HELP?

[Babykakez]

I recently bought clown loaches at the pet store. They looked cool. Well I wanted to look into them and found this. I was in for a surprise. I bought 2 clowns and 2 guppies. I only have a 5 gallon tank. And won't be upgrading for another year or two. I live in an apartment, my future husband and i won't be getting a BIG tank till we have a house. How do i care for my loaches till then? In my tank i have a goldfish (tough as nails not worried about him), one plecostomus and one guppy (one died. store says because my ph is to low). I have a hollow log that the loaches love. What else can I do for them until we upgrade our tank? I don't want to hurt them. Never would have gotten them if i knew that they could get big or needed current. Please help. I don't want to be cruel and hurt my fish.

[Kitishane]

As much as I know you don't want to hear this, if you are unable to upgrade your tank, you should return the clown loaches.

If I'm reading correctly, are currently housing a guppy, a pleco, a goldfish, and the two clowns in the same tank. The goldfish itself needs much bigger than a 5 gallon tank, and is a major waste producer. Between the goldfish and the pleco, the water levels will get dangerous VERY fast, unless you are doing daily water changes, and those may not even help.

In ideal conditions, loaches can grow over a foot long. They are social animals, that need to be in groups of at least 3 of their own kind, with 6 being preferred. Keeping the two in this small of a tank will not only stress them, but will stunt their growth, and will be detrimental to their health.

If you truly have their best interest in mind, return them for store credit.

[Emma Turner]

Hi Babykakez,

So sorry to hear that the store did not inform you of the proper requirements of clown loaches - they are irresponsible and should never have sold them to you for a tank that small.

You really must either return them to a store (not necessarily the jokers you bought them from in the first place) or ask around any fishkeeping friends you might have and see if they are able to house them in bigger quarters. Even small specimens really need a minimum tank of 4ft long with good water movement, oxygenation and filtration.

Best of luck,

Emma

[sophie]

is 5 gallon not a typo?

because if not, that tank really isn't big enough for any one of those fish... they also have very different requirements as to temperature and environment so even in a big tank you couldn't really keep that mix of fish happy.

the goldfish might survive, but it won't be happy. I think it's very, very unlikely that the clowns would survive. a lot of plecs get huuuuge.

I'm sorrry to bear bad news, but I honestly think the only thing you can do for your fish is take them all back to the shop. I'm not a fan of tiny tanks, but I think people do keep bettas in those tanks pretty succesfully, but you have to be really on top with maintenance.

if it makes you feel any better, I started off my fish-keeping career in utter ignorance with three goldfish, five white clouds and a CAE in an 18-inch tank some nice people on a fish newsgroup put me right fairly quickly.

do you have a filter and heater, btw?

goodluck,

[Babykakez]

The store will not tank them back. And they are the best store in the area ( if that tells you something, i only bought two because all they had, I wanted 3 instead of the guppy). I have a ten gallon tank that is sitting in my closet ( easier to have 5 gallon on desk then the bigger tank out). And no one i knows even has a tank. Is ten gallons enough to get them by for a year? As for the ph it is currently at 6.6 (store says that is why guppy died. I don't think so because the other is fine). How can i make them comfortable till we get a bigger tank. I can move them to a 10 gallon. Just don't want to be cruel.

oh and i do have a filter and heater and bubble thing (brain fart can't think of the name)

[Kitishane]

10 gallons will not be any better than the 5, to be honest. Each one of the fish you have (except the guppy) has the potential to get very large, and the waste output on the goldfish and pleco alone are going to cause nothing but problems.

Is there any other fish store you could take them to? Do you have any friends that are fishkeepers that would be able to take them for you, until you can get a bigger tank set up, cycled, and established with dither fish?

These are all things you need to consider. Your fish will not be happy, nor will they be healthy in their current living conditions, nor will they be if you upgrade them to the 10 gallon.

[Icewall42]

I agree with everyone here. A tank like that is far too small for loaches, much less clowns. Any tank smaller than a 55 gallon, has trouble establishing a balanced cycle. I say it's for the best to give up the fish to someone with a much larger tank, or else take them back to the fish store. Shame on the fish store you bought those clowns from for not telling you what a clown loach requires

[Babykakez]

well... before i can even act to take them back. i woke up this morning and had a BAD case of ick. I used my ick stuff. But within 3 hours it went from showing up to killing my 2 guppies, my goldfish ( who was tough as nails). Only things left alive are my loaches and pleco. I am trying to nurse them back to health but i am not holding out hope. My future husband and i are pissed because we had to have gotten it from the store. And my goldfish started as a feeder fish and was 5 inches long. We have had the new fish for less then 7 days ( our stores policy.) So cross your fingers for my loaches to live.

[LUVaLOACH]

well... before i can even act to take them back. i woke up this morning and had a BAD case of ick. I used my ick stuff. But within 3 hours it went from showing up to killing my 2 guppies, my goldfish ( who was tough as nails). Only things left alive are my loaches and pleco. I am trying to nurse them back to health but i am not holding out hope. My future husband and i are pissed because we had to have gotten it from the store. And my goldfish started as a feeder fish and was 5 inches long. We have had the new fish for less then 7 days ( our stores policy.) So cross your fingers for my loaches to live.

I am so sorry for you losses, what type of ick med did you use. I have lost several fish with ick meds. It is always tricky when medicating. Is there any chance you might have overdosed? I couldn't figure out if that is what I did or the meds themselves caused it. Again, I am so sorry and good luck with your remaining guys.

Kris

[Babykakez]

I bought Ick Guard 2 last night.. just to have on hand because it was on sale. I got the 2 instead of 1 since it says safe to use with loaches, and other scaleless fish. My bf used about half a teaspoon like the back says. My loaches seem happy and content like nothing is wrong, same with my pleco. My clowns are out playing at the moment even. They have a little ich on their tales but no much more than that. Hoping they pull through.

[YellowFinned]

They have got ill because they are in an unhealthily small and mismatched environment. Pouring medicine in will only make the water worse. I think all those fish in five gallons, it is only a matter of time.

[mikev]

I bought Ick Guard 2 last night.. just to have on hand because it was on sale. I got the 2 instead of 1 since it says safe to use with loaches, and other scaleless fish. My bf used about half a teaspoon like the back says. My loaches seem happy and content like nothing is wrong, same with my pleco. My clowns are out playing at the moment even. They have a little ich on their tales but no much more than that. Hoping they pull through.

Ick Guard 2 is indeed loach-safe.

The problem with it is that it often takes pretty long time to totally kill Ich, 2-3 weeks are possible. The option that actually works better is the usual Ick Guard mix, given at half-dose.

[newshound]

|I'd go apeshat on the petstore personally if they knew you had a 5 gallon with such a mix of fish.
Do your fish a kindness and take them back.
Read up on cycling a tank and maybe then tackle fishkeeping.
The store did not do its duty to inform the customer.