I recently got 2 large clown loaches from the LFS. Well the pair were all they had at the time, so I got back this week and this shipment is all tiny loaches (<2"). My questions are: How will they do in a shoal of different sizes? Also, what are the chances of the smaller ones getting eaten by my female jag(8") or male festae(6")? Neither of them have ever bothered or even looked at the two larger clowns. Does a larger shoal size increase their chance or survival? Thanks guys, I tried to search the net for these answers but couldnt really find anything more than keep them in a shoal of more than 5.
Clown Loach Help
- Thread starter uncwnells
- Start date
my larger fish havent bothered my clowns, shoaling does help them alot and once they get used to eachother they should shoal together.
But if they were bite size to the other fish i might not risk it.
But if they were bite size to the other fish i might not risk it.
Less than 2 inches specimens will need to be place in a separate tank. These are really too small to stay with your cichlids. At this point, feed them several times a day (but not to the point of overfeeding). Young specimens tend to require more proteins than adults so adding bloodworms to their diet isn't a bad idea. Until they reach 3-4 inches in size, don't put them in your main tank. Clowns won't have problems merging themselves into a group despite their sizes but bear in mind, smaller ones will have more issues trying to get their share of foods than the larger cousins.
If no cichlids in the tank I would say do it, they will all shaol together. Since the Jag is 8", do as Lupin says and grow them out before adding to the herd. And yes numbers help.