# double subject: clown loaches and filtration



## nhra_20 (Mar 22, 2010)

Hey people couple of quick questions for everyone here. I was thinking about getting some clown loaches. What I have read they say it is better to have a group of five. Would it be okay to get a couple one week and a few more the next week? Also will they eat the african poop as well? I am gonna be moving my africans into my 75 gallon tank as well this weekend. I have always liked to filter way more than the minimum. But funds are a little tight right now. I wanted to get a fluval FX5 on the 75 along with my rena XP4. But do you think just the rena XP4 will be enough for the 75 with a power head on the other side of the tank, till I can get the fluval? Or should I add one of the extra emperor 400 HOB I have??


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## clgkag (Mar 22, 2008)

Clown loaches don't eat poop from other fish.


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

Extra filtration is always better.

Loaches prefer an aged tank, or something that has been setup for 6 months. Seems odd, but read that a few places. I would get a minimum of 4 to start and get however many the following purchase. Have 6 and they never separate. They do grow fairly large though, something to consider.


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## FlyHigh (Nov 15, 2009)

You should be ok with the Rena XP4 on a 75 gallon tank along with a power head. I'd say go this way and put the money toward the Fluval or even a Rena XP2 or XP3 if money is tight. The XP2 won't run you that much more then a power head. There are hundreds of "which filter is better/which type of filter is better" threads so hopefully this doesn't turn into another one but I'm a fan of the ease and silence of canisters and would keep my tank all canisters if possible. (I have an XP3 and XP2 on my 100 gal and love the setup).

The loaches will help eat uneaten food (not poop) in your substrate. Yes they do better in groups and yes you could add a few now and a few later. In some cases that may even be advisable so you're not straining your bio by adding too many ammonia producers at the same time.


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## nhra_20 (Mar 22, 2010)

okay hen maybe I should ask this question. I now have a regular pleco, an albino bushynose pleco, and maybe a spotted pictus catfish I could put in there. Should I just stick to those guys for clean up crew and not get the clown loaches?? I just thought they could add some character to the tank.


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## 702Cichlid (Feb 28, 2010)

I have heard of success with BN Plecos and Bulldog/Rubbernose Plecos but it seems as though it's a 50/50 proposition. Something about pleco eyes are apparently irresistible to african cichlids. If you really want a clean up crew you might want to look at Synodontis catfish as they like about the same pH and hardness...however, much like the loaches they will prefer to be kept in small schools of 4-6 fish.

Clown Botias will work, but they will completely outgrow that tank...they can get up to 16" long.


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## kuhliLoachFan (May 30, 2010)

Clown loaches (Chromobotia Macracanthus) should NOT be kept as a pleco-style cleanup crew fish, unless you don't mind them dying on you, in short order. These are spectacular fish in their own right and deserve to be kept in a tank that is well designed for their health, with crystal clean water and not much competition for food. Making them the "food cleanup" crew for whatever your Africans miss, is cruel and will result in their near starvation, unless you have a secondary food source (such as snails in the substrate) for them.

A good thing about them is they have suborbital spines (sharp poky bits) that will mean that they will not be harassed much by your africans. But your africans, if they do need a reminder or two, may get scratched or cut.

Clown loaches will be most healthy in a tank with a large population of malaysian trumpet snails in very fine smooth-edged gravel. They like sand too, but make sure it does not have sharp edges (pool filter sand is terrible for loaches). Clown Loaches have micro-scales (almost invisible) and because they are almost scale-less they are more sensitive to impurities in your water. They probably require even cleaner water than your african species, for long term health.

For very tough fish that could survive with Africans, as cleanup crew, I usually see synodontis catfish (african cats) but I believe that's a "biotope" hobbyist attitude rather than the syno being the best fish for the role in the glass box.
W

PS. For filtration, I think a dual-cannister approach is your best bet for long term stability on a 75g or higher aquarium. It's not because one can not handle the job. Probably the one you have is just FINE, but you will need to clean them sometimes, and that will result in some drop in your biofilter capacity. SO if you have two, you can go longer between cleaning each one, and when you clean one, you only lose half your capacity. Also, if one breaks down and stops working, or clogs up, and you don't notice for a few days, your fish don't die on you.


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