Loaches Online Forum

Having moved house about a month ago my 90g tank has just got back to normal, except my clowns, even with their dither fish they were not coming out to play.
However my lfs was shutting down, and all fish quarter price, so home came weather loaches x 4. Boseman x 8, kribs x 4 and one lonely little 2 2 oscar (And enough other fish that the boyfriend not too happy).
Being smaller than my clowns after he finished in quarentined he went in the 90g as a temparary measure till I have my 120g up and running again.
Well after that the clowns came out, mostly to chase him to the other end of the tank, were my adult kribs chased him back, for an aggresive fish he spent the first week avoiding every one else.
Every one settled down now, but the clown are out to play, in the middle of the day, whilst I'm walking around, any one else had Oscars with clowns, any one else find their clown more aggresive than the Oscar.

I've had 5 clowns living with an Oscar since all were bout 2" as well. They've been together almost a year, Oscar bout 9" now and in my case they have done real well together, and my clowns are active and playing around alot. Have plans for moving them into their own tank when they gain some real size also.

I tried to help em out by building alot hiding places and tubes in different sections of the tank, wanted to give them a good chance because I figured it was iffy with an O.

as far as the aggressiveness goes, my clowns generally just steer clear of O, but they are way too fast for him and do hang kinda close to him sometimes. He darts at them only now and again, never really gets close, and I swear sometimes the clowns seem to taunt him to come chase.

just my experience, and I think them "growing up" together has a lot to do with it working out. also would like to say that I'm nowhere near a "loach-expert", just passing along my situation.

best of luck with your new fish.

I've just posted a related question above (re: chemical defense). i've kept clowns with all manner of toothed nastiness without drama. The current collection has an oscar and a clown living together fine. Oscar is very aggresive to all fish but loach (except at feedign time when they take pokes at each other)
Yes, i need more loaches to make a school. Ich did his buddies in last year and they are prohibitively costly (and not common) here. I did ask santa.... no joy.

Andyroo

Tell me about cost, i used to live in Barbados, now in England, still an expensive island, but at least the cruise liners dont clear you out.