Loach Community Tank Suggestions Needed

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mydogsowner
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Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:05 pm

Loach Community Tank Suggestions Needed

Post by mydogsowner » Thu Nov 25, 2010 10:23 am

I really enjoy my 3 Clown Loaches and in light of the hitchhiker I rediscovered recently, I am thinking of adding a few more loaches to the tank.

It's a 55 G with heaters, two filters, and a sponge filter as well. It also has some driftwood and a few plants. There are also a few decorations that serve as hiding places for the loaches.

Inhabitants are 3 HUGE goldfish, 3 Clowns, and 1 Modesta.

I really like the Yo Yo Loaches, and the other interestingly patterned type loaches.

All suggestions welcomed. I'm sorry if this topic has already been discussed. A link to that previous post would be helpful.

A Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating.

Lisa

Diana
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Location: Near San Franciso

Post by Diana » Thu Nov 25, 2010 1:08 pm

Your tank is already overstoked (or will be when those fish get to even half their adult length). I would suggest you do the following:
Move the Clown Loaches to a tank of at least 100 gallons, and this would be not a tall tank, but one with lots of floor space. A long or breeder style. Optimum temperature and water conditions for Clown Loaches include soft neutral to somewhat acidic water, in the uppermost 70s to low 80s F.
3 Golds barely fit in a 55. Optimum conditions for Golds include somewhat alkaline water, and temperatures in the low 70s, or upper 60s. Mid 70s if they are fancy (fat bodied) Goldfish.

Then you can add some more Loaches to the 100+ gallon tank. Loaches do best in larger groups of the one species, so more Clowns or modestas would be better than introducing a 3rd species. Then I would think about some upper level fish that thrive in that warm, soft water. Congo Tetras, for example.

The 55 will be pretty full with just the Golds, but Dojo Loaches are OK as tank mates. Cool water is just right for them.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

mydogsowner
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:05 pm

Post by mydogsowner » Thu Nov 25, 2010 1:48 pm

Thanks Diana~

I have heaters in the tank already, and the pH is around 7.

I have had the Goldfish in there for about 13 years now. I also had Dojo's before, two of them. They lived to be 10-12 years old. I don't know if that is a good life span for them or not.

I was concerned about the stocking numbers myself. I added the Clowns only after another 55 G tank sprung a leak. The Modesta came in a piece of driftwood from the other tank as well.

All fish look happy and well after a month of this arrangement.

Do you think I could add 2 more Modestas for company for the loner?

I have been keeping healthy fish for a while now, and practice good husbandry.

Diana
Posts: 4675
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:35 am
Location: Near San Franciso

Post by Diana » Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:05 pm

It is wonderful that you have been able to keep several species alive for over 10 years!

I foresee problems with the current stocking.
Golds seem to produce more ammonia than other fish of similar size, so under stocking them is better. 25 gallons minimum per fish. The often cited idea of "20 gallons for the first and 10 gallons each after that" is nowhere near enough for full sized Goldfish.

Loaches in general are a bit more sensitive to poor conditions, so should be understocked because of that.

An over crowded tank is simply a disaster waiting to happen. If there is any problem at all (power out, or anything) the tank will crash (conditions become toxic very fast) and you are likely to lose fish.

More fish mean more carbon dioxide in the water, and less oxygen, and more wastes of all sorts, most obvious as nitrate. If there are too many fish, and not enough locations for nitrifying bacteria then ammonia and nitrite will start showing up.
Fish produce waste and need oxygen based on their mass, easiest to think about as length x width x height. A fish that is twice as long as another similar shaped fish will have twice the width and twice the height as well, and therefor need 2 x 2 x 2 times the volume of water to supply oxygen and to dilute CO2 and other wastes.

Another issue with adding more fish is the social aspect. Even highly social fish need more room, and Loaches are certainly social, but can also get quite pushy or even aggressive with each other. They need their space.

In a 55 gallon tank I would put a maximum of about 6-8 fish at 4" long, if they are of average activity levels and reasonably peaceful.
I would not put any fish that grow to a foot long in such a small tank. Maybe 6" max, if it is a sedentary fish.

Goldfish can reach a foot long or there are the shorter and fatter fancies, but either way they need a lot of water to dilute their waste between water changes. They can get pretty active, so room to move around is important. Especially the Comet or wild shaped fish. A tank that is only 4 times their length is not enough running room. They are usually peaceful with each other, so volume for social reasons is not quite so important.

Clown Loaches can also reach a foot long, and are quite bottom oriented, appreciating caves, driftwood and similar features. To have enough caves etc. for half a dozen foot long Loaches requires a large tank. It is the simple physical fact that they need the space of a much larger tank. They can get mad at each other, and there will be times when each Loach may want to retire to his own cave. They can be even more active than Golds, and seem to coordinate their activity so all (or most) of the Loaches are playing around at the same time.

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/ya ... ia-modesta
Read the lower half of this page, "Notes"

No, I do not see it as a good idea to keep Y. modesta in a 55 gallon tank at all, and certainly not if the tank is already overstocked with other bottom fish. There simply is not enough room in that tank.

It is a good idea to attempt to get more of the same species, but upgrade the tank, too.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

newshound
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Location: northern ontario

Post by newshound » Fri Nov 26, 2010 2:17 pm

"An over crowded tank is simply a disaster waiting to happen.'
this needs to be said over and over again!!!
drain your pool!

mydogsowner
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:05 pm

Hmmmm

Post by mydogsowner » Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:28 pm

Hmmm

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Graeme McKellar
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Location: Crystal Creek. Australia

Post by Graeme McKellar » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:30 pm

Hi Lisa, Maybe you need someone else to say your 55G is overstocked and a disaster waiting to happen and Clowns should be kept in tanks larger than 100G and Goldfish do not like tropical temperatures - but would you listen -Hmmmmm-
"I want to speak with many things and I will not leave this planet without knowing what I came to find, without solving this affair, and people are not enough. I have to go much farther and I have to go much closer." - Pablo Neruda.

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redshark1
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Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, Great Britain.

Re: Loach Community Tank Suggestions Needed

Post by redshark1 » Tue Dec 28, 2010 3:38 pm

Mine's a 6ft x 18 x 18 of 80 -90 gallon and I accept that even this is too small to be an ideal home for my six Clowns.
6 x Clown Loaches all 30 years of age on 01.01.2024, largest 11.5", 2 large females, 4 smaller males, aquarium 6' x 18" x 18" 400 ltr/90 uk gal/110 US gal. approx.

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