3 loaches in my 75L (20 gallon) tank

[heathy94]

It is true that the more clown loaches you have and the more space you give them the more beneficial it is for the fish.
However, from my experience a minimum of 5-7 loaches is not necessary as many people may say...I have 3 clown loaches in my 75L (20 gallon) tank and they are having a great time. They share a home with 2 dwarf gouramis and 4 black neon tetras who all get along great...
I have had the loaches for roughly 4 months and they're not distressed, nor inactive.
With this in mind however i do plan to upgrade my tank to most likely a 50 gallon in 6 or so months...just to give them room to grow and have a bit more room to explore!
If people have positive comments or similar stories then please share!

[redshark1]

While I hope you continue to enjoy your aquarium hobby you won't get the response on here that you are looking for.

That is because nobody here will recommend keeping 3 Clown Loaches in a 20 or 50 gallon tank .

It doesn't matter whether you CAN fit them in or not, it matters that you SHOULD NOT. The same goes for shoaling.

I hope I don't seem harsh. You are just short of good information, that's all and likely to stick to your guns against all good advice at first.

Have a read on the forum. You don't have to make other people's mistakes. Other people have already made them for you.

[heathy94]

I was exceptionally optimistic in asking for positive comments!

The reason why i'm on the site is to prove that with adequate care and kept in a group of at least 3 that, as juveniles, they can be kept in a tank of 20 gallons.

Of course in a year or so i'll need a bigger tank, i'm not denying that.

But to think that there's only one way of doing things, or you need a 100 gallon tank for 3 loaches is a joke.
One of my friends has a 40 gallon, and has had 3 clown loaches for 4 years, originally keeping them in a 20 gallon.

They're absolutely loving life, feeding well, dark in colour and have never had a problem.

I'm not ill-informed, I have done an enormous amount of research and am here to prove you wrong in the long term.

[Botiadancer]

Prove us wrong?

I believe the first sentence in your first post does that for us.

Yes, as tiny juveniles they will be fine in a 20 gallon tank. I use a 15 gallon as a quarantine tank and my new fish, including all manner of loaches among other fish do fine - temporarily.

Only 3 loaches in a 40g will work for awhile - but they are so much MORE playful in larger groups. Only 3 in a 100? Never heard that. If you are limited on space and want loaches with clown like behavior - try the smaller social ones like striata or sidthimunki. Haven't had kubotai yet myself.

Don't strive to make the fish survive to show us up, I'm much happier giving my clowns lots of company and space and other species to play and thrive with. My going on 11 year old clowns have survived 3 moves and are still going strong.

Survive or Thrive - the age old question.

[NancyD]

Yeah, 20g Qt at best. Do you really expect any of us to want stunted clowns for our own? You go?!?! I think not!! Whatever, troll! What do you expect here? Good luck!?!? Poor little loaches...

[redshark1]

How provocative. But only in a juvenile environment.

You don't need to prove anything. It's already been done thousands of times.

[NancyD]

Ooops, I apologize for name calling, that was out of line. I just get quite annoyed by people trying to "prove" something that's fact. I guess it's 1 thing to provide poor husbandry due to ignorance but very different to deny it is necessary for their quality of life. If you'd said even a 55g I might not have been so negative & only suggest more loaches & a larger tank in the very near future.

[heathy94]

I'm sorry for using the words 'prove you wrong' it's not really what I meant..
I've moved the 3 loaches from a 20 gallon to a 55 gallon and they're just as active and happy as what they were before.
I'm not an idiot and do realise that they will grow, all i was merely trying to suggest is as juveniles they're fine in a 20g, they were only in there for 5 months.
I do thank you guys for the constructive criticism, except for nancyD calling me a troll is just absolutely out of line. You can keep thinking there's only one way of keeping you're precious little loaches, but i'm sure mine are happier then yours will ever be.

[redshark1]

Hi again and thanks for the explanation Heathy94.

I also apologise for any perceived negativity, I really don't have any.

But I feel that whilst there probably is no proven right or wrong way of proceeding there are ideals to work towards, the ideal probably being a river in Borneo LOL!

Getting as close to the ideal seems worth striving for though I have probably gone as far as I am likely to on this journey having rejected retailer advice for a 3-footer and bought a 6-footer that won't be upgraded until it breaks .

It was a surprise to me to be told my tank is not really ideal (e.g. not big enough). But I got over that shock a while ago and came to agree with the idea. A bigger tank would be better, though still not a river in Borneo.

[Tardigrades953]

While it is fun to watch my clown loaches in my 20, I do realize they are juveniles so they need extra food, which means lots of water changes too! And their size capacity creeping up is more stressful than it is fun at times! But that is what I got myself into! I certainly would not recommend keeping clown loaches in a 20 unless just babies- with a much larger tank readily available. My case was snail control that got me hooked on loaches. And I never wanted a large tank as I like smaller ones, but what can I do!!

[Diana]

but what can I do

Select fish that suit the tank size.
For example, there are quite a few smaller Loaches that could be quite happy in a 20 gallon tank:
Zebras, Kuhlies, Schisturas and others.
Most of the smaller ones may not be great snail eaters, but Zebra Loaches are good for this.

[Tardigrades953]

Sorry Diana, my last statement or exclamation should have said...
"But what can I do!!!... Other than get a bigger tank (which I hope to do soon!)"


I would have loved zebra loaches, but no one has them. I need to figure out grand plans. I don't like starting over a lot.