Hi all I recently acquired a free clown loach via craigslist gotta love it but he is all alone and I want to get him a companion now they are alil pricey so I can only afford one as of now, but I would think he'd be way happier with a bud in a 55 gal of course id want to get more of them but over a period of time or should I wait and get them all at once I just read that it shortens there lifespan loneliness due to depression and id say he has been alone for quite some time now he is a nice size already what do you guys think ??
Single Clown?
- Thread starter wvera05
- Start date
It's always good to keep more than one. Get the clown a friend, and then add more companions later. I have a 5" one along with two 2" ones. They all get along great.
RidgefieldClownKeeper;3879331; said:
Adding one at a time is certainly an option, but personally I would advise that you save up & either add a few (2 or 3) at a time or add them all at once... There are several reasons :
1) Its almost guaranteed that your new CL's will have ick when you bring them home from the LFS. They always do. So, if you buy one at a time you will be adding a fresh case of ick to your tank each time. This costs you extra money in meds/salt, keeps your fish in medicated water for extended periods of time, requires you to keep the temp elevated while you treat, raises the odds of re-infecting any fish that is already/almost recovered & risks adding new strains of ick to the system. I have 3 medium size shoals (5-20 CL's each, depending on tank size) across 3 tanks, plus 2 quarantine tanks for all the new pickups (I just cant pass up an oddball CL!) & trust me, its a whole lot easier to treat a group all at once.
2) Your CL may be lonely now, but he will survive being alone until your next paycheck. Adding one at a time may also cause them to be territorial, especially if they're different sizes or your tank is short on hiding spots.
3) You WILL get addicted to these Loaches & find some single oddball CL @ the LFS in the future that will just beg you to buy him. When you do, you should be able to add him to an existing shoal (after you quarantine him for a while) to make him more comfortable & prevent any further stress/territorial behavior.
I'm constantly adding to my CL collection & these are just my experiences... Good luck & WELCOME TO MFK!!!!!!
I have 5 small loaches and 1 large loach. I think the large one must have been raised alone because I bought him and put him in with the others and he's not as outgoing or happy as the others who have always been in a group.
Some people say that a single CL can feel like a social outcast if he is much bigger or smaller than the rest of the shoal... I guess like he's always looking for HIS shoal, not these little/big guys. I dont know how true that is, but I know my 5in shoal doesn't let the 2in shoal lay with them under their log. At feeding time they act like one big mixed shoal, but not when they rest.
Hi I just wanted to thank you all for your input im am thinking about waiting and purchasing several at a time just seems better to me at this point any how he has been raised as a solo clown as of now and he is a nice size about 4 inches id say so a couple more weeks wont do any damage I think, until then I will be looking for a reputable lfs that carry's healthy CL's so far Petco has had the best stock of CL's avaible but id rather not get from them they are very iffy to me Ill update and post pics when I get a nice group going thanks again for your advice.