# clown loaches and cichlids



## TNprogrammer

Do a lot of people put clown loaches in with their cichlids? If so, are there any cichlids that you should NOT put them with? Thanks.

Glenn


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## kfisher

I have Yo Yo loaches w/ my peacocks and haps and they are great!!!


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## r6racer75

I also have them in w/ my Haps and Peacocks. They do best in numbers. I have 3


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## MidNightCowBoy

A lot of people do put clown loaches in with their cichlids. One thing to remember is that clown loaches not only need to be kept in groups of at least 6, but that they get very large. They do take a long time to grow, but you need at least a 6' tank to keep them long term. There are a lot of other loaches that are more appropriate for smaller sized tanks.


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## jfly

*** got 2 clown loaches in my mbuna and 2 in my hap peacock tank.. all doing great


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## Cento

A few fishkeepers told me that Clown Loaches are the "Dalmations" of fish (almost entire species inbred and genetically flawed). I was told they were prone to all kinds of diseases and such.

That was a while ago when I myself was considering getting Loaches. Experts out there; is that a myth or has anyone else heard of that or am i on crazy pills?......... :drooling:


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## brianmccord2001

That statement is very far from the truth. Clown Loaches have never bred in captivity, at least as I post this message... therefore, clown loaches are all WC, as with the majority of Synodontis sp. Google it. Nature has a way of keeping species pristine, our aquariums dilute their quality.

Great fish to own, but like previously posted, they do require some "room to roam".

Happy fishing.


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## oldcatfish

That's right...Clown Loaches aren't bred in captivity. As far as cichlids that you can't keep them with----only the largest most aggressive ones; or the ones with huge mouths like Petinia Splendida. They'll mix well with 90 percent of the available cichlids.


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## JALOOS

I will agree that clowns like to be kept in groups but to say at least 6 is extreme. I can't imagine the space required to house 6 full grown clowns. I have 2 in a community tak and they do very well, they interact with all kinds of other loaches and other fish as well. Their "vulnerability" comes from being a scale less fish, they are very suseptable to being poisoned by medications and the like as well. All in all a very cool fish to have though. I would not howver recomend having them in a tank with Africans as the water recomendations are:

Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: to 5Â° dH
Ph: 6.0-6.5
Temp: 77-86Â° F (25-30Â° C)

Pretty low PH and water hardness for Africans, I have them in with Boliviam and Blue Rams and they do well so South American Cichlids are a good match.


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## Bweb

I keep 5 in my 125gal with Mbuna and the Africans ignore them besides the males chasing them out of their caves but no brutal attacks Its true their natural water parameters are different than Africans but they can be slowly acclimated and they will do fine in your tank as long as it is big enough they grow slowly and are very hardy fish I've heard others say their prone to illness but I've kept them for years and never lost one to illness. they are great cleaners and are always sifting through my substrate.


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## TNprogrammer

I'm in the process of setting up a new 55 gallon. It is standard size (48" long). I wanted to put two clowns in with my africans. If I bought all of my fish at about 2", would the clowns have plenty of time to live in the tank before they outgrow it?


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## oldcatfish

In a 55g, I'd choose a smaller species. Most Botia loaches do well with cichlids.


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## TNprogrammer

I looked up the different types of Botias. I like the zebras quite a bit and they only grow to about 4".


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## css virginia

I have successfully kept Clown Loaches with cichlids and have never had any problems. I learned that it is best to have them in at least one pair. They seem to get along well with the cichlids and so forth. 8)


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## jfly

just remember that clown loaches have little "face knives" to defend themselves and to be honest i think genetically that cichlids know it.. *** never even seen a cichlid attack.. i have a 7 inch crabro "bumblebee" who is a flippin terrorist and yet.. wont even go near my 1 inch loaches.. so safe to say yours will be alright


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