Clown loaches in Quincy, Illinois

[mvigor]

Is there anybody near Quincy, Illinois, USA, looking for more clown loaches? I'm considering letting mine go to somebody with a larger tank.

I have 5 happy and healthy clown loaches that are 3 or 4 years old now and about 6 inches long (on average). The plan was always to get (or build) a 6 or 8 foot aquarium for them by this time, but I don't see that coming in the near future. I shouldn't keep them much longer in this 75 gallon tank unless I'm going to build in automatic water changes.

Anyone nearby with a big tank interested?

[yellowsub9]

Is there anybody near Quincy, Illinois, USA, looking for more clown loaches? I'm considering letting mine go to somebody with a larger tank.

I have 5 happy and healthy clown loaches that are 3 or 4 years old now and about 6 inches long (on average). The plan was always to get (or build) a 6 or 8 foot aquarium for them by this time, but I don't see that coming in the near future. I shouldn't keep them much longer in this 75 gallon tank unless I'm going to build in automatic water changes.

Anyone nearby with a big tank interested?

Hi,

I live in Schaumburg, Il and would be interested. I have a 125g w 12 clowns at the moment. How much are you asking for?

Jim

[mvigor]

Sorry yellowsub, but 17 clown loaches can't live in a 125 unless there are MASSIVE water changes going on along with MASSIVE filtration as well.

I think my 5 are better off staying as the sole residents in this 4' 75 gallon tank right here.

[Doc]

Sorry yellowsub, but 17 clown loaches can't live in a 125 unless there are MASSIVE water changes going on along with MASSIVE filtration as well.

I think my 5 are better off staying as the sole residents in this 4' 75 gallon tank right here.

You could have at least asked what maintenance routine, filtration etc? I know you want a good home for the fish but if yellowsub performs daily maintenance or has a vastly overfiltered tank then surely a 125 gallon tank is better in the longterm than a 75 gallon tank?

Surely asking questions of potential buyers or rehomers would be beneficial to yourself and your piece of mind as well as to the people taking or wanting the fish.

[mvigor]

Very good point. I'll post a PM to YS.

I definitely know nothing about his setup other than the size in gallons. I'll apologize for jumping the gun and see if he can provide me more info.

[Glostik]

darn if only you were closer, I would add them to my gang of 35 going into a new 400 gallon tank.

[Tinman]

darn if only you were closer, I would add them to my gang of 35 going into a new 400 gallon tank.

Thats like 5"x10" for each fish on the footprint, pretty small for mature fish.......Large for young fish, Thats about 2 tons of weight also.

[Glostik]

how do you figure thats small for mature fish?

its 120 x 32 x 24

[chefkeith]

By that measure, then I'm way over stocked since I got 43 clowns in my tank system. I think differently because clown loaches like to cram together in the same space and swim tightly in large groups.

What matters most is how to maintain water quality. I'm getting excellent results using a paludarium as a method of the biological filtration because it is creating a diverse habitat for plankton life. It seems that the larger the food web is, then the better the water quality will be.

I think the food web in my tanks goes something like this- Fish waste gets broken down into Dissolved Organic Carbons, then Bacteria thrive on the DOC's, then Plankton thrive on the Bacteria, then Shrimp/Snails thrive on the Plankton. Plants also thrive on some the waste byproducts provided by the fish, bacteria, plankton, shrimp, and snails.

[Tinman]

By that measure, then I'm way over stocked since I got 43 clowns in my tank system. I think differently because clown loaches like to cram together in the same space and swim tightly in large groups.

your fish are not mature CK ..... you wil be overstocked if and when they all get there together.

My sump alone is 300 gallons, they do like to cram when young but ,let me put it this way...Would you keep a MATURE Clown in an 11 gallon ? 400 divided by 35 is 11.42 each assuming it is really 400, I prefer to think 30 gallons each per for Adult specimens. Having kept very large loaches and losing them I now realize the actual requirements for large specimens like Marge and others near that size. That many in a 400 would be a malee at times and very stressful. You will have spent 15 years getting to what you thought was suitable only to find your less than half of what you need

I highly overstock Syncrossus but they do not reach the size of mature Clowns. I am not saying its impossible, just not as prime as you think
I said before and will restate , that seems small for mature clowns, fine for sub adults as fish less than 10 -15 years old are. Old fish need space,my large slept separate, sub adults shoal more IME...

