Clown loaches in a 55 gallon?

JayC74

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should probably upgrade to something more than a 6', a 30" arowana in a 48" square tank would be spending all day chasing its tail. I'd love to see a pic of that tank, it would nearly have to be 4' tall to be over 400g, the ultimate cube tank! [not being sarcastic or anything, would genuinely be interested in seeing the tank, especially with that stock]


RD I agree that some of the information on LOL is a bit OTT, like the one-in-a-billion maximum size of 16", but I do agree with the recommendation to grow out young clowns in a tank with plenty of length for swimming if you want them to attain a decent size and not become obese and/or stunted.
I know what your saying David about the aro in that odd tank. But the aro actually looked pretty comfortable in there..surprisingly! Watched him eat 40 or so crickets in 1 sitting in that tank with no signs of curved spine or anything. He told me the rtc tried to eat him and ended up killing him. Now he's got big cichlids in there from what i hear


RD....Do you have any info on obese clown loaches and potential abbreviation of lifespan? A couple in my collection are superfat. They have been in an 8ft tank while they've gotten this way. They get plenty of swimming exercise but have insatiable appetites. They might need diets i think and some need to up the food, but like you said before..some clowns just genetically aren't meant to grow huge. They seem healthy but do look like they could blow up some day
 

JayC74

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David - IMO CL's in captivity become obese from overfeeding, not lack of swimming space. Too many calories result in excess fatty deposits on the fish, same as humans. When one eats in excess, they become obese. It's a simple equation that many hobbyists fail to grasp. That or they simply do not realize what a larger CL should look like. In the wild CL's are lean mean swimming machines, even the larger specimens @ 10+" do not carry excess fat. Not even close - their body shape looks more along the lines of a hot dog - nothing remotely like what Marge was built like. This is what a 10-12" wild CL typically looks like, and I have seen plenty of wild CL's in this size category. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4IGrgNMNww That vid is of an 11" CL shortly after it was collected & sold to the owner in Malaysia.

But I agree, the larger the tank the better, that goes without saying for almost any species of fish, and especially those species that are very active.
There we go..I guess it makes sense that an obese clown loach might be as unhealthy as an obese human. Need to put a couple of these guys on lowcarb diets.lol
 

RD.

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Jay - see post #45 in the following past discussion.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?414620-Fish-Food-Summary/page5

Obviously lipid & overall nutrient levels might differ with loaches, vs African cichlids, but the one species used in that study is classified as a carnivore, so those numbers won't be too far off.

And the following statements were pretty clear:

Fatty infiltration of the liver has also been designated "the most common metabolic disturbance and most frequent cause of death in aquarium fish"
With prolonged feeding of a high-energy, lipid rich diet, degenerative changes of the liver and death can occur unless the diet is corrected.
 

David R

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Yes we still have a lot to learn about what we feed our fish, and how much. You seem far better informed than most on CLs and their habitat, what are the fivers like? Its often said they come from fast flowing streams and rivers, and I wonder if that is true how can we ever emulate that kind of environment in an 8' small glass box.
 

RD.

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I believe that for the most part the only time the rivers and streams are really fast flowing is during the rainy season. There are CL's that supposedly live year round in Sentarum Lake, which certainly isn't fast flowing, more like a big massive swamp. http://www.gallery-kapuashulu.org/topics/danau-sentarum-national-park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tDRQrSpqvY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ9oFXkB_xg&NR=1



Some additional very large wild caught loaches that you may or may not have seen here in the past. These ones being from Sumatra.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...1617-ANOTHER-NEW-COLLECTION-GIANT-CLOWN-LOACH


All rather off topic for the OP, but I suppose the extra info can't hurt. :)
 

JayC74

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Thanks for all the useful links and effort RD. The fact an obese fish might be low in lipids in the liver and maybe viseversa makes a healthy and well balance diet the essential key factor in it all. Maybe someday we'll be able to breakdown exactly what foods to feed, what foods to limit, and how much or often to feed to maximize size along with lifespan of clown loaches
Also, apparantly they were catching what looked to be snakeheads on that fishing link, but clown loaches are 1 fish i would use pliers instead of my fingers to take the hook out. Might need a few stitches after messing with a big boy. Prob be a fiesty fight as well for a 12incher

thanks op for letting us derail
 

aclockworkorange

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I had a big 9"er tag me with his subocular spine as I was "pouring" him out of a bag into a bucket (spine went through the bag)... Straight into my palm. Didn't feel great.


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