I adopted three orphaned clowns a few months ago (2"-4" SL). Currently they have a 55 gal to themselves. I'm planning to upgrade their tank when we move this summer.
I'm planning a 6 foot, 135 gallon tank. I'll add three more clowns, roughly the same size, for a total of six. I want to add some tin foil barbs to fill out the upper part of the tank- how many do you think I would have room for? I'd like this tank to be a comfortable home for them for the next 3-4 years.
Stocking advice please
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Gryphoemia
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- Location: Farmington, NM
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Martin Thoene
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That mix of fish is going to need some serious filtration in their tank to adequately control their waste output. This might give you some ideas:
http://www.loaches.com/articles/my-clown-loach-aquarium
With Tinfoils you can forget having most live plants in the aquarium as they will treat them as a help-yourself vegetable buffet.
In a tank that size I would not have any more than 6 Tinfoils with the Clowns and actually 4 might be a more realistic number IMO. Remember that adequately fed Tinfoils will grow like weeds to around 10" in a year. In actual fact, like BIG clown Loaches, at least an 8 foot tank is far better than a 6 foot.
Just like Emma Turner's tank. The big Clown is about 12":
http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/ ... CN1258.flv
Martin.
http://www.loaches.com/articles/my-clown-loach-aquarium
With Tinfoils you can forget having most live plants in the aquarium as they will treat them as a help-yourself vegetable buffet.
In a tank that size I would not have any more than 6 Tinfoils with the Clowns and actually 4 might be a more realistic number IMO. Remember that adequately fed Tinfoils will grow like weeds to around 10" in a year. In actual fact, like BIG clown Loaches, at least an 8 foot tank is far better than a 6 foot.
Just like Emma Turner's tank. The big Clown is about 12":
http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/ ... CN1258.flv
Martin.
Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
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Gryphoemia
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- Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:15 pm
- Location: Farmington, NM
Martin, thanks for the info. Your river tank is lovely, I'll probably try to build something similar in terms of water movement. Do you get much sand creep with that constant, one way flow?
Do you think 8 clowns and 3 tinfoils would work, bio load wise? (assuming 50% weekly water changes and a couple cannister filters)
Do you think 8 clowns and 3 tinfoils would work, bio load wise? (assuming 50% weekly water changes and a couple cannister filters)
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Martin Thoene
- Posts: 11186
- Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:38 am
- Location: Toronto.....Actually, I've been on LOL since September 1998
That fish mix would actually be far better for that tank. The more Clowns, the merrier.
The weird thing with my tank is that the sand has crept towards the powerheads. They're quite high-mounted and not hugely powerful for this tank. the River-Tank manifold is partially uncovered at the left front, but i think it's a combination of Clown activity and flow moving it. That's where they always hang out and get fed.
Martin.
The weird thing with my tank is that the sand has crept towards the powerheads. They're quite high-mounted and not hugely powerful for this tank. the River-Tank manifold is partially uncovered at the left front, but i think it's a combination of Clown activity and flow moving it. That's where they always hang out and get fed.
Martin.
Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.Who is online
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