clown loach habitat biotope

[botiaboy]

How would I go about creating a clown loach biotope? I'm using a 150 gallon tank, 4'x2'x2.5'(I got it used, it's custom design or sumthing I think)
What other fish could I have, how many clown loaches, and how do I recreate their habitat?

[chefkeith]

I don't care much for that tank for a clown loach biotope. It's too high for me and not long enough to create a good aquascape. It can be done though.

Here's my suggestions-

Lots of Clowns. For a footprint of 4ft x 2ft, then I'd go with 8-12 Clowns. Thats about 1 to 1.5 clowns per sq ft. of bottom space. I'd get them from an importer. I've had good luck with the Fishery of Lousiville. They import some very nice 4" clowns for about $20 each, plus shipping (probably about $60). If they have larger clowns, I'd stear away from them. Larger wild clowns don't do that well IME. http://www.africancichlidsforsale.com/

Lots of Filtration. I'd probably put a large sump filter under the tank along with a few canisters. If you do a large sump filter, you could get more clowns. Reduntancy is important with filtration. If one filter gets clogged or jammed, you need the other filters running to prevent disaster. Filtstar XP2's are my favorite for mechanical filters. XP3's are great for additional biofiltration. Biowheel filters are also a very good choice.

Lots of water flow. Additional powerhead will probably be needed to get faster more concentrated water flow in some areas.

Lots of shelter. I'd dedicate about half of the bottom area for shelter. Think big hollow log going from end to end of the tank. It could be a pvc pipe covered with rockwork or driftwood.

Lots of Driftwood. Clowns are from rivers and tributaries of the tropical rainforests. The tank might have a tea color for awhile with new driftwood. The best deal I got on some driftwood was from -
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fus ... 0/cid/2928
I bought 2 cases of the 2 largest sizes.
You might find some nice pieces at your LFS also.

Low light. Clowns are more lively if the lights arn't too bright.

Water Temperature 78 - 84F. I let the water temps drop to 78F during the coldest winter months.

Substrate- Sand. My sand of choice is pool filter sand. Definately something soft.

Rocks- Inert rocks. Round smooth river rocks. Pieces of Slate are great for setting up shelters.

Plants- Not many plants will do well in such a tall tank with low light. You can probably grow some near the surface on some driftwood though. or you can let try to grow some nice lush algae on the driftwood. or a combination of both. Both is not an easy thing to do though. Personally, I think algae looks great on driftwood, it will be be green in low flow areas and red in high flow areas. After a year or so it can be very beautiful and provide many water quality benefits.

Other loaches and fish-
I like Kuhli loaches, bristlenose pleco's, and boesemani rainbowfish. Female Tigerbarbs are cool too. Males barbs are too aggressive for my likings. There is a vastness of choices of non-agressive fish.

[nielsamd]

Kuhlis with big clowns... prob not a good idea. Eventually they just become big worms to the clowns. Lost some small kuhlis and a small spiny eel to a 3.5 inch clown once when he/she got the urge for `wormy' food.

[chefkeith]

I've never had small kuhli's, so thank's for the heads-up. All my kuhli's were adult sized when I got them 4+ years ago. If I ever find any fry, I'll be sure to move them to safety.