different species schooling?

[poeticpyro]

i have 6 loaches (see the types below) and i'm thinking about adding a polka dotted one if i can ever find one... would they school together? my clowns don't want to school as much, but the zebras and yo-yos are always together... i guess what i'm getting at is... will all of these loaches be compatible? and yes i'm getting a larger tank in a couple of years... the clowns are barely 2" the zebras are 1.5" and the yo-yos are 2" and 3"

[mikev]

i'm thinking about adding a polka dotted one if i can ever find one

Possibly it is not a very good idea. Firstly, you already have quite a lot for a 30g; secondly, if you really must add another loach, it should be of the same species as you already have---will make them feel better.

Any kind of shoaling species or a species that has some kind of social life should be kept in larger numbers than two.

Further, shoaling is not always a healthy thing. It is a defensive mechanism in an uncertain or dangerous environment; so often it indicates stress. One way to induce shoaling is to add a large Oscar to the tank....

Shoaling with other species is possible, clowns may shoal with Tiger Barbs, and in my case they shoaled with Odessa Barbs (who don't look anything like Clowns). They may sleep/hide together with other species too (Clowns/Khulis, and even Clowns/PolkaDots).

And I'd never put polkadots together with gouramis again (bad experience in more than one way and not to be repeated---I'm not planning on having gouramis ever again.).


Out of curiousity: how do you know the sex of your 2" clowns? I was under impression it is impossible to know, the slight fin differences would only indicate slight changes in probability.

[poeticpyro]

loaches from what i hear grow slowly... and i currently don't have the money or place for a bigger tank. i am going to upgrade when i move out in a couple years, sooner than that hopefully. i want to get a 50gal or even a 60gal. everything in the tank is small... the gouramis are sparkling/pygmy ones so they only get to be an inch and a half long.. the rams are 2" full grown and the loaches are also pretty small. the female bettas are normal and small as well, they stay in this tank when i need them in there since usually i don't keep them in a heated tank (during the summer). i also was reading that loaches CAN and love to be together, clowns kind of iffy, but i'm thinking about getting rid of mine they're pissing me off. they only come out early AM or late PM and it's annoying. the other loaches (zebras and yo-yos) are out 24/7 and they will sleep together and click together so i don't see a problem there... so honestly... i'm NOT overcrowded, yes when the loaches get big i will be, but by that time they'll be elsewhere.... the ammonia is always at 0 so... it's a planted tank which also helps...
i know the clowns are the sex they are because i had to take one to the vet she got a pellet caught in her mouth and couldn't get it out.

[mikev]

It is not just about overcrowding, it is also about keeping the fish happy -- much better to have fewer kinds in the right numbers.

If a fish feels lonely, it would not behave normally; and then what is the point of looking at it, since you would be seeing an abnormal behavior?

My clowns come out to greet me every time I approach the tank (yeah, I know it is not about me); same will happen with yours if they feel comfortable, and this would happen faster if you had 4. Clowns are actually quite intelligent and therefore careful, and they need time to adjust. After I moved them to a bigger tank, they at first were hiding all the time; then they stayed out in the morning, then every day they stayed out a bit later,...and now they stay out most of the time, unless they are actually resting.

And your vet is really good.

[poeticpyro]

the clowns were out this morning wizzing around the tank happily, they were clicking and eating their food... i want to try some veggies in there, maybe that will make them happier. when they get bigger they WILL go into a bigger tank, and they probably will get more buddies. I think they're happy, one danced for me today... the girl's really afraid of quick movements, probably traumatized at the lfs. who knows, they're getting better and staying out more... but seeing that they're the shy ones of the tank, naturally, i think they're doing well... they hide in the castle and occasionally they'll poke their heads out to look at me. i think some of the problem is related to nemo (the fish i'd love to see die)... he's just a mean fish and i don't want to get ride of him unless i have to...


should i simply take the clowns back or take back another fish and get another clown? i love loaches, but if i'm hurting them... the people at the store i bought them from said they'd be fine as long as they were around other loaches and that it might just take them some time to come out...

[mikev]

should i simply take the clowns back or take back another fish and get another clown?

I don't think anyone can answer this, only you.

Who is Nemo?

If you choose for loaches, here are some candidates for another tank:
Ram --- I don't know what you got, but some of them need Ph>7.0, while Loaches are better off with 6.4-6.6.
Shark --- May get mean and hopefully it is the 6" SE Asian version, not the 2 foot South American fish.
Gouramis --- there are two problems here. Firstly, Polka-dots may attack them (I did not suggest you should get Polka-dots); secondly, Gouramis often get bacterial infections, and it may spread to loaches.
(Been there, seen that).

Run a google search on "gourami notorious infection" for fun.


IMHO, if you are into a making a loach tank, then make it a loach tank. Obviously, you want some topfeeders too, so choose something compatible, and best one species only.

My own three choices (in different tanks) are
Bengal Danios
Odessa Barbs
Red-tail Rasboras
All three are quite different species, but all are not aggressive and not overly prone to strange diseases. There are many other choices, but IMHO what one wants is a simple shoaling fish.

HTH

Veggies will not make them happier, but frozen bloodworms will.

[poeticpyro]

okay the shark is a rainbow and it's a BABY only about 2" long... the rams are bolivian and they can tolerate a PH under 7... i keep my ph at usually 6.8-7.0 the loaches are cool with it. i feed bloodworms daily, i have dwarf puffers in a 5 gal so they get the first 1/2 of the cube and the loaches get the remainder. the gourami i have have never gotten ill and i've had them for eons it seems. two are sparkling gourami (one's nemo) and the other is a georgous pearl. they don't bug the loaches at all and the peal gourami sometimes will actually dig out their food and place it infront of a loach, swimming away after he's retrieved it! the shark sometimes will sleep in the loaches' main sleeping area, but they don't mind too much as long as he doesn't sleep in the back. the clowns came out randomly and danced like for me so i gave them some broccoli, they enjoyed it. and i think i have two rams, but i'm not sure. i'm trying to get rid of nemo, but i don't want to give him to a lfs because they said they'd only give me $1.25 for him and i was thinking about trading him for another clown. i'm trying to get a bigger tank for my birthday which is in august and turn it into a loach tank with something... i don't know what i want to put with them... i need to research more. i like colorful very active fish.. and yeah i'd make sure they're top feeders. than in the 30 gallon it would be a cichlid tank... probably full of rams and the shark! maybe a couple of geophagus since they're related to the ram... i don't know. i'm sorry if i've seemed rude, but... i think they're okay... just getting used to things. the clowns are out all morning and maybe if i add another it'll draw them out... would they be okay until like august in my tank? i don't want to hurt them, but if they're all like 2" and it's a planted tank complete with an under-gravel tube system, they should be ok... i dunno just tell me what you think is best... i am going to get another loach and if not a clown probably another zebra or yo-yo depending on which i can find first they're both amazing species...

[mikev]

I'd say don't worry about clowns being out only the morning. It will *slowly* become longer and longer. Most certainly, your clowns are fine until August, they don't grow this fast.

I'd only suggest not to add any more species for now. There is really nothing that special about Polka-Dots, you can think about them as a smaller and less active Yoyo's. Add to the groups you have already instead.

My 2C.