# my aquarium



## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

ive got a large 3ft aquarium with :

1 clown loach 
2 botia robusta
5 guppys 
1 glass cat 
1 molly 
1 sword tail 


how are the stocking levels in my tank how many more fish can i get ?


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

How many gallons/litres?


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

125 litres i think iff not abit more


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

can anyone help ?


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## SwampK (Aug 7, 2012)

i seem to remember hearing somewhere that a 125 litre aquarium has a stoking limit of 28 inches of fish. So...
1 clown loach-will reach adult size of 8-10 inches
2 botia robusta-grow to 3.5 inches each, makes 7 inches total 
5 guppys-2 inches each, making 10 inches
1 glass cat- 3 inches
1 molly-presuming it is _Poecilia sphenops_, can grow to 2.5 inches
1 sword tail-males can reach 6inches
Total:38.5 inches, if all fish are fully grown.

Feel free to correct me if i am incorrect on anything.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

SwampK said:


> Feel free to correct me if i am incorrect on *anything*.



*everything.


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## SwampK (Aug 7, 2012)

Esfa said:


> *everything.


okay, fair enough. Please, inform my misinformed self what information i have been misinformed on.


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

i think the only thing i would add more of is clown loach

They really hate to be on their own, more than any other shoaling fish ive known. They get very stressed and easily end up with Ich etc... I'd probably take him back to the shop and swap for 5-6 corydorus


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

ill get more clowns and found out the hard way had the robusta for a day and they killed a guppy so took them bak and swapped for 2 bronze corydoras and a female mollly i feel that was a fair swap now ive got a male and a female molly 

Ben


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

how many clowns would be able to live in my tank bearing in mind ive got a 2ft goldfish tank i can convert to tropical if needed if i need to move fish 

Ben


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## SkinheadOi85 (Sep 28, 2008)

Any pics ben and I may be wrong on this but is it only one male and one female you have??? Just ive always been told that when keeping both sexes its best to have ahigher ratio of females to males as males will continusly pester females and mate causing the female to become stressed as she cant escape him.

I maybe wrong on this front with mollies as it was guppies i was told this about....was around 15 years ago since i kept guppies so maybe veiws have also changed. Mynki or Frost will know if you ask them...they seem to be pretty quick with responses and knowledge i cant fault.

Pete


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Edit, Lol cba.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

rosy boa mad said:


> how many clowns would be able to live in my tank bearing in mind ive got a 2ft goldfish tank i can convert to tropical if needed if i need to move fish
> 
> Ben


They get about a foot long and need to be in groups. so thats 4-6ft of fish you'll have.

Think about it.

(yes it takes years for them to get that big)


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## geetarman (Apr 3, 2012)

best to take back the clown and get something smaller they can get huge and need lots of room as the are fast. 

You can get some nice small loaches that would be more suitable. I had polka dot & Yoyo loaches once which were really nice and no where near the size of clowns. 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## geetarman (Apr 3, 2012)

Have a look here for more info

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/clown-loach-chromobotia-macracanthus

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

ino what they need but when i was young i had a clown loach that i must of had easily six years and he was kept solo and he was never stressed or diseased he lived his life out rather happily and iv'e known a few people to keep this species solo in a community tank but i guess it may be best to get a different smaller species of bottom feeder such as corydoras or yoyo loach iff i can get hold of some 


Ben


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

would i be able to keep a pair of these : Mikrogeophagus ramirezi with my fish iff i do move on my clown loach ?


Ben


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## SwampK (Aug 7, 2012)

some people keep rams in community tanks, but i find they're a bit too agressive...


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## The Hypnotoad (Oct 24, 2011)

rosy boa mad said:


> ino what they need but when i was young i had a clown loach that i must of had easily six years and he was kept solo and he was never stressed or diseased he lived his life out rather happily and iv'e known a few people to keep this species solo in a community tank but i guess it may be best to get a different smaller species of bottom feeder such as corydoras or yoyo loach iff i can get hold of some
> 
> 
> Ben


Doesn't make it right though?

Clown loach are shoal fish that should live in groups of 4 minimum and they grow massive.

I hope you consider re-homing the clown loach


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

I am considering it or another possibility is getting more babies like mine and eventually get a larger tank most likely to swap him / her for more corydoras it'll be hard to do as I'm rather fond of clown loach but ino its the right thing to do

Ben


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

I may try and get some yoyo loach aswell as a few pairs of different corydoras species rather than keep the clown loach solitary


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## INJAF (Nov 12, 2011)

As well as the excellent link posted earlier to the loachesonline profile of clown loaches there is also this one from seriouslyfish which goes into quite some detail so that might be useful too, Chromobotia macracanthus (Clown Loach) — Seriously Fish. The loachesonline one features a pic of 'Marge' which is a quite a sobering image. Clowns are meant to be quite long lived fish, six years makes it a youngster. I'll happily admit I've never kept clowns, but rather like goldfish (which I've kept for many years) they are the victims of a lot of misunderstanding and unfortunate practice when it comes to the way so many of them are kept (general observation, nothing personal). The SF profile sums it up rather nicely in the notes section;



> This species is arguably one of the most misunderstood in the hobby since it’s wholly unsuitable for smaller aquaria despite its ubiquitous availability. Most retailers sell it without providing what should be considered essential information regarding long-term care and most specimens undoubtedly fail to reach their potential in captivity. The purchase of a group is also a considerable investment given that if properly cared for typical life span is in excess of twenty years.


