Clowns and tiger barbs, yay or nay?

[Coryloach]

That's an interesting observation. I do notice that my smaller Loaches occasionally swim right next to a similar sized rainbowfish.

Not just other type of fish. Small clowns tend to swim with equally sized clowns. Big clowns stick to equally sized big clowns. Two of my clown loaches are much larger than the rest although one of them was purchased together with 4 other that are visually smaller than her and those two always go out for a swim together. They of course all intermix but there are subtle differences in their period of growth over the years I've noticed.

When I introduced 3 small clown loaches over the last 3 years, they were inseparable for some time and pretty much grew as part of the denison barbs and SAE school. Now that they've bulked up, they've melted into the bigger school of clown loaches and have adopted their behavior.

 

[Coryloach]

P.S. I also want to correct myself that I think best is active fish of similar size that are non-aggressive and don't bother the loaches. I think what RD. says is right and clown loaches need to feel the dominant fish in the tank for them to feel best.

 

[David R]

I've never kept clowns on their own (aside from in quarantine), an while part of me would love to try it I'm really not sure I could constrain myself like that! (as cool as it would be)

There's several nice mid-sized barb species on our list of available imports (like Clown and Panda barbs), I might see if I can track down some of them.

 

[Cardeater]

Not just other type of fish. Small clowns tend to swim with equally sized clowns. Big clowns stick to equally sized big clowns. Two of my clown loaches are much larger than the rest although one of them was purchased together with 4 other that are visually smaller than her and those two always go out for a swim together. They of course all intermix but there are subtle differences in their period of growth over the years I've noticed.

When I introduced 3 small clown loaches over the last 3 years, they were inseparable for some time and pretty much grew as part of the denison barbs and SAE school. Now that they've bulked up, they've melted into the bigger school of clown loaches and have adopted their behavior.

My tank has one big Loach that way bigger than the others including one that's the same age but probably is a male thats one third her size.

It's interesting watching them. When Mama is in her cave, she frequently is alone. When she's swimming around, I frequently see several of the smaller ones pressing against her. Sometimes it's just one but it's been up to three at once. The smaller ones put their mouths right by her eye or just behind it and you can tell they are pressing themselves against her as they their head is touching and their body is angled in. They'll swim and turn with her. Seriouslyfish has described this as "shadowing."

It's weird that I never observed that before when I just had the there Loaches that grew up together. The tank was neglected back then with no powerheads and high nitrates and no other fish except the pleco so they hardly ever came out from their cave.

Definitely part of why I liked these fish much is there are many mannerisms that I can observe. The "shadowing" is done mostly by 2 specific fish. The one that grew up with her doesn't do it. He used to always next to her when I only had three and the one that I lost used to get into dominance battles with Mama. The Loach that shadows her the most is this Loach I adopted in December (can't decide if it's a make or female). The two smallest Loaches that I think are male almost never do the shadowing. It's the second biggest out of the 4 pack that likes to Shadow Mama Loach, again along with the adopted Loach.

Edit:
Here's the first pic I could find. That's one of the two that frequently does the shadowing

 

[xraycer]

I say, yay. I would not use the natural colored tiger barbs, but the other colored variations. Just to give the tank some contrast.

 

[Cardeater]

Here is the only video I've been able to get. Previously Mama used to only come out when the lights were out so I could never get a video.

You can see it at beginning and then they do it again at the very end. I've seen her do a quick short circle with the smaller fish pressed up.against her.

 

[Coryloach]

I frequently see several of the smaller ones pressing against her.

Same in my tank. There's a lot of shadowing involved by what I think are the males chasing the big mamas. They get annoyed and hide in the cave, hence we clown loach keepers never get any breeding. The males want it. For some reason the females don't and never feel they have the right conditions.

 

[Coryloach]

Ha,ha. Yours is very patient. Mine shake the intruders like annoying flies.

 

[RD.]

I've often told people that the best tank-mates for clown loaches are clown loaches, so maybe I should take my own advice...

Yes, you should!

 

[David R]

Can you elaborate further on what Coryloach said about you thinking the clowns should feel like the dominant fish in the tank? Is that in size or number or both?
At the moment, aside from the scissortails and tetras I've got a few orange head Geophagus, one Acarichthys heckelii and one red tail shark as the only tankmates of similar size and assertiveness, and 23-ish clowns ranging from about 5cm to 16cm-ish. They all seem to get along ok (except for the shark, who can be a bit of an ar$ehole but there's so many other fish he never picks on any one individual) but you've got me intrigued about how different things might be with just the clowns (and maybe more of them) with just the smaller schooling fish and no cichlids. Tank is 180x75x60cm and well filtered with a sump and FX5. I've been tempted to increase the flow with a powerhead but haven't because of the cichlids, I guess that's another reason for a more dedicated loach set up...