Monster fishes that grow slow
- Thread starter Mr.S
- Start date
This from Aqua Imports on the loach Tobias brought up:
The Royal Clown Loach or Imperial Flower Loach is the largest species of loach or botia in the world, originating in the subtropical waters of China's Yangtze River. An elongated species well adapted to life in fast-moving water, they are powerful swimmers which prefer strong current and well-oxygenated water in the aquarium. In the wild, they feed on worms, crustaceans, and other fish (including smaller loaches). They will readily hunt down and eat small tankmates so should be kept with similarly sized fish. As a cooler water species, they do best in an unheated tank with temperatures ranging from 55-74F.
The Royal Clown Loach or Imperial Flower Loach is the largest species of loach or botia in the world, originating in the subtropical waters of China's Yangtze River. An elongated species well adapted to life in fast-moving water, they are powerful swimmers which prefer strong current and well-oxygenated water in the aquarium. In the wild, they feed on worms, crustaceans, and other fish (including smaller loaches). They will readily hunt down and eat small tankmates so should be kept with similarly sized fish. As a cooler water species, they do best in an unheated tank with temperatures ranging from 55-74F.
Clown loach are slow growing giants. I had a group that reached 8 inch in 10 years and still showed no sign of aging, so the growth rate is very slow. I have witnessed a 14 inch CL in a LFS and seen even larger CL in YouTube. CL are long live fish and the max out size is unknown because no one has kept them long enough to see them die in old age. In comparison, most big cichlid reach max size in 3 to 5 years and begin to decline, not CL. I lost mine to ich eventually as many people do, as loaches are unfortunately highly susceptible to ich.
