Very slow to aging , unaggressive , gets big , interesting smart , schooling fish when young , consider its food , quality only , warm 82 good water quality (become a water change expert) ..... eventually needing monster tank and filter system...not for the amateur lol....
World's oldest Clown Loaches reach 30 years of age.
- Thread starter Redshark1
- Start date
Thanks for your interest.
Unfortunately I haven't taken any pictures or video recently. I shall try to remedy this shortly.
But the most important thing is that my six clown loaches are still very much alive and 32 years old and I am as enthusiastic at keeping them healthy as I ever was.
The smallest male has been playing dead more often lately and has developed a cloudy eye. The largest fish, female, has lost weight occasionally but has also put it back on so is obviously not finished yet. They typically waste away at the end. The other four seem unchanged so I expect to have them for many years yet.
I am giving them more cooked frozen prawns and mussels but they still have the same overall varied diet as before.
They have the same harlequin rasbora and bristlenose catfish companions.
I'm soaking the aquarium ornaments in hydrogen peroxide solution in a large plastic storage box every couple of weeks and this is working well. I much prefer them without a coating of green algae. Bristlenoses didn't fix this problem for me. The clown loaches ate the trumpet snails after 3 decades of ignoring them so the molluscs weren't able to help me.
I have just replaced the undergravel filters as I've found they do need the bacterial build-up removed from under the plates when the flow rate is reduced (but this takes a while, maybe years, to happen). If the plastic has turned brittle I replace them. The ones I can get easily are branded Supa and measure 17" x 11". These are very cheap at £11.50 each and the method of joining the uplift tube and blanking off the un-needed hole seems effective. The best I've used so far. There is one in each back corner of the 6' aquarium and they are driven by Aquaclear 50 powerheads with venturi activated for maximum oxygenation. I replaced the first filter then two weeks later I replaced the second.
So, they still get the maintenance and constant improvements they have always had and they continue to surprise me with their longevity.
The clown loach is a most satisfying fish to keep. I'm glad I chose them.
Unfortunately I haven't taken any pictures or video recently. I shall try to remedy this shortly.
But the most important thing is that my six clown loaches are still very much alive and 32 years old and I am as enthusiastic at keeping them healthy as I ever was.
The smallest male has been playing dead more often lately and has developed a cloudy eye. The largest fish, female, has lost weight occasionally but has also put it back on so is obviously not finished yet. They typically waste away at the end. The other four seem unchanged so I expect to have them for many years yet.
I am giving them more cooked frozen prawns and mussels but they still have the same overall varied diet as before.
They have the same harlequin rasbora and bristlenose catfish companions.
I'm soaking the aquarium ornaments in hydrogen peroxide solution in a large plastic storage box every couple of weeks and this is working well. I much prefer them without a coating of green algae. Bristlenoses didn't fix this problem for me. The clown loaches ate the trumpet snails after 3 decades of ignoring them so the molluscs weren't able to help me.
I have just replaced the undergravel filters as I've found they do need the bacterial build-up removed from under the plates when the flow rate is reduced (but this takes a while, maybe years, to happen). If the plastic has turned brittle I replace them. The ones I can get easily are branded Supa and measure 17" x 11". These are very cheap at £11.50 each and the method of joining the uplift tube and blanking off the un-needed hole seems effective. The best I've used so far. There is one in each back corner of the 6' aquarium and they are driven by Aquaclear 50 powerheads with venturi activated for maximum oxygenation. I replaced the first filter then two weeks later I replaced the second.
So, they still get the maintenance and constant improvements they have always had and they continue to surprise me with their longevity.
The clown loach is a most satisfying fish to keep. I'm glad I chose them.
