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Clown loach

lurcher

Member
Joined
6 Apr 2018
Messages
147
Location
Lincolnshire
i did a silly thing,went to LFS for pellets and in a tiny display tank was a six inch clown loach,the tank was brightly lit and the fish pressed in the corner, the tank was far too small for it to swim in and it had no cover.ibought the fish to get it away from that environment and told the dealer what I thought of him.i have a large 70 gallon tank set up ,heavily planted withcorys,a large gourami and three sae,plus two angels.plenty of room for the loach,in the planted well established tank.i know that I let my head rule my heart but I had to get it out of there.(I’m sure we have all done it )I have read that they should be in a group ,but my question is can a single fish live happily on its own in a well cared for environment.i would like to keep it but worry that it will not be happy.have any of you kept a single clown loach successfully.any advice from experienced loach keepers appreciated.
 
i did a silly thing,went to LFS for pellets and in a tiny display tank was a six inch clown loach,the tank was brightly lit and the fish pressed in the corner, the tank was far too small for it to swim in and it had no cover.ibought the fish to get it away from that environment and told the dealer what I thought of him.i have a large 70 gallon tank set up ,heavily planted withcorys,a large gourami and three sae,plus two angels.plenty of room for the loach,in the planted well established tank.i know that I let my head rule my heart but I had to get it out of there.(I’m sure we have all done it )I have read that they should be in a group ,but my question is can a single fish live happily on its own in a well cared for environment.i would like to keep it but worry that it will not be happy.have any of you kept a single clown loach successfully.any advice from experienced loach keepers appreciated.
It’ll more than likely do what it did at the shop, hide and not be seen. They’re extremely social fish and need to be in a group in a very large tank. When kept by themselves they hide away. In a group they’re practically up the front begging all the time for food.

Beautiful fish but only if you have a massive tank unfortunately.

Cheers

Conor
 
Well done :)

I’d likely look to rehoming this fish with someone like @sciencefiction that has the room and dedication for Clown Loaches

Though if Clown Loaches have grown up alone they can be unsociable and aggressive when exposed to a usual loachie gang
 
but my question is can a single fish live happily on its own in a well cared for environment.i would like to keep it but worry that it will not be happy.have any of you kept a single clown loach successfully.any advice from experienced loach keepers appreciated.

It is hard to say. Most fish don't get any chance in life so perhaps it will live better than a worse alternative. But clown loaches are extremely social fish, needing friends of their own kind and they also need larger tanks to actually flourish and show their playful active behaviour. I know you've done a good deed by taking it in but I'd personally consider this a temporary home and if you're not able yourself to upgrade both tank wise and clown loach group wise, I'd be searching for a suitable home with someone else.

I bought my first group in 2012. In 2013 I also rescued an older loach and in 2017 or 2018 I rescued 3 more older loaches that were about the same size as my oldest group. I also added a few baby loaches throughout the years I couldn't resist because its hard to resist baby loaches....

The loach I rescued in 2013 was about 5-6 inches at the time and now 6 years later is a very large chunky fish, totally not suitable for a 70 gallon tank. As alto mentioned, it took the loach nearly a year to fully join the rest of the group as it had probably been kept solo all its previous life but it was not aggressive to any other fish during its adjustment, just extremely reclusive, minding its own business. I want to note that now she is a very happy active and healthy fish that is somewhere at the head of the pack now and has generally been one of the friendliest of loaches I have, coming to the surface for food every morning, poking her nose outside the water when she sees me.

I did need to upgrade over the years as I only had a 100G tank when I took the first batch and the tank leaking accelerated the upgrade. My poor fish had to stay a few months in an equally unsuitable tank, then in a small enough plastic tote for 3 months until eventually ending in their current home, an indoor pond. They have absolutely flourished since I moved them to the pond 3 years ago. I have not seen them happier.

Good luck.

 
Science fiction ,do you know anyone in the Lincoln area who can take him? I don’t have transport,but would gladly pay to have him collected by experienced loach lover. Thank you.
 
Thank you science fiction,if any forum member with a suitable set up can help I would pay petrol and time costs to get him a good home.this fish has had a miserable life so far and whereas I could walk to LFS and give him over I am not prepared to do so,he would be put in a small display tank to be sold and the miserable life would start all over again.a member who I pmd a couple of times gave me invaluable help,and put my mind at ease re if I had to keep him ,which I am prepared to do,but I would like to get him better.i know it’s only a fish but it matters to me so thank you.
 
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