Feeding a very young clown

[jv72]

Hello All,
New to this forum. I have a 29G tank with 2 ameca splendens, a young leopard bush fish (aka climbing perch, about 2 inches), 2 silver tip tetras, 2 head and tail light tetras and 1 clown loach (about 2.5 inches). Originally got the loach to deal with a snail infestation (which he wiped out in a week!) and since fell in love with him. Felt bad he was the only loach, so this weekend went and bought a very young clown loach (all the LFS had). He's probably just an inch long and very small body at this point. I know that in about 2 years or less I'll have to upsize to a bigger tank. Luckily none of my fish are bullying him at all to this point.

For now my main questions is, what's the best way to feed the young clown since he's in an environment with some real fast eaters (the amecas are the biggest pigs of any fish i've ever seen!...but they're really cool)? Normally, I feed the tank a mix of bloodworms, flakes, and shrimp and algea pellets. So far, the little guy has had no chance at the tablets. But, it seems he is eating some crushed flake. The thing is, he seems to take them in and spit them back out. He keeps doing it with alot of pieces tough so I'm assuming he's eating some of it. I also put some "First Bites" food in the tank that looks like dust.

OK, to shorten all that rambling: 1) even though he's spitting much of the flake back out, do you think he's probably getting enough food still between the flake and fry food?, 2) i have one of those floating breeder things, should i put him in their with a shrimp pellet to himself (I'm a bit worried about the stress of netting him to do so)?, or 3) anyone have other ideas??

Thanks...so far he's a very active guy, but I'd like to see his stomach fatten a bit (or do baby loaches naturally look skinny? he's not sickly skinny, but no sign of a fat tummy after feeding either).

[Emma Turner]

Hi jv72, and welcome to Loaches Online.

It would seem that you have a bit of a mixture in your 29 gal tank. If one of your clowns is already at 2.5", you need to upgrade to a 4ft long tank sooner rather than later to avoid stunting the fish (2 years is too long to wait).

With regards to the feeding, you need to be offering some finer frozen foods for the smaller loach, such as daphnia, baby brineshrimp and cyclops, all of which are very nutritious foods. Mix these in with the larger frozen foodstuffs that you feed to the bigger fish. It's also a good idea to feed after lights out as the smaller loach may feel more comfortable venturing out to eat then. Definitely don't go putting him into a floating breeder trap as this will cause immense stress. Another tip is to use a length of rigid tubing and pour some of the food down into it, so you can choose where it lands (i.e. on the substrate and possibly a little more out of sight from the goodieds).

Your leopard bushfish (Ctenopoma acutirostre) is going to prove a threat to your smaller fish species before too long. IMO these are best housed in a species only tank. The mouth is deceivingly capacious and they will stalk and ambush small prey overnight. I realise that at the moment yours is quite a small specimen, but soon enough the tetras and the goodieds will certainly be at risk if not separated.

If you haven't already done so, have a read through our clown loach profile which gives you a more in-depth idea of their needs: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/cl ... cracanthus It would seem that you are already aware you need to keep clown loaches in bigger groups than just two fish, and the same goes for the tetras and goodieds.

Hope this helps,

Emma

[jv72]

Thanks Emma for the good information. I won't use the breeding tank then. I did think the stress would probably not be worth it, especially since I hear young loaches are fragile. Thanks for the advice on the frozen foods. I'm going to pick some up tonite!

I do have an interesting mix in the tank. Believe it or not though, I did research the compatibilities a good amount and ultimately felt the Ctenopoma would work...however, as you said, with some risk, particularly to the tetras. I'm confident the Amecas will hold their own. I've read of folks keeping them even with Cichlids. The amecas are probably one of the smartest, resourceful, and "survivalist" fish I've seen. Especially pound for pound (or should I say ounce for ounce!). And, most reports I've seen said Ctenopomas will devour neon and smaller tetras, but some say the mid-size ones like silver tips will be fine. Ctenopomas do have huge mouths though. Very wild. I had 2 in their own tank together at first, but they started fighting. I've read conflicting reports that they are better species-only, but others say the opposite, that only 1 should be kept due to territorialism. I do watch closely though, and I think my plan will be to upsize my tank sooner and move the loaches and ctenopoma's into the bigger tank and leave the others in the 29G (several ctenopoma lovers out there said they work good with loaches...in fact, my 2.5" loach and the ctenopoma love to share space in my driftwood together).

So, I do have a bit of an odd mix with some risk involved. But so far it has been harmonious. I was quite worried actually putting the small clown in, but the Ctenopoma isn't messing with him at all. I'll bump up my replacement schedule on the tank since you noted the stunting issue. For 2 loaches, can a 46G corner work? I know most suggest 55+, but I saw a corner 46G that was quite nice the other day. And, is stunting also harmful to lifespan, or is it just a size thing? Thanks again!

[Emma Turner]

No problem.

I agree that the Ameca splendens is a fish that can normally look after itself, but the worry would be what could happen overnight with a predatory nocturnal piscivore in the same tank. I personally wouldn't chance keeping them together once the Ctenopoma attained a larger size.

Corner units aren't really ideal for clown loaches as they do need quite a large 'footprint' (length and width) to roam about in and really 'spread their fins'. Generally speaking, corner tanks just don't meet these needs, and a 46 gallon one certainly won't long-term. They may be ok for smaller specimens, and I realise there are some fairly sizeable corner tanks available, but to me, they don't provide these fast-swimmers with the swimming length they deserve.

Stunting does affect the fish in very negative ways. If you type in 'stunting' in the search bar at the top of this forum, it will bring up a list of threads in which this matter has been discussed previously.

Emma

[jv72]

Thanks again Emma!

Good point on the 46G. Duh! Length for swimming is definitely important for loaches. I'll probably just go with a rectangular or bow 55 or 70G then. And, I do plan to only migrate the loaches and ctenopoma's, so with the switch the amecas will be separated.

Should I be worrying about the small loach with the ctenopoma?? Or, will he grow enough at this point that the small ctenopoma won't be a threat? I've been watching that interaction very closely all weekend. The ctenopoma seems to have no interest and the small loach is quite fast and active. I'm hoping that the Ctenopoma recognizes him as the same species as the bigger loach and won't bother...

[jv72]

The daphnia was a hit, thanks Emma. The little guy loved it. It was cool watching him frantically gulp up the little pieces of daphnia. I even noticed a little pooch develop in the stomach. Very easy for him to get his share the way it disperses.

On another note, while he's adjusting great, I don't notice much interaction between the little guy and my existing loach. The bigger loach largely ignores him. Is this something that just takes time, or is it just the size and age difference right now?

[Emma Turner]

Glad to be of help!

It will take time for your new fish to settle in. I would normally advise upping the numbers because clown loaches are immensely social creatures and do best in large groups of their own kind, where they will form a complex pecking order. However, in this case, it's a very tricky situation as the current tank is far too small to go adding any more. Try and get that upgrade sorted asap (even if it is a temporary home that is slightly bigger and is not their 'final' home). That way you can address the need for a larger group of clowns sooner rather than later.

Good luck,

Emma