Clown Loach Lovers

. @lep2soma: I don't need to have experience in keeping Clown Loache's to know what you are doing isn't right. The facts speak and common sense speak for themselves Clown Loaches originally come from the Indonisia (Sumatra and Borneo Islands) not from the African lakes like Malawi's. The fact that these fish also don't occur naturally together should also be a good indicator that they should not be mixed together. Just because I can fix my car's steering wheel with a money wrench does not mean it is the correct way of doing it.

You make statements like they can even be kept in brackish water and that they do badly in soft water which causes ich, when in fact they prefer soft-water conditions. Ich occurs due to stress and bad water and living conditions. You do realize salt will irritate their skins as they have no scales and could outright kill them in the long run right? Also the fact that you haven't been able to keep these fish for a period than 7 years when you consider some can reach an age of 25 years says a lot.That is not experience that is ignorance and a lack of education.

Some of the things you have been saying in this thread is totally misleading and contradictory to keeping of these fish and will mislead anyone who wants to keep these fish in the future.

We are here to promote good fish keeping practises, and we as fish keepers have a responsibility towards our live stock to keep them in the best possible conditions matching their specific needs.

 

@SalmonAfrica: Sorry only saw your post after I made my last post and I cannot edit it any more for some reason. I will leave the discussion here then, I don't want to start a fight.

 

@SalmonAfrica:
Thanks for stepping in, the intention for starting this thread was for Clown loach KEEPERS to share their experiences. A fun thread. Let's hope we can keep to that...
I had no intention of provoking a self-righteous rant!

Tigger, was a true pet in every sense, I lost him after 8 years due to him jumping out of a bucket that had a small hole in the lid. My oversight, my loss. Family loss, actually. Everybody loved Tigger. Since I'm a cichlid breeder, Tigger spent his whole life in and out of cichlid tanks, where he did very well for himself, even with Tilapia!

This video taken just before moving the tilapia to a pond, it was winter when I put them in with Tigger, and they grew faster indoors.




My loaches are always happy and healthy, and my photos and videos prove that.

notice how the one of my clowns stands up to a VERY aggressive strain of malawi cichlid in the next video:

 

I love the interaction between the 2 species. I understand completely what Swagasaurus's intentions are with the coments he made. To a certain extend all of us is guilty in this case. Keeping Discus in barebottem tanks? Bettas in bottels? Loaches with Malawis?

I told my wife once that I like to keep my fishes in a "natural" aquarium and she said: "a natural aquarium? I don't think so." That basicly sums it up I'm afraid.
No matter how hard we try we will never be able to replicate their natural conditions in our tanks. Replacing a river or lake with a cube of water? We all strive to do the best for our fishes in the end.

That is enough lecturing for now from my side.

For all practical reasons my 4 ft is one of the mixed up tanks, concerning spesies, I have ever seen. Here follows all the types of fish in this tank.
Clown loach
Polcadot loach
Horseface loach
Khuli loach
Busimani Rainbow
Kutubu Rainbow
Red tail rainbow
Threadfin rainbow
Celebis rainbow
Endler
Dario dario
Red Sumatran goby
Rock goby
Peppered corri
Apistogramma Cocketoides
White cloude

With that list I took you around the world. All the fishes are happy and no sign of stress.
On the other hand my 3 ft is South American, with the exeption of the 2 Zebra loaches for snail controle. Although I must mention that although there are Dicsus in this tank I run it at 25/26 and not 30 as most people do with Discus. They are happy and act in exactly the same manor as when the tank was running at a higher temp

 

@Pierré Schoonraad: The reason why Discus are kept in bare bottom tanks is due to them being messy fish. It is practically easier cleaning a bare bottom tank than one that has been scaped. You will notice that most people who are serious about keeping and breeding Discus keep them in bare bottom tanks.


@lep2soma: I have kept Kuhli and Hillstream Loaches for many years so I think I am qualified enough for this thread

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@Pierre Schoonraad:
(I can't find that lil thingy above the second e in your name on my keyboard!)

Thanks for your contribution. Wise observation by your wife...

Pics of your loaches please?

 

@Swagasaurus, my apologies mate just as you are passionate about fish being held in correct conditions, I am passionate about keeping fish. I would love to keep each type of fish in its individual biotope but budget dictates my hobby. So I make do with what I have. As my budget allows I expand and enhance. Better than the 2ft tanks they are kept in petstores me thinks.
So if I came across as abrasive, sorry.

