New To The Forum

[miskin]

hi all
ive been browsing the forum for 2 week's getting as much info as i can because i was getting a friend's tank because he was moving.
the size of the tank is 50"long 18"wide and 28"tall(with the hood on) its has 2 filter's 1 internal fluval 4 and a big ehiem external filter i cant find the model no. 2 300w heater's ....

the fish are

2 clown loach about 3-4"
3 pleco's 5" 7" 10"
6 orange parrot fish all 6"+

what other fish can i put in the tank with them i would like the malawi cichlid's instead of the parrot fish but the LFS wont tank the parrot fish so im stuck with them or unless anyone would like them??


regards

miskin

 

[TammyLiz]

hi all
ive been browsing the forum for 2 week's getting as much info as i can because i was getting a friend's tank because he was moving.
the size of the tank is 50"long 18"wide and 28"tall(with the hood on) its has 2 filter's 1 internal fluval 4 and a big ehiem external filter i cant find the model no. 2 300w heater's ....

the fish are

2 clown loach about 3-4"
3 pleco's 5" 7" 10"
6 orange parrot fish all 6"+

what other fish can i put in the tank with them i would like the malawi cichlid's instead of the parrot fish but the LFS wont tank the parrot fish so im stuck with them or unless anyone would like them??


regards

miskin

I actually was involved in a discussion on another forum (at loaches.com) about something similar recently, so I figure I'll go ahead and share with you. Since I'm not allowed to link, I'll cut and paste some very good points made by a woman named Emma who's fiancee, Steve, owns an aquatic store:

If you want to keep both Clown Loaches and Malawi cichlids, you really need to set-up two separate tanks for them. There are many differences with regards to their upkeep, some of them being:

-Clown Loaches are river fish and do best in tanks with a high flow rate. Although Malawis need good filtration, they are ultimately lake-dwelling fish, and although Lake Malawi is a huge body of water, it does not have the same degree of current as rivers.
-The average natural temperature of Lake Malawi is 25 degrees C. Clown Loaches prefer warmer temps between 27 and 30 degrees C.
-The average hardness of the water in Lake Malawi is approx 18 dH, that's way to high for Clown Loaches who do best in softer water long-term.
-The dietary requirements of the two types of fish differ. A lot of the frozen foods which are ideal for loaches are simply too rich for Malawi cichlids, and can cause them problems.
-The aggression level of your Malawi cichlids is likely to increase as the fish reach sexual maturity. Not good for sensitive species such as Clown Loaches who can become easily stressed.
-Coming from different continents, they (obviously) do not encounter each other naturally.

By the way, the shop is going to tell you that it's ok to keep them together in order to cover their own backs - they sold them all to you in the first place. A decent shop would not have recommended housing them together. This place sounds like it is just after as much $$$ as they can take.

One last thought. The fish concerned have evolved over millions of years to adapt to certain set of conditions. A handful of generations of breeding is not going to change millions of years of evolution. The fish may be temporarily surviving in 'compromised' conditions, but their long-term health is likely to suffer. Mankind should not force fish to adapt to what we want. The tanks we keep them in should be tailored to their needs, not ours.

Emma

I think it is very well said.

And do you mean parrot cichlids? The kind that have a little beak looking mouth and hybrids? There was a discussion on keeping them with clown loaches as well. Here is a quote from someone else.

Blood Parrots like similar water conditions to Clowns, that being soft water, slightly acidic. But the two IMO do not fair well together at all. The reasons are these; Blood Parrots cannot use their mouths to bite but they use there body mass to push, shove and ram other fish. They are territorial with their tank upon maturity and will do best with small, fast dither fish. Rosey Barbs work well for me. Parrots also do not do well with other Cichlids, they have no real defense system and will be shredded. Discus and them!!!!!! The visual I get from adult, slow moving, quiet fish with rammy, fast moving Parrots is not pretty!

The other factor about loaches of any kind and them are that Parrots have large, open gill plates, Loaches love to investigate all nooks and crannies. Not good at all for the Parrots.

When my Parrots were small I tried them with a few smaller clowns and it did not work out at all for either of them. Currently I keep 3 of them in a 75 gallon with 5 Rosey Barbs and 3 large brown spotted Cories. And they do need a larger tank!! You would not believe how big they get. LFS told me that 3 in a 45 gallon would be fine their entire life. LOL forgot to do my own homework first. The truth is that they grow their entire lives and live a longtime. They are about as big around as they are long, they need lots of space and extra filtration.

Best of luck to you with them. They are great fish, very interesting personalities.

Another person mentioned that some clowns in a display tank wtih parrot cichlids at an LFS had shredded tails.

Clowns grow large enough (although slowly) they will eventually need a 6 ft tank. They should be kept in groups of at least 4 or 5.