I have a bit of a dilemma that I've been considering for the past few weeks, and I thought I'd see what all your opinions are.
I am the proud owner of an 80-gallon community tank that, among other residents, houses a trio of clown loaches. I got them almost two years ago, when they were itsy-bitsy babies, and I adore them. They're now about three inches long and doing very well. However, I know that three is kind of a tiny group for loaches, and I have heard that if you keep them in larger groups, they tend to come out more. Mine hide all day: they like to loaf under one of the pieces of bogwood. Lest you think my tank is barren and intimidating, I assure you, it's extremely lushly planted and has plenty of nice, dark hidey-holes. My loaches are especially fond of the melon sword; they bite little holes in the nice, fresh, new leaves.
Trouble is, I'm well aware that my tank is only 80 gallons, and I don't want to overstock it. Those 80 gallons house my loaches, two tiny plecos (a clown plec and a paraotocinclus), six blue flame Colombian tetras, ten emerald eye rasboras, three platies, two dianemas, four Siamese algae eaters, and two angelfish. I'll likely shuttle my angelfish into my other tank (a 40-gallon) when they're a little bigger. In a couple years, I plan to acquire a 180 or 200 gallon tank, but where I'm living now (I'm a student, you see), I simply don't have the space. While that would probably be okay given how slowly my loaches have grown, I'd hate for them to get cramped in a tank that's too small.
Anyway, what it all boils down to is that I want to choose the lesser evil for them. Shall I keep them in their little trio and wait a couple of years, when I can get that bigger tank, to expand their group? Or should I get, say, two more and let them start growing up in the 80, then move them when they start to get too big for it? Your input is appreciated.
let them feel your presence and avoid any stressful things in the room like bright light, vibrations, ...