@lep2soma feed them tetrabits, bloodworm, cucumber, baby marrow, aqua plus bottom feeder pellets and snails.


Check these 2 hiding in the pipe

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Ok I took some pictures of my Loaches today. Only problem is the Clowns didn't come out to play so for the time the foto of their tails will have to do.

By far my favorite must be the Horseface Loach



Second up we have the Polkadots. The 2 younger ones was in a playful mood so very difficult to take a picture of them. I can only assume that the older one of the 3 thinks that he is a gobbi, as he was alone for a while, but he never socialized with the 3 Clowns in the tank.





Sorry for the phone pictures

 

Pierre, I think your polka dots steal the show!

@HEIHACHI: have you ever laughed at your loaches for stuffing ALL of themselves into that pipe? On their sides and even upside down, when the pipe isn't big enough!

 

Yes they do. The Clowns seem to retreat the moment I want to take a foto of them. The Polkadots actually come up to the glass and show off when I'm there.

 

@lep2soma living in a flat my clowns are the closest im gonna get to having dogs! Cant count how many times ive been startled by my wife's shrieking " a clown died" only for the bugger to come right side around as soon as I get there

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Know the feeling.

 

@HEIHACHI: yup, sleeping on their sides gets newbies worried every time!

Funny you drew that comparison about dogs, because my wife said that the loaches bouncing up and down the front glass look like puppies begging for food...

This posted on youtube today:


(yet another guy with happy, healthy loaches and cichlids)

 

New tankmates for the loaches:


A pair of albino angels I scored yesterday:

My first time with albino angels, they settled down within minutes.



@Swagasaurus: I trust they meet with your approval?


Snail-snack time for the loach!
I keep a tub of water outside with some plants in, where I grow red ramshorn snails for my loaches to snack on.


I also have an earthworm farm for my loaches... boy, are they spoilt!

 

Clowns are insanely awesome fish and you guys are right they become like puppies when they get older. I had 3 of them for 10 years and they saw the world regarding fish species in the first 2 years I had them and the best place for them was with the malawis. Regarding PH and hardness and so on all depends on what conditions the fish were raised in from fry. Most fish get used to different conditions if introduced slowly over time and thrive (good example is a molly can be kept in a marine tank!)

As per the stats regarding growth rate etc. be careful of what people "kwyt raak" on an open forum! I can tell you now that I bought my Clown Loaches when they were around 5cm and after 8 years in the Malawi tank they were between 14 and 17 cm but without poof those are just my words. They were sadly passed on to a new home when I gave up and packed up the tanks 6 years ago.

These guys kept my malawis on their toes, at feeding time all 3 of them claimed one of the corners of the tank and the malawis didn't dare go near their food till I dropped the bottom feeder tablets in. At first I thought it was the malawis that herded the clowns into the corner but soon noticed the loaches were like a tag team, while one grabs a bite the other two would chase malawis

 

@RGV: Thanks for sharing that.
I have seen clowns 'hogging' sinking tablets, covering what they can't eat with their bodies, so other fish can't get to the food, while gobbling down the rest!
Clowns can definitely hold their own in a boisterous tank.
Most of us seem to forget that these cute 'puppies' have a wicked weapon in the form of a thick, curved and sharp spine just under the eye.
Large cichlids soon learn NOT to mess with our loaches!

Have you considered getting another little school of loaches to grow out? You're busy sorting out a nice big tank...
Clown loaches with tangs!
The 'purists' will hang us by our ... toes?

 

Gotta agree my clowns rule the tank! Mind u there are 8 of them! Even male malawis on heat leave them alone

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@HEIHACHI: And we all know how male malawis on heat can misbehave!
Would your loaches be as outgoing if they were kept with timid fish? I think not.

I tried to take a close-up pic of the sub-ocular groove a few minutes ago, but it seems that the spine is only visible if the clown erects it.

One of the clowns obliged by presenting said area to me:

No deadly weapon apparent.
The other loaches are taking a nap.
The angels are not in the least bit bothered by the clowns...

I'm really really hoping the angels turn out to be an actual pair.

 

Those Angels are awesome

As for the tank I will be aiming for a Rift lake biotope so they would not be invited to that party. If I setup another tank on the other hand... Yea we all have the same disease deep down... it will be a Malawi tank with oddball clowns... or a clown tank with oddball malawis which ever way you look at it