I have two 20+ year old loaches. I came on this site to see how long they live. I've had aquariums all my life, but never have any fish lived through what these two have. I know you guys are going to fillet me, but I have had them in a 5 gallon tank all this time. I got them when I was young, they've been with me while dating my husband, then 20 years of marriage. I love these guys so I haven't wanted to move them from their tank because they seem to be doing ok. Strong, healthy, sometimes they click at eachother in the spring. But they are about 3 maybe 4 inches long, still rather small for what I know they can grow to. There have been frogs in their tank, Siamese fighting fish, invisible catfish, lots of bettas. It's been just the two of them for awhile lately. Now that I know they may live to be 50, I wonder if they are happy? I'd hate to move them and have them perish. Any suggestions?
Clown loach life span
- Thread starter jconley
- Start date
kalimata, I suggest you change your user name and never talk about this again! lol
Seriously though, don`t they deserve better? Upgrade their tank and put this sad chapter behind you.
Seriously though, don`t they deserve better? Upgrade their tank and put this sad chapter behind you.
some one is lying. A 20 yr old clown loach cant be only a few inches long in a five gallon. People just make a fool of themselves sometimes
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Nope. Not lying. But hey if you want to believe that, no worries. I know and my husband knows the truth. Not going to get defensive on a forum, just not worth it. And I only have one reason to be on here, I came here for solid advise from experts, expected a bit of flack but I kept them in the tank they have been in for kind and caring reasons. I don't want to just put them in a huge tank, it might overwhelm them. And yeah, no they are small still. When I looked up how big and how long they live, got pretty surprised. Only thing is I'm pretty sure they are zebra loaches and not clown loaches (still researching if that makes a difference) and it might be a six gallon tank. I am taking photos to post, so will do that sometime today. Any one who cares for fish should be happy they are healthy, well cared for (esp considering most fish die pretty early on) and seemingly content. Also good thing they are still small, a small tank will seem much bigger to a small fish. Less waste. Last thing is I will not take advise from anyone who is angry. Just no reason for it. These guys have a home and have had a home for 20 years. I haven't had money to spend on large tanks and specialty systems, I'll admit I got in it and didn't know what I was in for. But I stuck to it and was responsible enough to keep them healthy. And I still am. I will not just get a big tank and put these guys in it. This has been their home for 20 years and now that I may be able to upgrade comfortably I want to do it also responsibly. If this is a place for trolling, I will figure it out on my own.
So, what size tank would you suggest? Is 20 gallon ok? Are there other fish (that don't also live 50 years) that these guys will enjoy? I'm worried about one tank having a different bio than the next one. Keep in mind, if I put them in the new tank and they die it would be tragic. How to make sure both tanks are the same?
I apologize for being rude. I can only assume its zebra loaches you have which okay for 5g bc they grow about 3-4 inch max. But tank is still too small. Just make sure ur ammonia and nitrite level is zero.
20g tank at least is fine. Petco has that dollar per gallon tank sale now. Just make sure ur tank is fully cycled before adding them in. If you don't know about cycling, google it. Its very important. Will kill your fish if u dont.
Clown loaches by their 20th yr will be about 10" big
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20g tank at least is fine. Petco has that dollar per gallon tank sale now. Just make sure ur tank is fully cycled before adding them in. If you don't know about cycling, google it. Its very important. Will kill your fish if u dont.
Clown loaches by their 20th yr will be about 10" big
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I just want to know what there are cause damn that's a amazing life span !
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They are zebra loaches, sorry about the confusion. You can find a lot more info on clowns than zebras when you type in loaches. I thought they'd be about the same. I actually feel a lot better that they aren't ; ) It'll be easier to take a pic at night, they are kinda shy and hard to see. That is if anyone wants to see photos of 20 yo zebra loaches ; )
