Got clown loach and have questions?

Question

I just went to a really great fish shop in my area and got 1 clown loach. i also have 2 small danios, 2 small angel fish, and 2 blue guaramis. i have a ten gallon tank, but am planning to get a larger tank in the future. I did not know how fast they grow. They are supposed to get to 15 inches if kept in a good tank. their life span is up to 15 years. it also said that it shouldn't be kept by a window, but mine is. it also said that they should have at least 5 other clown loaches, but that isn't possible considering the size of my tank now and how large they get. What should i do? How fast do they grow? Should I be worried? Any response is helpful. Thanks.

i didn't know the information when i bought it. the man did not tell me. i am trying my best to help the fish. stop attacking me.

Answer 1

Please: don't take this as an attack. I think people are more concerned about pet stores NOT asking questions before selling people fish. How would you know if you're absolutely new to the hobby?

Let's start with what's wrong with the tank: It's size. Your water quality is going to be horrible as it's VERY overstocked. The fish won't grow as quickly as they're being stunted. Stunting is when the fish stop growing to fit their environment but their internal organs keep growing and become deformed: think of those articles where a child has been raised in a cage for 10 yrs....always sick and always die young.
Danios need to be kept in groups of 5 or more...they're schooling fish. Their frenetic pace is actually a form of aggression and unless schooling, start doing really weird things: like chewing each other's eyes out (and no...not kidding). The danios can be kept in the 10 gallon though.
The blue gouramis (I have 2 of them in a 30 gallon tank with a male betta) are the most aggressive gourami and should be kept more females to males (recommended numbers are 3 -5 gouramis). They get up to 6" and need a minimum of a 30 gallon tank for 2 - 3 of them. Lifespan is about 4 yrs.
Angelfish require taller tanks (due to their shape) and also get up to 6". One would be fine in a 30 gallon but 2? Well..even a 30 would be pushing it. A 55 gallon would be better, and you could keep your school of danios and blue gourami in there as well.
The clown loach though..really WILL get stressed (and be very susceptible to disease) if it does not school and have enough room. As they are "scaleless" fish, it is nearly impossible to give them medications. Minimum tank size recommended is 75 gallons.
Clown Loaches are often sold at the very immature size of 1.5 inches or so, but they should not be considered for the smaller (or even medium-sized) aquarium. They will grow quite rapidly from this cute size to around 5 inches, thereafter the growth slows somewhat, but with good care in a large tank, they can easily reach 8 to 12 inches shortly thereafter, although reaching up to 16" at maturity. They are big, bulky from 8" (meaning they get WIDE)

Anyone should seriously consider the long-term commitment in purchasing a group of this species, as they will require ever- increasing size of aquaria and may potentially live at least twice as long as some small dogs. Minimum tank length is 6 feet long by 2 feet wide x 2 feet tall as adults.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Honestly none of your fish are suited for life in a 10 gallon tank, even for a short while, except for the danios (even they do better with more room). I'd take back everything but the danios until you can get a larger tank (unless the gourami are dwarf, then they're ok).

If you want clown loaches in the future you will need at least 125 gallon tank so you can have a small school of them. They really like the company of other clowns.

The angels can get quite aggressive, especially if they pair up. They will dominate a tank and need a tank that is at least 18" deep (55 gallon would be good). The gourami (if they are the three spot which come in a blue coloration) are also quite aggressive toward each other. If they are the cobalt blue dwarfs you should be fine (but may want to drop the number to 1).

I'd keep the danios but increase the number to 5 and get a dwarf gourami.

Answer 3

Take back your Clown Loach, see if you can sell your angels, and just start over until you can get a bigger tank. If you have to have Loaches, try buying 2 Yo-yo Loaches (Pakistani/Reticulated Loaches), they will only grow to about 4 inches and are more comical than Clown Loaches. Keep 2 in a 10 gallon tank. The Gouramis can stay and the Danios should be fine, but try to add another Danio of the same type. So far, it sounds like you have been extremely careless in your fish keeping, I would not suggest a bigger tank until you understand what you are doing.

Unless you plan on getting a bigger (20+ gallon) aquarium in the next month, you are really going to need to get rid of the Angelfish. If you have a friend with a larger tank, try giving them the Angels untill you can house them. You really won't be able to keep Clown Loaches until you have a tank of at least 40 gallons (they probably won't get 15 inches, 12 inches is a safer bet). Trust me, I am one of those people that likes a busy aquarium with a lot of fish, but that is just out of the question (I tried keeping a single Clown Loach in a 10 gallon tank and after 3 days, it died of lonlieness (100% true)). Don't make your fish suffer, it's not worth it.

Answer 4

Clown Loach Life Span

Answer 5

They are a schooling fish so really should be kept with 6 or more of their own kind but i have heard they do ok on their own .. they do get big but they grow at a pretty normal speed so your not gunna wake up tomorrow and it's to big for your tank.. but i would definatly start looking for a bigger tank if you wanna keep that fish.. In a 10gl tank your angel fish will also outgrow .. you could probly keep just the 2 guaramis in the 10gl and they'd be ok but Male guaramis tend to be very territorial and could start fighting with the other fish.. Angels are accually in the cichlid family and when they get bigger if they don't have enough space they will do the same thing... If you upgraded to a 55gl tank adding no more fish this set up might be ok

The window isn't that big of an issue (except you probly have to clean the algae from the tank offen..) Just give your loach somthing that he can hide under like drift wood and it'll be happy with that..

Check your local craigslist. some times there are people moving and are giving away their large tank or selling it for really really cheap..

Answer 6

Well the clowloach will get really big, Baring in mind that it is a SCHOOLING fish which meens the should be kept in groups of 6 or more, So if you cant get another five then just take this one back..WHY DID YOU BUY IT WHEN YOU KNEW YOU NEEDED A PACK OF THEM ?, TAke it back because 1 your tank is too small for it
2 you cant get another 5 of them
3 you dont know much about them

And you cant keep angels in a 10 gallon, They need the tank to be 18inch tall, and require alot of swimming space and shouldnt really be kept with other fish, Watch what else you put in there, RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY!