Kubotais/dwarf chains in a 50 gallon

[Eika]

Hi all

Haven't posted in here for quite a while! I was recently lucky enough to buy a Juwel Vision 180 and stand for $280(NZ) which has now been cycled, planted, and stocked using fish from my old tropical tank. There 3 young kubotai loaches (started with 2 which are now about 8cm, added another which is about 6cm) and they are undoubtedly my faves. They're not shy in the slightest, will happily eat from my fingers and are constantly out on show across all levels of the tank. I know they'd prefer a larger group but worry that my tank isn't big enough for many if they're gong to reach ~13cm each - I don't plan on upgrading for at least a couple of years because I'll be a student; therefore will have no money...

I've heard/read a few times that people who keep dwarf chain loaches with kubotais often see them happily playing/interacting with each other for most of the day, and wonder if it's a better option to get 3 dwarf loaches than get another 3 kubotais and risk overstocking. What do you think?

At the moment it is quite heavily stocked already with the following:

10 neon tetras
1 young BN pleco (about 4cm long)
6 harlequin rasboras
2 golden rams
1 electric blue ram
6 otocinclus catfish
3 kubotai loaches

2 platies (soon to go)
6 baby cherry barbs (soon to go).

So what do you all think? Stretch it to 6 kubotais or supplement their need for loachy friends with dwarf chains? Like I said at the moment they seem perfectly happy and confident in a trio, but surely if I do ever get dwarf loaches it would make sense to get them while the kubs are young, so they get used to each other and to avoid bullying once the kubs are full grown. Speaking of which, does anybody have experience with just how fast they grow? I've had the first 2 for over a year now and they're still only 8cm (well fed, never kept in too small a tank since I got them).

Thanks in advance
Eika

[DainBramage1991]

My experience with kubs has been that they grow at varying rates, depending on the individual fish. They're not super fast growers, but not super slow either.

If it were my tank I would go with more kubotais rather than mixing species and hoping that they will get along (though they probably would).

[Eika]

Thanks DainBramage (love the name by the way )

I've heard a few people mentioning the difference in growth rates, is it a male/female thing? You've persuaded me, I'll get some more kubotais and leave the chains for another day. They seem to have plenty of space for now but I think 3ft would be pushing it once they're full grown....any excuse for a bigger tank I suppose

[DainBramage1991]

Any excuse for a bigger tank is a good thing.

I don't know what causes the variation in growth rates and adult sizes but I have heard that females tend to be larger. However, there's really no reliable way to tell male from female with most loaches (as far as I know).

Thanks for the compliment on the name. What's the point of being epileptic if you can't laugh about it?