This Tropical Fish Website

[southyorkshireguy]

I have ordered quite alot of fish from this website and they seem very reliable, it is www.tropicalfish4u.co.uk.

The thing is that i am thinking about getting some clownloach and on this site it says the following

http/www.tropicalfish4u.co.uk/acatalog/Clown_Loach.html

It basically says that when you order a clownloach it will be 5-6cm when you recieve it and also that they will grow upto 10-15cm in length.

I have never had any trouble with any fish that i have had of them and their prices are reasonable.

I was told something by someone a while ago but i am not sure whether it is true but i was told that fish only grow their maximum size if they are in a very large tank that can handle their ful growth, i was told that if a fish that could grow large was in a fairly small tank then it would stop their growth and they would then stay that size, i would like someone to clear this matter up for me.

 

[MHunt]

A fish will only grow to the size of the tank it's kept in is totally untrue and is one of the biggest myths around. It is also one used by some LFS to make you buy fish that are likely to become too big for your tank.

There are reasons that a fish kept in a small tank may not achieve it's full growth potential, but the size of the tank is not one of them. Often in a small tank there are levels of pollutants that are more harmful in a small body of water that would stunt the growth of a fish, but even so, you could find a large fish like a red tailed catfish or a Pacu outgrowing any average tank kept by a hobbyist.

The general rule of thumb is an inch per gallon, or cm per litre. But even so, if your fish look cramped, they probably are.

Clown loaches on the other hand are relatively small fish, that would grow up to their maximum size quite happily if kept well, but you do need to be able to cater for a small group of at least three as these are sociable fish that are happiest when kept in a group.

EDIT - Ok just looked at what you've got from your profile, i would say you're quite close to your stocking limits, if not beyond them already. I don't know if you would have enough room for a few clown loaches, or if they would get along ok with the corys.

 

[southyorkshireguy]

Thanks for your reply, but why does the website say that clownloaches only grow to 10-15cm?

 

[Fat Boy]

Clowns can reach 12 inches in length and while they are slow growers they shouldn't be kept in anything under a 4ft tank.

I'd agree with Mhunt that you are on the limit with your stocking level.

Very naughty of that website saying they grow to 10-15 cm.

Just take a look at THIS. It will tell you everything about clowns.

 

[diademhill]

I'm just wondering why, given your location, you are using mail order for bread & butter fish that can be found in any half decent fish store?

( & I agree you don't have room for any more fish)

Sue

 

[southyorkshireguy]

I'm just wondering why, given your location, you are using mail order for bread & butter fish that can be found in any half decent fish store?

( & I agree you don't have room for any more fish)

Sue

Because i have 5 kids and it is easier for me as i dont have alot of time to go to the local fish store, there is one 2 miles away from me but every fish i have had from there has died and it has a bad reputation and the best fish store is 7 miles away.

The tank on my profile is my current one but i have just got a new tank which is 160cm X 65cm X 50cm (around 5ft) so i will be transferring all of my fish shortly into this tank.

 

[Fat Boy]

[/quote]

The tank on my profile is my current one but i have just got a new tank which is 160cm X 65cm X 50cm (around 5ft) so i will be transferring all of my fish shortly into this tank.
[/quote]

That tank would be fantastic for Clowns, a nice group of 5 would be great. I read somewhere they do best in odd numbers, i.e 3,5,7 and so on, don't know if there's any truth in it though.

1 thing about Clowns is that they are very prone to catching white spot and when it does break out it's very hard to treat Clowns because of them being scale-less.

 

[clown knife]

1 thing about Clowns is that they are very prone to catching white spot and when it does break out it's very hard to treat Clowns because of them being scale-less.
[/quote]


And that is true i had 12 clowns and 10 pygmy puffers and i got white spot and no matter what i did
i could not get rid of it so it wipped the lot out need to say that i was gutted...

 

[MHunt]

I'm just wondering why, given your location, you are using mail order for bread & butter fish that can be found in any half decent fish store?

( & I agree you don't have room for any more fish)

Sue

Because i have 5 kids and it is easier for me as i dont have alot of time to go to the local fish store, there is one 2 miles away from me but every fish i have had from there has died and it has a bad reputation and the best fish store is 7 miles away.

The tank on my profile is my current one but i have just got a new tank which is 160cm X 65cm X 50cm (around 5ft) so i will be transferring all of my fish shortly into this tank.

Fair enough it's not easy trailing the kids round shops at the best of times, but for me half the fun of fishkeeping is going to the LFS to pick the fish I want.

 

[DarkEntity]

As mentioned before I would think for a 120 litre tank you have more than enough fish in it tbh. Clown Loaches are definately something you shouldnt keep in your little tank. They are a social fish so would want more than one Clown Loach in a tank and they do get to 10-12" in length.

Shops a renowned for mislabeling stuff, my suggestion to you would be to read up on fish prior to shopping for some, get a list of what you want in the tank and then only get what you were originally after. Impulse buying might be lovely for you to look at but in the long term can be very bad for the fish.