What matters most is how to maintain water quality. I'm getting excellent results using a paludarium as a method of the biological filtration because it is creating a diverse habitat for plankton life. It seems that the larger the food web is, then the better the water quality will be.

There are many other factors also, space for the fights that will ensue, imagine being on a plane for 20 -25 years,or a better would be in a toilet as each would eat say 2 shrimp daily ,generate the waste each into the 11 gallons each have, they do not eat seperatly so this is a huge collective crap , you need more space for mature fish that are over 10".

The 400 would be good for about 15 MATure fish IMHO no matter your filter situation. The bigger the filter,the bigger the crash IME when it happens, I did not say if but CK,s is the most stable I would think but can and will fluctuate .
People that have soft water naturally and can do huge water changes daily or so could keep that many . 15 Mature would be more in my calculations for a well maintained 400.

[Glostik]

While your stocking reasoning is admirable, i think its a little ridiculous.

The more the merrier , within reason. You will never have fighting going on among all the loaches at once, they will almost never all be crammed in the same area at once. Being in a toilet daily isnt a valid example, theres 10 ft of swimming space, the fish wont each stay in their own 11 gallons all their life, they will move or share the same space for many different times, and when the waters being refreshed continuosly, your 11 gallons will never become stale or dirty.

I'll have a 150+ gallon sump along with 2x Eheim 2260 Filters and possibly a large bead filter as well. I know my fish will be happy and healthy, and thats all that matters to me.

[chefkeith]

Tinman- I'll agree with most of what you said. What I got now is just a fraction of what I will have in the upcoming years.

What I don't agree with is behavior. People think that large clowns are loners because they usually get clowns 1 or 2 at a time. These odd ball clowns are the ones that are loners and that need their own space. A large group of the clowns from the same origins, that have grown up together, and that look identical probably won't have those anti-social distinctions. That's my theory anyway.

Sorry Mvigor for hyjacking your thread. I can't get away from an interesting conversation.

[Glostik]

Yes, sorry for the thread hijack, I hope you find a nice happy home for your loaches.

[Keith Wolcott]

A point that is maybe worth making is that as a fish increases in length, its surface area increases as a square and its volume increases as a cube. For example, if a fish is 2 units long and it grows to 4 units long (twice as long), its volume is 2 cubed or 8 times as much. If a fish grows from 2 units to 8 units long (4 times as long) then its volume is 4 cubed or 64 times as much. Thus, going from a 2 inch to an 8 inch fish increases the bioload by a factor if 64. From a 2 inch fish to a 12 inch fish increases the bioload by a factor of 6 cubed or 216. Think of each 12 inch fish as equivalent to 216 two inch fish. I think that this gives some support to Tinman's view that a large tank may not support as many large fish as we often think.

I learned the above lesson the hard way many years ago when I was 12 or 13 years old. I built a model airplane out of balsa wood which flew great. I then wanted a larger plane so I doubled all of the dimensions and built it. It dropped like a rock. I could not figure out why until I finally realized that the volume and thus the weight had increased by a factor of 8, but the surface area (in particular the wing area) had only increased by a factor of 4. Thus the larger plane had twice the wing load per square unit and dropped like a rock.

Mvigor- I am also sorry to hyjack this thread and hope that you find a good home for your clowns. I thought seriously about them in my 300 gallon tank, but decided that I want to keep the bioload a bit lower at least for now.

[Tinman]

Thank you for the clear illustration Keith, My point on a pin. Do not take my sleeping alone comment to an extreme either. I just meant not piled as juveniles.On the other couch is not solitary.They need a bit of space. When I pop in they are spread with a few smalls about. Ask ck125 among others if they think 35 would work in that,maybe at 12" deep so the footprint is increased. He has large clowns as do others. That was all I meant. It would be fine for 5-10 years I am sure.I did not mean to offend you Glostik, just been there twice already...15 healthy Mature specimans would be a tremendous collection. The bio load of this alone is substantial by any measure