Hi everyone, advice please.

[Lambi]

Hello everyone, just writing this for the second time as my iPad just decided to delete everything I had written...grrr

About 6 months ago me and my partner purchased a tank from her grandfather, quite a snip I thought at 50 pounds. For this price we got:

* one fluval 305 filter
* 2 heaters
* an abundance of fake plants, ornaments and a cave.
* one glass tank measuring 4 feet in length, 1 foot in depth, and 1.5 feet in height.

We have had the tank running now for about 5 months, with about 10 dannios, 3 pictus catfish and 3 clown loachs. The thing is we have fallen in love with them cute little loacheys and now we want some more. But I'm determined to do it all properly, so I'm hoping for some advice from some of you helpful people out there all I was finding online is contradictory advice and 'facts', until I stumbled onto this forum and it seemed like a nice friendly place!

Could someone advice me on what equipment I will need to purchase, iv heard rumours of power heads and more filters and such? Hopefully you can tell I'm very committed to designing the habitat just right for the little beauties. We have to move the tank this coming Saturday so I was thinking it's the ideal time to install new equipment and change the substrate. We were hoping to use a fine white sand, does that sound ok?

I'm sorry if this has all come out in a jumbled mess but hopefully you can read my ramblings and make sense of it all.

Many thanks

Joe

[papaloach]

Hi there,
Like the sound of that tank because i`ve got one exactly the same size! lol. That filter your using should be fine, i`m running a fluval 204 and that seems to be perfect, aslong as you have carbon, bio-balls, amonia remover and maybe synthetic wool. I have the intake of the filter one side and the outake the other side, what i`ve done is put the heater which is at 28-29oC underneath the intake both at a diagonal position, that way the warmth gets spread out around the tank. Clowns love to be in groups because there really playfull and active, i now have eight clowns along with some red tail botias, YoYos and Zebras.
Sand makes the tank look more natural and helps the loachs not to damage there mouths (barbals) which gravel can.
Power heads can also be a option as clowns in there natural habitat live in currents.
Hope things go well for you!

[Diana]

There is a description of the optimum Clown Loach tank here at Loaches, but it won't load for me right now.
Soft water, plenty of caves, arching driftwood and similar decor works well, and plenty of space for them to get away from each other if they need to. Sometimes they will separate, or one or more will want to get away from the others for a while. Mostly they are gregarious and playful, racing about the tank.

Your tank is too small. It is about 45 gallons, which is a good size tank until the Clown Loaches reach about 4", but they really need more room socially and they can have a high activity level, too much for that tank as they get bigger.

4' x 1' x 1.5' = 45 American gallons, or 36 Imperial gallons. I have 4 tanks that are plus or minus a bit just about that size. I have found that most fish to about 4" long work well in them, but over that size the tank is just not big enough.

I am keeping my Clown Loaches in a 125 American gallons, 6' long tank. Many of the people here with larger Loaches keep them in a tank of at least 100 gallons.

The Fluval 305 is not too bad a filter, and adding a power head is optional, but the Clowns would have fun in it.
When you upgrade the tank you will need more water movement. You might want to keep that filter and simply add a second filter, or get a bigger filter.

No need to keep ammonia removing media in a filter. It is just playing havoc with the ammonia removing bacteria.

[Lambi]

Thank you both for your replys.

I'm glad I'm not the only one having trouble loading the main site, I tried to follow a few links to it from other threads but it's just not loading. Hopefully itl get sorted so I can have a proper read through.

I see what your saying about tank size, from what you say though it seems that mine is big enough to get started? I have plenty of space so an upgrade some time in the new year is no issue

I think then that I will invest in a powerhead this weekend if it will be beneficial for the fish, at the end of the day I want them toe as happy as possible so that they are more entertaining. Glad my filter is ok, but I wonder if the method of replacing the water is correct? Currently I have a long bar that is above the water level, spraying out onto the surface. Should this be placed under the water level or replaced with a different type?

Will they be ok with the fake plants? Orwould I be better off with real ones? If so which type? Il certainy purchase some sand then for the substrate. Iv also read that they would appreciate shady spaces, what's the best method for achieving this?
Many thanks.

[Diana]

I keep live plants in all my tanks. Plants remove many toxins that could build up in an aquarium, and keep the conditions more stable.

Clown Loaches have been implicated in attacking some plants, and poking holes in the leaves. Mine do not do this, but I have only Java Fern in the tank. When I kept the Loaches in a smaller tank (When they were smaller) they did not harm the plants there, either. I do not remember what plants were in that tank.

The tank you have is a great way to get started with Clown Loaches. It will probably be OK for about a year, perhaps longer.

Sand is optional. I had one Clown Loach in a tank with gravel and he wanted to dig. He picked out one piece of rock at a time, dropped it a couple of inches away and went back for more. The hole kept collapsing when it was about 1-1/2" deep.

Spray bar from the filter can be above the water like you have it, if you like it that way, but I keep mine just barely under the water for several reasons:
Above water creates too much water movement at the surface and drives off the CO2 that the plants need.
Above water is too noisy. When the spray bar is under the water, and I can here it I know the water level has dropped and I need to top off the tank.
Above water splashes too much, leaving mineral deposits on the glass cover, so they need cleaning more often.

[NancyD]

I keep low light plants with my clowns too, java fern & anubias seem safe & floating Indian fern. My crypts used to be ok too but I think I haven't been giving enough veggies lately, they & the swords are almost gone now, little SOBs...not that I really mind I think a 4 ft tank is ok until the loaches hit 5-6 inches if all parameters are good & stocking isn't too much, think swimming space & future upsizing. I tend to overload bottom feeders...most here do...but it's total bioload & ability to keep the water & substrate clean that makes a big difference. Good luck!

[starsplitter7]

I would add about the sand that you should make sure it isn't too fine. In the US I buy pool filter sand. It isn't fancy, but it is smooth, heavy and cheap. It settled in the tank well after I rinsed it in buckets. Fine sand sometimes floats. Make sure your sand isn't sharp, since the clowns root around in it.

[Lambi]

Hey thanks for everyones help, really really useful!
We set up the tank last night, took many hours to drain and install the manifold but the results are fantastic! We put all the original water back in and the fish have never looked happier! They are all loving the jet produced by the powerhead, and the water looks so clean

I ended up purchasing some fairly fine aquarium sand, and an aqua clear 70 powerhead. Also removed all of the fake plants, and added a metre long piece of bogwood. It's looking really good and the loaches are loving swimming in and out of all the nooks and crannies!

Off to the shop today to get some more loaches, water all tested and healthy so off I go

Thanks again everyone.
Joe