Clown Loach
Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:18 pm
Dear All,
At the risk of starting a contoversy, I would like to suggest that one does not have to have caves and pipes or other hiding places for new Clown Loaches that one introduce into a new tank.
I noticed a lot of people complaining that their new acquisitions (Clown Loaches) are always in hiding and they almost never get to see them. That was my experience as well, when I first started out to keep CLs. I have since done away with such hiding places and my CLs have been doing fine. My own experience is that one should acquire at least a small group of them and they will be fine even without any hiding place. Even with a big shoal of them, there will always be some (the minority of them) which will prefer to stay in hiding if there is any cave, pipe, bamboo pieces, or whatever and they can stay in hiding for months.
Here in Singapore, huge shoals of them are kept in concrete tanks of about 3ftx6ft (with about 12" deep water) for weeks on end before they are packed and shipped overseas - a lot of them ending in your parts of the pond.
I have been keeping CLs for 15 years and personally prefer to keep a big group of them (I have 18 pieces of 4" to 11.5" in a 1200 litre (84" x 30" x 30" tank) and it fun to see them swim around (through all stratas of the tank) during feeding time or just lying around at rest.
My tank is laid with an undergravel filtration set up (with 2 x 1500l/hr power heads, discharging water and air bubbles at about 2" below the surface of the water ) lined with coral chips and topped with a layer of pebbles 2" - 5" diameter; to prevent the big CLs from digging up the coral chips and really "stir up the s@#t"; 4 driftwood pieces complete the "decor" of the tank. In addition, I have an overhead filter system with a 3000l/hr pump, an Eheim Profession II external filter. Over and above that, I have 2x 2600l/hr power filters to push the water at about 8" above the pebbles to give it a "River Tank" effect.
I do an approx. 25% water change every month.
I am no expert and am just sharing my experience with any one who cares to read this.
Best Regards,
At the risk of starting a contoversy, I would like to suggest that one does not have to have caves and pipes or other hiding places for new Clown Loaches that one introduce into a new tank.
I noticed a lot of people complaining that their new acquisitions (Clown Loaches) are always in hiding and they almost never get to see them. That was my experience as well, when I first started out to keep CLs. I have since done away with such hiding places and my CLs have been doing fine. My own experience is that one should acquire at least a small group of them and they will be fine even without any hiding place. Even with a big shoal of them, there will always be some (the minority of them) which will prefer to stay in hiding if there is any cave, pipe, bamboo pieces, or whatever and they can stay in hiding for months.
Here in Singapore, huge shoals of them are kept in concrete tanks of about 3ftx6ft (with about 12" deep water) for weeks on end before they are packed and shipped overseas - a lot of them ending in your parts of the pond.
I have been keeping CLs for 15 years and personally prefer to keep a big group of them (I have 18 pieces of 4" to 11.5" in a 1200 litre (84" x 30" x 30" tank) and it fun to see them swim around (through all stratas of the tank) during feeding time or just lying around at rest.
My tank is laid with an undergravel filtration set up (with 2 x 1500l/hr power heads, discharging water and air bubbles at about 2" below the surface of the water ) lined with coral chips and topped with a layer of pebbles 2" - 5" diameter; to prevent the big CLs from digging up the coral chips and really "stir up the s@#t"; 4 driftwood pieces complete the "decor" of the tank. In addition, I have an overhead filter system with a 3000l/hr pump, an Eheim Profession II external filter. Over and above that, I have 2x 2600l/hr power filters to push the water at about 8" above the pebbles to give it a "River Tank" effect.
I do an approx. 25% water change every month.
I am no expert and am just sharing my experience with any one who cares to read this.
Best Regards,