Loaches Online Forum

I have a 55 gallon with yoyo and zebra loaches with a few clowns that I know will be free agents once they get a little large... they are about two inches now. They have all lived with some Cory's for the past year and one very happy gorgeous betta that occupied the upstairs..... they all got along great. The trouble is that apparently due to a bladder infection the beautiful betta has died. I'm not sure if I want to go that route again or find some other tropical fish that can coexist with the loaches without anything getting aggressive towards them or vice versa. I had thought of the usual suspects like cherry barbs or other non aggressive barbs and tetras but what about 0thers perhaps a bit larger ......maybe just a couple since I would be replacing the bio load of just one betta that only ate two or three pellets a day. I'm not sure on the best course of action but prefer a non loach species that can be a mid or upper tank dweller. What do you suggest folks? And I have plenty of filtration with two marineland 350units which of course contain 8 total filters and four total bio wheels happily spinning. For now i keep it about 80 and the water is always perfect per my test kit. Thanks!

Well, that is quite a mix of bottom fish, I can sure see adding some upper level activity!
Yoyos, IME are quite predatory, so I would not put anything smaller than about 3" with them.

Rainbow Fish- There are several species. Most are large enough to live with adult Clown Loaches and Yoyo Loaches without getting eaten. Boesemani, Australian and others. I would avoid the Dwarf Neon Rainbow (Melanotaenia praecox).
Mid-sized Barbs, such as Clown Barbs. I have some Filimentosas with my Clown Loaches, but in a bigger tank (125 gallon).
Congo Tetras would be a good choice, too.
Any of the mid-sized Gouramis have some possibilities, but once in a while you will find one that wants to claim the whole tank, and will chase even the bottom dwellers. Pearls are the most peaceful (usually- I have heard of aggressive ones), Moonlights are the largest that I would put in a 55 (and only 1) (I have Snakeskins in my 125), and the 3-spot and its color morphs are one of the most aggressive of the group. Only one per tank.
Red Line Barbs would be active, showy fish for the mid tank, too.

More unusual fish might be Farlowella or African Brown Knife, but these stay hidden most of the time, and are not really going to be as showy as most of the other fish I suggested.

It depends on your temperature, partly. I guess you are at 80F for the loaches?

If so, I would advise that many barbs require cooler temps for most of the year except perhaps the breeding season, if in doubt look it up on Google or similar.

Rainbows should be good, just get the colour you want. I have Boesemans and though they are stunning, I do find I have a lot of orange with both them and my Clowns!

Blue Gourami love the surface and are very colourful. I would recommend one of these. Mine is attractively patterned and very well behaved. I also have a Kissing Gourami, also a single, which is very good. A swordtail would give good colour too (I chose a red female one as females are largest). Larger peaceful tetras such as the Congo Tetra, Arnold's Tetra etc. are also good. I also have yellow Bristlenose for algae duty which is a stunning colour, though not a surface fish!

My Clowns seem immune to being bothered by other fish but I have never kept them with anything nasty. They are not concerned by my Jack Dempsey, who is not a nasty fish but likes to defend his space by pushing them away like a bulldozer!