clown loach

[Nate Dogg]

Can a clown loach live in a uncycled tank. The story

My 125 has been set up for 3 weeks 2 of with a 3inch bluegill 8 inch longear sunfish and a 4 inch bass no heater or filter (don't scold yet). For 1 week (3 weeks in all) the bass is the only fish now (to much to feed others) with 3 air stones and a 50% water change. Put duck weed in and it had snails now I have the snail problem. filters and heater go in tomorrow. was wondering if the water is safe and if it is will adding the filters get ride of to much bacteria and have to start over.

in short.
can a clown loach live in a uncycled aquarium
and if a tank has the cycle started will adding filters reverse the process.

 

[FreshwaterHawaii]

If i understand correctly, you don't have a filter at all? Unless you have some sort of substrate then there wont be much beneficial bacteria in your tank. im not too sure but since you're only adding a filter now, then only now the cycle will start. And ime clown loaches are extremely sensitive to bad water. It will be especially bad for them if the clown loach is small (~1"). I would suggest not adding any fish until you put a filter in. Only when you put the filter in will the beneficial bacteria start properly.

 

[Jon M]

No the water is not safe. Fish suffer when introduced to an uncycled aquarium. Simply put. The air stone, water changes, and duck weed, won't justify having 0 iltration for beneficial bacteria to colonize and get a cycle started. Tanks need to be cycled before fish are added. Any stock you've had in the tank likely dealt with being exposed to ammonia and possibly nitrites level and potentially high ones. Even if they are resilient and survived this it is still likely to diminish their long term life span.

EDIT: Why are you trying to keep a single Clown Loach? They are shoaling/schooling fish and are most comfortable when kept in schools.