Clown loach growth / power feeding

[Loachin]

I agree, variety of diet is key, along with clean warm water (84f). Be prepared to change a lot of water when feeding heavy.. Also once you see an Alpha establish himself. Remove him from the tank for a while, you can re introduce him weeks later. This trend will continue and I play musical chairs.


I get my best growth when following this procedure

I appreciate your Post and the replies you've received. I have 3 new clowns that are trying to catch up to 2 - 18 month old clowns about 5 to 6"(The original pack was 5 but had some problems with ich after transfer from 30 to 60).

I think 84(f) might be too high for a sustained period of time. 82 will definitely be fine. If you decide to raise the temp. remember to add an oxygen source. Powerhead/Airstone

I like the idea of separating the alpha but maybe using a divider would be better than changing his water perameters completely.

Sounds like a varied diet that includes frozen foods, shrimp (any other kind of meats readily eaten by clowns?) is the way to go.

 

[Mudfrog]

I agree, variety of diet is key, along with clean warm water (84f). Be prepared to change a lot of water when feeding heavy.. Also once you see an Alpha establish himself. Remove him from the tank for a while, you can re introduce him weeks later. This trend will continue and I play musical chairs.


I get my best growth when following this procedure

Tanks that I power feed I usually do 2x 50% WC's a week. Temps are usually at 82.

 

[Mudfrog]

Essentially I just need the clowns large enough to defend themselves if the red wolf does try to eat them. My red wolf lost all of his teeth so I'm not worried about bite marks or punctures on the loaches. I have seen first hand a 3" CL defend itself from a 9" Oscar, the Oscar learned his lesson fast. Ultimately it would be best if the wolf didn't even try to eat the CL and I think at 4" with the body height of the CL he would probably ignore them. I have 3.5" spotted raphaels in the tank that he completely ignores.

 

[Muske]

Protein and WC's are the best bet for growth.

 

[Muske]

Wurm's sticky has many food options.

 

[JakeH]

Essentially I just need the clowns large enough to defend themselves if the red wolf does try to eat them. My red wolf lost all of his teeth so I'm not worried about bite marks or punctures on the loaches. I have seen first hand a 3" CL defend itself from a 9" Oscar, the Oscar learned his lesson fast. Ultimately it would be best if the wolf didn't even try to eat the CL and I think at 4" with the body height of the CL he would probably ignore them. I have 3.5" spotted raphaels in the tank that he completely ignores.

The wolf probably tried to eat a raphael at some point & got hit with the spikes. That'll learn 'em quick! I would imagine the same would happen with the CL's, but the Wolf will probably have to find out the hard way.

 

[Mr Pleco]

I think 84(f) might be too high for a sustained period of time. 82 will definitely be fine. If you decide to raise the temp. remember to add an oxygen source. Powerhead/Airstone

I like the idea of separating the alpha but maybe using a divider would be better than changing his water perameters completely.

Sounds like a varied diet that includes frozen foods, shrimp (any other kind of meats readily eaten by clowns?) is the way to go.

My water is turned over 19x per hour , plus a large seio powerhead that's on a timer. Loaches have been thriving in this enviroment for years and guess what no ick, ever...knock on wood.... 17 + loaches ranging from 6" to 11". They are de wormed every 6 months...

My replacement water is preheated and treated for 24 hours before water changes, so no temp or ph shock . I change 100 gals a week in this tank alone. All my loach tanks are at the same parameters so there is no percieved change.

 

[armac]

Why would you deworm fish on a regular basis, do you not trust your food source?

As with all fish, WC and good food.

I also believe all clown loaches lose their color as they get huge. I do not believe there is any north/south difference in clown loaches. My biggest one is around 10 inches, I have a group that I have had for 5 years, they all large but there is some size difference in the group.

 

[TangoWRX]

I do not agree with some of the info on this thread. Mainly on growth and blackness of stripes.
From my own experience and from reading the older a CL gets the less black they are. It is also though it can be a sign of a dominant loach being grey. I find all my loaches when young are very black but as they get bigger the colours fade, and I have read this from many others too. This explains why the larger ones are more grey.
The only diff I have red from diff areas is where the red is on the pectoral fins.

As for growth I find they are generally fast upto about 5" then they slow down. As with all with a good varied diet and good water will help them grow to their best.

Here is a good site for info, also has some pics of some real monster CLs
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/clown-loach-chromobotia-macracanthus

 

[justin guest]

I find the going gray problem is related to water quality and diet. Some of my best coloured cl´s were over 20cm. As to power feeding use predominantly mussel meat as a fresh food source and a good high protein/fat pellet (fish shop brands usually aren´t good enough as opposed to aquaculture feed) and keep oxygen high and do min. weekly water changes. Growth rates can vary as mentioned above.

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