Loaches Online Forum

I just watched a youtube video of a tank with 2 huge oscars and some smaller clowns. I'm new to keeping loaches and I've read about the immense differences in Ph and all that. That aside, won't the oscars eat the loaches? If the loaches are the same size, wouldn't the Oscars still mess with the loac...

Why should you avoid cycling your tank with loaches? Sometimes we have no choice but to buy fish from the big chain stores. There are 2 Petco stores near my home, and the employees are decent at one, but not the other. Six of my clowns came from a Petco, because most of the smaller pet stores went o...

I also keep newts and am a member of a caudate site/forum. Someone had a snail problem in their newt tank and put a clown loach in there! I promptly scolded him (nicely of coure :D ) that he has to take that clown out! Newts like cooler water with no current... that poor clown is probably miserable.

Okay, after reading up on weather loaches I just think they are too cool not to have in my tank. Could I get away with adding 3 of them and maybe ditching the kubotai?

After some research I've decided on something like this:

6 Clown Loaches
4 Botia Kubotai
10 Neon Tetras
6 Rosey Barbs
1 Red Tailed Shark
1 Pleco

Thoughts? Suggestions?

75 Gallon long by the way.

PS - I've decided to go with what I want because my wife won't be doing any of the maintenance!

Graham, just read your profile... we share the same interests. Fish and paintball! Lol.

What size is your tank geaston?

How do red tailed sharks and clowns usually get along?

I know there is nothing wrong with saltwater... the fish are beautiful. But I've got my heart set on clowns... and besides... I can't justify spending anywhere from 100-300 dollars on a fish for a saltwater tank.

The guy at the store told me that they had a snail issue in their african cichlid tank and he put clowns in there without any issue. But I would imagine after a while it would have been a problem. Thanks for your suggestions!

My wife is finally on board with the 90 gallon tank I want and we even went and she helped pick it out. I showed her clown loaches and she thought they looked pretty cool... so I was 2 for 2. When she asked what else we could put in there... she hated everything I showed her because it wasn't "color...

Would 5-6 clowns be too many for a rectangle shaped 75 gallon?

I know a lot of folks say 75 gallons is the minimum sized tank for clowns.... but what about tank shape? Would an octagon shaped 75 gallon take be insufficient for them due to a lack of swimming area in regards to length?

Can tiger barbs be kept with Botia kubotai ? I've read several horror stories about tiger barbs and their fin nipping.... However if I were going to keep a barb, I really like their look...

Thanks for the reply! I'm really liking the Botia kubotai myself.