peanut2110 Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Hi everyone, I just went to my new LFS which opened today and unfortunately they dumped a whole lot of tropical fish into tanks they only just set up yesterday with no borrowed filter media. :-? Upshot is I fished out 3 dead tetras and 3 dead clown loaches for them and then couldn't turn my back on the 5 clown loaches that were left, all of which were so pathetic when I caught them, they all but climbed into the net themselves! They are about 3.5cms long so I don't know how old that would make them? I have never owned clown loaches before (but always planned too!) and would appreciate any advice you can give me about what they like to eat and what sort of living conditions they like. I have 2 x 160 litre tanks with 3 peacock cichlids in one and the bully baenschi in the other so I have plenty of room for 5 baby clown loaches. Actually make that 4, looking at the bag here, I think one of them has already died... I am still floating them and adding a little of my water every 20 mins or so. The ph of my water in both tanks is 7.6 and I have aragonite sand as a substrate with rocks and some driftwood for hiding in. Any helpful advice you can give me to help these poor fish survive would be really appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 where is the new LFS ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je_suis_ketan Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Don't Clown's prefer a lover pH? Does your second tank have Chliclids? How are they doing now? Have you released them? They may get white spot when first going into your tank, I have read that turning up the temperature helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 They will get whitespot esp. after that treatment. Bump the temp up to 28-30 degrees, and put a bubbler in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanut2110 Posted December 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Thanks for your advice. The new LFS is at Waipapa - 5 mins outside Kerikeri. They admitted they didn't know much about tropical fish but wanted to get them in for people who might want to buy them for christmas (assuming they have any left for people to buy this time next week that is!) I have just tested the water in the bag and it is the same ph as the water in the tank now so I will go release them once I am done typing this. The 5th one I thought was dead, is not quite - yet. He is very pale and spending his time on his side or upside down so I don't hold out much hope. Should I release him and cross my fingers or keep him in the bag until he either comes right or dies? With regards to the ph, I have read before that they are quite happy in a ph of 7.6 although it is starting to get to the upper end of their tolerance. Hopefully it won't prove the proverbial "nail in the coffin" for them although I know if I had left them where they were they would have not survived another day... I will go and turn the temp up now and will also put a bubbler in. If they do get white spot, what should I do to treat it? And will it hurt the adult male Aulonocara Baenschi - the only cichlid in that tank? Look forward to your replies and thank again for your helpful suggestions so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanut2110 Posted December 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Just to update you all - the 5th clown loach died... The 4 that are left seem quite happy in the tank and are all hanging out together under a piece of driftwood. When I did a water change last week, I added tonic salt to the aquarium and I also added more filter media to the Fluval cannister filter together with some new activated carbon. Is there anything else I can do to reduce the chance of whitespot occurring or is the bubbler and the higher temp really it? Also, I still don't know what these guys like to eat (obviosuly nothing til tomorrow...) I have all sorts of food for the cichlids from spirulina to brine shrimp flake, floating cichlid sticks and pellets to plankton. Will keep you psted on their progress... Fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 I kept aficans and clown loaches together and they did well They do get white spot if stressed and I would say yours have definitely been stressed, I used to treat mine with a very mild addition of salt when they got it but have to be very careful with loaches and salt as they have no scales and it can kill them, some seem to have success with the high temps and aeration so guess that cant hurt just watch them. Regarding food mine just cleaned up what if any scraps there were after the africans ate, I used to chuck in crushed up shrimp pellets and I guess they got some of them and whatever else hit the ground.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanut2110 Posted December 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Great, thanks Ryan. Have been reading up on the increased temp/salt dosing for treatment and the latter seems to be recommended at 2-3 tbsp per 5 gallons. Can you remember what you dosed at as I don't want to kill them! I also don't know if they have the dreaded ich yet so I guess I should wait to make sure until I add any more salt (put 3 tbsp in last weekend when I did a water change). Good to hear you have kept loaches with cichlids before - there seems to be much debate about whether one could or should keep the two together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Haha! I am a soft touch and If you want to offload I will give you what you paid plus 50% of transport costs and try to give them a good home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Regarding white spot, the salt should help take care of it, just keep them well fed, make sure that they are eating, there is some stuff called blue circle white spot cure that i've had good luck with (admittedly I don't know if it was the temp or the stuff that worked), but you could give it a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuba Sam Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Haha! I am a soft touch and If you want to offload I will give you what you paid plus 50% of transport costs and try to give them a good home. I think its great that someone else is offering a new home too - but from what I understand the shift will add to the stress and likely be fatal. As far as food goes, my clown loaches eat anything off the bottom, but will come to the top for food as well - in my case they are surfacting to grab cichlid sticks and take them back down to the bottom to feed. (JBL brand but I'm sure any would work). Good luck with your rescue mission. Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanut2110 Posted December 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Thanks everyone! I am slowly raising the temp on the tank - currently at 26.8 degrees - want to do it slowly for the sake of my Baenschi... The four of them look well this morning - 3 of them hang out together in a group and the other 1 is always off on his own somewhere! Haven't seen them eat yet but I'm sure they are... Will leave it a day or two before I do the next water change so as not to stress them anymore. Many thanks for the offer to re-house Jim but I am quite fond of this little troop already and if they hang in there and survive, then I think I will hold on to them for the long haul. Once we are into our new house next year, they can all go into my new 400ltr tank together with my other peacock cichlids. Cheers again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 they love snails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doch Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 i found with my clowns that they are first to notice water changes especialy ph down as they have no scales and they hate acid water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastables Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 Unfortunatly, (or maybe fortune smiles upon you if you really do love the clowns), you're going to need to buy more of the little fellows. They're a social fish and need 5+ so they don't pine away or get too agressive and kill the odd one out. Pretty much the ultimate source of information for loaches http://www.loaches.com/species-index/clown-loach-chromobotia-macracanthus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastables Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 i found with my clowns that they are first to notice water changes especialy ph down as they have no scales and they hate acid water I think they might be the first to notice water condition changes. But the natural waters in most of asia and therefore the Botia natural waters in Indonesia, India, Thailand ect is going to be low PH and acidic. They should actully prefer it very few loaches are commericaly bred and were born in such conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je_suis_ketan Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 I found that buying frozen shrimp from pak'n'save was a good meal for my loaches. They love it. Also I have read that if you want to beef them up a bit feed them meaty foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted December 17, 2007 Report Share Posted December 17, 2007 they like blood worms, and in regards to whitespot, use half of the advised dosage for any treatments. cold water changes can also set off whitespot. i used to have 6 and i found out that thier is always a dominent one in a group and one thats a loner (usually the smallest one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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