies.

Clowns might be another story since they are the bigger of the botias.. I would just tough plants with these guys like java fern & anubias.

thanks for the reply, yes the anubias do last a little longer, but still get beaten up, poor defenseless anubias.

Hi,

Keeping healthy plants is nearly impossible for anyone with Clowns. Anubias are very hardy but the new shoots get munched so badly that once they open fully they look very tatty. I have found that the following get left alone: -

Cabomba Carolina, Elodea Densa, Bolbitis heudelotii, Echinodorus (many types) & Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata. Java Fern & Crinum natans are sometimes left alone.

I have a mixture of fine gravel & sand for substrate and the plants never get uprooted!! I am sure there are others but I have these plants in my CL tank and all are thriving.

Lestat

champion lestat thanks for all that... and if u are an Anne Rice fan, how is marius and armand? hehe

lol, pleasure!

So far I was lucky, but now some clowns are also getting over 5" and do this:



prior they did that only once the plants were lacking Fe, but this leave looks ok from the color (perhaps just a tiny little bit glassy), some more leaves on that sword looks the same...

I don't know the name of the plants in the photo below but none of my clowns touch them, although they don't have many leaves they are good foreground plants (please excuse the algae on the glass).

My clowns don't bother my plants any more. I feed romaine & zucchini (courgette) 3 or 4 times/week. I have java fern, crypts, anubias, Indian fern & swords (used to be a favorite target). I think plants will be hard to keep as the loaches grow from all I've read.

yeh, thanks for all in advice n info guys, i guess they are hard to keep with plants. i'll see how i go in a few days and give an update

Mine don't bother the plants (yet). I also feed zucchini - not quite as often, but I do give them algae wafers every other day. They love those.