View Full Version : Loach questions
rhinod56
06-13-2006, 4:09 AM
please feel free to move this, but wasn't sure what fish category to stick this in...
What is a good snail eating loach (other than clown) that won't get as big as a clown, but is fairly cheap and easy to find at lfs?
fisher12889
06-13-2006, 4:24 AM
Most loaches would probably eat snails, but clowns are the ones that you hear the most about. They grow REALLY slow though, so if you buy them small you wont have to worry about them outgrowing your tank for awhile. I had one for about 6 months and I didnt notice any growth!
Skunks and angelicas but the tend to fight
i was recommended yo yos and they dont get to big. they are very active and fun to watch, and they wiped out my snail population. however my current 2 aren't quite as affective, but i'll recommend them
Honda12
06-13-2006, 1:35 PM
Skunks do an awsome job but can tend to be a little nippy towards other fish. Also zebra loaches do a good job.
rhinod56
06-15-2006, 1:09 AM
well the other day I decided to try a small maybe 1.5" clown loach, that or a 6-10" and its for a 12 gallon, so I didn't feel like running around town finding one in the middle.
2.5 days later it died. I'm thinking maybe PH shock, but I spent about 45minutes acclimating the dang thing... was going good till end of day 2.. then it just was half way curled and wouldn't stop convulsing...hours later, same thing. left for work..come home..dead....
nitrites 0
nitrates about 35
ammonia 0
ph about 7.7
oh well back to the store with the receipt in the morning...
PinkPanther
08-25-2006, 3:27 PM
skunks and zebras
Yoyo's and Dojo's do a great job and are quite cheap. Clown's are nicer and they do grow super slow.
ckwa32
08-27-2006, 10:47 AM
I am having trouble sustaining clown loaches. My first one which as lived for several months now seems to be doing fine. Just really nice color with bright red fins. and hangs out with the two irridescent catfish on the left side of my tank. But the other ones that I have bought to accompany them cant seem to survive. And its getting to be very frustrating since it is recommended that they live in groups of at least 3.
At first I bought a medium sized clown loach. It died after a month or so. Two other small sized one died after a week. and now this one doesnt look so good either. They all get kinda listless and disinterested and after a while just dont make it. Any suggestions as to what the problem might be?
bmxer4ever
08-31-2006, 6:35 AM
I am having trouble sustaining clown loaches. My first one which as lived for several months now seems to be doing fine. Just really nice color with bright red fins. and hangs out with the two irridescent catfish on the left side of my tank. But the other ones that I have bought to accompany them cant seem to survive. And its getting to be very frustrating since it is recommended that they live in groups of at least 3.
At first I bought a medium sized clown loach. It died after a month or so. Two other small sized one died after a week. and now this one doesnt look so good either. They all get kinda listless and disinterested and after a while just dont make it. Any suggestions as to what the problem might be?
Did they get skinny, even if they appeared to be eating? This is a clown specific (I think) condition known as knifeback... The flesh seems to hang on their bones, if you get what I mean.
It's caused by an internal infestation - worms I think and it is curable.
I bought 3 liitle clowns to keep my big one company about 6 months ago. They all did great, in fact they are still havin fun in my tank!
A month or so later I got 2 slightly larger ones and one of them went all skinny and died, the other went from strength to strength. Still got him too.
Then I got another one a month or so later. He got big really quickly, in fact, out of all the clowns I have, he grew the fastest. Nearly as big as my original 6" Clown now. Unusual to grow that fast I reckon.
Finally, I got another smaller one. Ok for a while then started to get skinny and listless. By now I'd read up on what might have caused the earlier one to die and everything pointed to "knifeback". So I isolated this one in a 4 uk gallon tank and treated him with Waterlife STERAZIN. Worked a treat and I moved him back into the main tank once his treatment was done. He's now plump and healthy and happy and runnin with the rest of the Clown posse!
Hope this helps, as Clowns are such a long lived and entertaining (not too mention expensive) species, I'd hate to lose another one, and I'm sure you feel the same way.
(Watch out for exposing them to cold water as well. They don't like that either!)
All the best, let us know how you get on...
bmxer4ever
08-31-2006, 6:48 AM
well the other day I decided to try a small maybe 1.5" clown loach, that or a 6-10" and its for a 12 gallon, so I didn't feel like running around town finding one in the middle.
2.5 days later it died. I'm thinking maybe PH shock, but I spent about 45minutes acclimating the dang thing... was going good till end of day 2.. then it just was half way curled and wouldn't stop convulsing...hours later, same thing. left for work..come home..dead....
nitrites 0
nitrates about 35
ammonia 0
ph about 7.7
oh well back to the store with the receipt in the morning...
Sorry to hear that, could be your nitrates and your ph IS a little high for Clowns.
Do you have any driftwood/bogwood in your tank?
If not, get some before you get another Clown. Their natural habitat is streams and rivers with a lower ph than you have, due to rotting vegatation and wood in the water. Driftwood will help the ph drop naturally. 6.6 - 7 seems to work well with my guys...
Also watch for temp changes when you are transporting your next Clown - these guys don't take well to the cold, so make sure you insulate the next one.
Hope all goes well, keep us informed and good luck.
What temp is your tank running at?