Rehoming a pet is understandably a difficult decision, might be an idea to join loachesonline and post on the forum there as you might find someone who would be willing to add him to their group. Some of the other species you have are also shoaling species so it might be wise to consider increasing numbers there if possible, I can highly recommend the SF Knowledge Base for checking out requirements of different species, Knowledge Base — Seriously Fish

Going back to the question of stocking levels, there are various 'methods' of assessing how many fish any given tank can hold but there are a myriad of things to take into account when using these methods and there isn't really one single way which works for every single species. Take the inch per gallon rule for example, twelve inches of fish could be eight or so neon tetras or one large cichlid. One large cichlid e.g. a Texas cichlid or young jaguar cichlid, is going to need a rather different size tank to eight neons. At the risk of being accused of gratuitous self promotion, the 'how many fish can I fit in my tank' question comes up a lot so myself and a couple of others tried to pull together as many things as we could think of that need to be considered when looking at stocking guides, it might be helpful, Understanding Fish Stocking Guides | INJAF


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Deffo shameless self promotion! :lol2:

RBM, it's a long time since I've kept fish-only set-ups, but I've always liked the idea of a couple of colonies of different corydoras in a largish tank; they are sociable in small groups, don't get too big, and can even breed in community settings.


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

I'm considering buying a few different types of corydoras aswell as stocking up on a few more livebearers and maybe even some rams as they can live in community aquariums peacefully although slightly terratorial in the breeding season


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

I will be putting money together and possiblky setting up a larger aquarium iff I do so would a group of small clown loach live in my 3ft bearing in mind the one I currently own is only an inch or so long ?


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## INJAF (Nov 12, 2011)

Ron Magpie said:


> Deffo shameless self promotion! :lol2:


Ooh, I've excelled myself, I was only aiming for gratuitous self promotion, shameless takes it to another level, lol!

In all honesty it was the clown loach thing that drew me in, the self promotion was just a bonus  I've seen far too many big fish in not big enough tanks, it's time the hobby gave all the big fish the credit they deserve, seeing them being recommended for smaller tanks isn't good :?

@ RBM - there's a few things you need to be confident of before committing to buying more clowns IMHO; will you be able to afford, and have the space for, a tank minimum size 6'? Can you afford the water bills, electricity, additional big kit like filters? Can your house accommodate it? Is it something you will definitely be able to do or is it something you hope to be able to do? I don't mean to sound harsh or interrogative but the reality of big fish in big tanks doesn't always come cheap. Nor does it come easy, big tanks = big water changes, takes a long time.

Will they be ok in a small tank? How long is a piece of string? You need to think about what they need in order to grow as they should and be healthy. To feed them the amount they need you may find you're constantly battling poor water quality for example.

A friend of mine posted this pic of hers with the tagline 'clown loaches - they don't stay this small for long'


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

im agreeing with others here.

Please do not go out and buy more clown loach - even for a 3ft tank.

Take the one you have back and get corys instead.

3ft is simply not adequate for them.


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## SwampK (Aug 7, 2012)

Frostpaw said:


> im agreeing with others here.
> 
> Please do not go out and buy more clown loach - even for a 3ft tank.
> 
> ...


I've heard numerous questions along this sort of topic being asked, but what is the minimum tank size for clown loaches then?


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

as a shoaling fish the general agreement of recommended numbers is 6.

These fish grow HUGE. So, taking into acount numbers plus eventual full grown size... Id say something like 5-6ft tank is a must, no smaller.


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

Taken all into account I will be able to afford the tank given a month or two , yes I also do have the space etc but seens as I have just a 3ft at the minute may aswell just get rid of him then as it seems like althought I could get a tank in a short period of time seems like you'd rather not I keep him but I suppose that's fair enough ill just stick to small fish then


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

I wanted some unusual less kept fish any ideas ? Ones that can fit in my aquarium ?


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

my old tank...


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## rosy boa mad (Aug 17, 2008)

Wow that's a brilliant tank what was kept in there ?


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

rosy boa mad said:


> Wow that's a brilliant tank what's kept in there ?


i just kept mostly tetras and such... a community tank... no fancy stuff, just old school filtration and some iron now and then...

the amazons were a good 20 years old...


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## INJAF (Nov 12, 2011)

SwampK said:


> I've heard numerous questions along this sort of topic being asked, but what is the minimum tank size for clown loaches then?


Have a look at the pics in the loachesonline profile (Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) — Loaches Online), there's one with someone's hand in the tank which gives a good perspective, and 'Marge' is stated as 11.5 inches long which must make her a good 5 or 6 inches deep. Considering the size they get to, and the numbers you need to keep them in, the 6' x 2' x 2' minimum recommended by loachesonline and seriouslyfish (Chromobotia macracanthus (Clown Loach) — Seriously Fish), both sites which know their stuff to the nth degree, should really be taken as being the absolute minimum  They might spend a fair bit of the day doing not a lot but when they get going, especially at night, they shoot about the place at considerable speed. So considering their size, bioload, behaviour, shoaling requirements, natural habitat from which they are wild caught (large rivers) ... it all adds up to a very big tank  

My tanks are 6'7" x 24" (high) x 20" (deep) and sitting here looking at those and imagining at least 6 versions of my biggest goldie (he's about the same size as 'Marge' in all dimensions) swimming about I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable about keeping clowns in my tanks :?

*gets off big fish soap box* lol  I'm now going to go and cry over the woeful state of my plants compared to HABU's ...


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