Loaches Online Forum

Hello, it is my first time posting here, although I’ve been reading both the site and the forums for a few years now.
I have six of those cute little devils known also as clown loaches in a 224litters (160x35x40cm) tank. They are about 5-10cm long right now and have a great time destroying every live plant I put into the aquarium. Unfortunately they don’t mind the algae, that seem to love my tank.
I was told, that nice, thriving plants should stop the algae by consuming all minerals. And to have those I should have a lot of light, about 0,5W/l. Currently I have 2x36W that is 0,32W/l. And here is, where I need advice. Should I add another two fluorescent lamps? How will loaches react to more intense lightening? Will they spend more time in hiding or won’t they mind at all? And will they allow the plants to grow or just treat them as both food and something to vent their excess energy on? I’ve found many different opinions, but I hope other loach lovers will have some experience in the matter.
Thanks in advance for all the answers and sorry for any mistakes I might have made, English is a foreign language to me.

Welcome Shadowsong..

As for plant`s CL`s are very good at destroying them just for fun..

If I was you I would try for: Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)

Brown Wendtii Crypt (Cryptocoryne wendtii) or the green.

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)

There all low light plant`s and the CL`s seem to leve them alone.

As for light, I believe CL`s like low light better.

Hi Shadowsong, welcome to LOL.

Katt is quite correct. You may find that the clown loaches will leave certain, more robust species alone (Java fern, Anubias sp. etc), but most plants tend to end up with holes punched in the leaves or being physically uprooted by the clowns digging behaviour. This only gets worse as they get bigger too, my 10-12" clowns can easily 'bulldoze' XL motherplants out of the substrate.

Emma

P.S. Your English is excellent.

You can try several things:

Try feeding more veggies to them. Cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, zuchini, even spinach. Blanch the veggies and just put in cubes of the fruit held down by a spoon or a butter knife (not a sharp one and not the seeded parts). See if that will distract them from munching/uprooting the plants you've got.
By the way, what plants have you tried?

I have java fern, annubias, echinodoras and cryptocorne wendtii in my clown tank. At first the larger clowns did a lot of damage, even to the java fern which had been well anchored to the bogwood. They just got under it and popped it off. They also tend to pop holes in the leafy plants.

Or:

Switch to compact fluorescent lighting and heavily plant the tank with the loaches in another tank temporarily. Some floating plants like wisteria, limnophila, hornwort, or duckweed will cut down the light that gets to the bottom and with plenty of hiding places they will be fine. Just put them in an area where there is lower water movement to get established. Wisteria, limnophila and cabomba can be rooted into the substrate and after a while, they will tolerate higher water movement just fine. I have both crypts and cabomba in my river tank and they flow in the current and are hanging on, beginning to propagate again. Under compact fluorescent lighting they grow quickly. Clowns may snap off some of the new growth and you'll find little floating bits stuck to the intake, but they do minimal damage to an established plant. Though it is messy, and requires you to remove the bits from the filter intakes or they clog.

They don't seem to like java moss or hornwort much. Sticky, I guess. And the smaller ones don't bother the annubias much, though the larger ones did bulldoze around it. . .

Plants and large clowns are a difficult proposition. Moving them out for a bit, getting some new plants, and rearranging the tank may distract them and in the process of re-exploring their new territory the plants may take a back seat. Especially if they have new and interesting foods to try.

However, there is no guarantee.

and welcome to LOL officially. Seems several long-term lurkers are coming out of the closet lately. Is good.
...and so is your English...

The Anubias sp I had, the Cl`s punched hole`s in and killed the flower`s,
to the point where I had to put them in another tank.

So I now have only Java fern in there tank..... Just because I wanted a tank with a clean look, and now I don`t have to un-clog the intake`s all the time.

Good luck.....