clown loaches

[Knuc dog]

hey jsut wondering if putting a few clown loaches in with my africans... yellow lab and other.... they are only about two inches

 

[yhbae]

hey jsut wondering if putting a few clown loaches in with my africans... yellow lab and other.... they are only about two inches

Although it isn't ideal for clowns to be with mbuna (especially given the water parameters that usually come with mbuna tank), it can be done, and quite a few actually keep them with mbuna successfully. Make sure you acclimatise slowly - I suggest to use a 2g bucket, put 1/4 from clown's native tank, and use air tubing and some valve (or anything else you can use to control the flow rate) to let mbuna tank water drip at few drops per second into the same bucket with loaches in it. This way, you gradually change the water parameter, minimizing the water shock effect. I've done this with bristlenose pleco with no ill effect.

Other than Yellow Lab, what other mbuna do you have in the tank? Also, how large are your mbuna? (or did you mean your mbuna are 2 inches?)

 

[Knuc dog]

hey sorry yeah i have six unidentified mbuna's and two yellow labs they range from 1 to 2.5 inches...... so are clown loaches still a possibility?

 

[yhbae]

What is the size of your tank, first of all? I think you should try to identify all of your mbuna as some of them may or may not work for the tank you have already. If the species don't grow too large or aggressive, those clown loaches should be ok.

But I'd highly advise you to identify what you have first, and correct the stock (inc. male/female ration if possible) before looking into the clowns...

 

[Knuc dog]

the thank that i have is a fifty gallon (us). i've been on a few different web sites but have been unable to find my cichlids. I am currently waiting for my buddy to come over (he has a digi cam) so i will be able to get a few photos of them... but now this question is only for personal information as another friend of mine has had a leak in his tanks and is going to give me some bristle nose plec's instead but i'd still like to know..... so from above i am guessing yes as long as the cichlids aren't overly agressive and the sex ration is corrected??

 

[yhbae]

the thank that i have is a fifty gallon (us). i've been on a few different web sites but have been unable to find my cichlids. I am currently waiting for my buddy to come over (he has a digi cam) so i will be able to get a few photos of them... but now this question is only for personal information as another friend of mine has had a leak in his tanks and is going to give me some bristle nose plec's instead but i'd still like to know..... so from above i am guessing yes as long as the cichlids aren't overly agressive and the sex ration is corrected??

Yes, I do know quite a few who are successfully mixing them for years. I almost did it myself as well, but personally I am going with Synodontis route instead of clown loaches... (Why don't you go with this path as well?)

 

[Knuc dog]

i would love to be able to go this route as well, however it is not even near to possibel for me. the only store around my area that sells synodontis is selling them for $100 cdn. and being a student i have nowhere near the funds for that..... but they do sell them when they are babies for only 35 so maybe i will pick them up when they get some in.. it does seem like the better route....

 

[yhbae]

i would love to be able to go this route as well, however it is not even near to possibel for me. the only store around my area that sells synodontis is selling them for $100 cdn. and being a student i have nowhere near the funds for that..... but they do sell them when they are babies for only 35 so maybe i will pick them up when they get some in.. it does seem like the better route....

Where in Canada do you live? Around here, most of the stores sell 1.5-2 inch Synodontis Multipunctatus for $25CA. I am still looking because I want to get them even cheaper...

 

[Knuc dog]

i live in ontario around the guelph area and fish selection is at a minimum to say the least.. if anyone else reads this can you recommend a decent fish store in the guelph area?

 

[yhbae]

i live in ontario around the guelph area and fish selection is at a minimum to say the least.. if anyone else reads this can you recommend a decent fish store in the guelph area?

You are not that far off from Toronto area - can't you shop around when you visit Toronto the next time? There must be tonnes of quality stores in GTA...