Baby Clown Loach

[PERCY]

I called into one of my local fish shops today and they had clown loaches for 90 pence each, however they were less than an inch long. Should these be on sale at that size? It seems very small to me

 

[ShinySideUp]

I called into one of my local fish shops today and they had clown loaches for 90 pence each, however they were less than an inch long. Should these be on sale at that size? It seems very small to me

It is old enough to eat normal food and won't stay that size for long. I bought six clown loaches some seven years ago and have bought steadily bigger tanks for them and now the loaches vary between 1.5 inches (a bit of a runt, but he's happy) and about five inches. Having learned my lesson (by the increasing cost of larger tanks) I no longer buy clown loaches but get just as much enjoyment out of zebra loaches which are just as playful but get no bigger than four inches.

 

[OldMan47]

Clown loaches are almost never sold as adults. If they were people would leave them behind. They get to over 4 inches, 10 cm, long at maturity.

 

[Man of fish]

Clown loaches are almost never sold as adults. If they were people would leave them behind. They get to over 4 inches, 10 cm, long at maturity.

14 inches actually..... (35 cm)

 

[OldMan47]

The longest I have ever seen were several years old and only about 4 inches MOF. Where have you seen any in captivity that were longer?

 

[Man of fish]

I haven't, it's just the maximum size is 14" on most websites. Longest I've seen were 7" at the Georgia aquarium.

Even our own forum says 12"

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/34953-clown-loach/page__pid__2598840#entry2598840

 

[OldMan47]

I always go by what I have seen. I have no doubt that larger sizes are possible but I do not have the tank space of the Georgia Aquarium in my home, much less the possible maximum size in the wild where swimming space is virtually unlimited. I will continue to provide enough room for about a 4 inch fish since I have no reason to expect more in my home. I don't argue with what you have found but I find it irrelevant in terms of a typical home aquarium discussion.

 

[Man of fish]

Makes sense.

 

[Tizer]

The longest I have ever seen were several years old and only about 4 inches MOF. Where have you seen any in captivity that were longer?

What? You have seen Lestat999's tank, and Vicky and Kev's on here right? 4 inches?!

 

[manxjason]

Aye, I've read via multiple sources that they grow to 14 inches or so. Bear in mind they can also live for around the 40yr mark, and are slow growers after the initial fry to 4" or so.

Clown loach ideally need large tanks from the word go, but for them to fully flourish you're looking at a 8x2x2 with multiple powerheads creating lots of flow around the tank. They'll happy swim in it, lay their head back and get pushed along the aquarium. Great to watch.

Preferring soft water, this should really be adhered to - especially when young. Their scales are very small indeed, appearing as nothing more than skin, but they do have them

Also susceptible to Ich, so keep a close eye on rubbing etc

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I think "Marge" was a tad bigger than 4"!

 

[PERCY]

I'd say clowns growing over 5 inches would be rare in an aquarium. I intend on buying some for my 5 foot. No fish tank is big enough for any fish in reality, however I believe I can keep them more than happy in a 5ft

 

[ShinySideUp]

I'd say clowns growing over 5 inches would be rare in an aquarium. I intend on buying some for my 5 foot. No fish tank is big enough for any fish in reality, however I believe I can keep them more than happy in a 5ft

I have ranted on with this subject on another thread so I won't go again. However as I said earlier in this thread I do have one that is 5", one 4.5", one at 4" and the others are 3", 2" and Little Peewee who is only 1.5". All of them are the same age -- seven years. I've just bought an uprated water pump and they spend a lot of time bouncing up and down in the flow so much so that I am beginning to think that so long as the flow rate is high, a smaller tank may be possible than the generally accepted 5 or 6 footer. Not ideal I know but since I've got them I do my best for them.

Just to keep things clear however in case there is any confusion, fish sizes are measured from the nose to the base of the tail, not the end of it.

 

[Tizer]

Just to keep things clear however in case there is any confusion, fish sizes are measured from the nose to the base of the tail, not the end of it.

Depends if you are a fisherman or not

You have a Clown Loach that's 1.5 inches in size and 7 years old? Could you happily say its not suffered from stunting at all?

 

[ShinySideUp]

Just to keep things clear however in case there is any confusion, fish sizes are measured from the nose to the base of the tail, not the end of it.

Depends if you are a fisherman or not

You have a Clown Loach that's 1.5 inches in size and 7 years old? Could you happily say its not suffered from stunting at all?

Yes, quite happily. I'm afraid that he may be the runt of the litter but perfectly happy. He is the most active of all the clown loaches I have, especially during the day when the others are hiding. If I anthropomorphise I might say that because of his diminutive size he feels more secure playing with the smaller fish. TBH he is my favourite and I always make sure he doesn't get pushed away from food by the biggies, not that he needs protection, he's quite feisty. He also has the best colouring, his blacks are very black and his oranges are, well, orange. Also he never 'greys out' like the larger ones when food is around.