Clown Loaches and Lima Shovelnose

[ClownKnife28]

Will they work as good tankmates long term? My clown loaches are about 2 inches now. I don't have the catfish yet.

 

[ewurm]

The catfish will grow much faster than the loaches. It will work, as long as the catfish can't eat the loaches.

 

[Lupin]

At 2 inches, heck no.

 

[ClownKnife28]

So even if I got a 3-4 inch lima shovelnose, it will outgrow my loaches and eat them? My loaches are right now with a 7-inch clown knife and there are no problems. My CK even share his cave with them.

 

[ewurm]

The CK will probably grow large enough to eat the loaches too.

 

[Lupin]

I agree. I'd just forget mixing the loaches with CK or sorubim.

 

[mattheuw1]

I disagree. Grow the loaches to at least 3 inches before adding a lima. If anything is going to eat the loaches, it will be the clown knife. I have an 8" lima with a 3" clown loach and a 4 " Cclown loach with no problems. The limas do not grow very fast. Get a young one in the tank soon so he knows the clown loaches aren't food and you should be fine. But if the loaches don't grow fast enough, the clown knife will easily be able to swallow them up.

 

[ewurm]

I disagree. Grow the loaches to at least 3 inches before adding a lima. If anything is going to eat the loaches, it will be the clown knife. I have an 8" lima with a 3" clown loach and a 4 " Cclown loach with no problems. The limas do not grow very fast. Get a young one in the tank soon so he knows the clown loaches aren't food and you should be fine. But if the loaches don't grow fast enough, the clown knife will easily be able to swallow them up.

I don't think either of those fish is a good tankmate for loaches over the long term.

 

[ClownKnife28]

Once the clown loach is 5 inches, do you think it would be safe from the ck and lima? Also, are you saying the ck is even riskier than the lima? I'm asking because I don't have a lima yet, but I do have a ck in the tank.

 

[ewurm]

Once the clown loach is 5 inches, do you think it would be safe from the ck and lima? Also, are you saying the ck is even riskier than the lima? I'm asking because I don't have a lima yet, but I do have a ck in the tank.

The Clown Knife reaches a greater potential size, and will reach that size faster than the shovelnose. When the predators reach a size that will allow them to eat the clown loaches, they may do just that.