henward Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 how do i feed them in a comm tank? want to mke them huge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 the same way you would feed them in any other tank :lol: :lol: put food in at both ends of the tank. bloodworms are great for making them huge mine love them my biggest are around 16cm + long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted October 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 i see ok, they do love blood worms and discus tucker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted October 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 anything else? they seem slow growers or isthat cos i dont feed them enough?> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 They'll only grow as big as they can in the tank. How big is the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted October 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 200 litres its a community tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 Clown loaches are slow growers, but they can live a LONG time. In ideal conditions they might sprint to 7cm in the first year, after that it's 2 or 3 cm a year, Max. So those monster ones are 10years + old. Big tank, good water conditions, lots of sinking food and they will grow. Make sure you have a decent group, one or two on their own will be shy and maybe not feed as well as they should. A big group is more active and will come out and mob the food more. 200l tank, you dont want them growing too fast, they are going to get too big eventually. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 200L is a bit on the small side for clowns, are you growing them up to go in your big tank? In a 4' tank (which should be minimum size tank, even for small clowns, if you want them to grow and not get stunted) they should grow quickly (well not pacu or arowana quickly, but not as slow as people make out) to around 12-15cm and then slow down a bit. A good varied diet will help (mine love shrimp and zucchini) as will a strong current. How many have you got? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted October 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 i got 8, yes i wanna grow them up move them, i wana give my asian aro tank mates they love shrimp, i crush up shrimp and they eat it up i have seen pictures of 11 inch ones! i want 11 inch clown loaches! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 i have seen pictures of 11 inch ones! i want 11 inch clown loaches! lol Me too! My largerst is probably a solid 7", seems to have had a growth spurt recently. All mine eat Hikari cichlid gold pellets off the surface too. When they're hungry they'll swim around in a frenzy clicking at the surface scoffing down pellets, sometimes the cichids have a hard time getting them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 These ones belong to a member in Dunedin. I believe the biggest are at least 18 years old. The big one in this pic is 25cm This is the tank they are in - 7ft I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 Hi, With your Clown Loaches be carful you dont stunt them in the 200lt tank. How large will the tank be that they are going to be moved into. I would recommend 100+ gallons. mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave+Amy Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 WOW that tank is awesome..bet that tank won't have snail problems lol. Wish my chain loaches would hurry up and grow so they can eat the bigger snails before they breed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helen2289 Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 how come clown loachs lose their bright colour when they get bigger? we have two that are about 8-10cms (we got them that big) and they are not as bright as the little ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 A lot of fish lose colour as they age. Clown loaches are only brightly coloured for the first few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 They don't really 'lose their colour' as such, but the bars begin to separate and get lighter in the middle, as you can see here; They also will "grey out" during fights over their pecking order or to show dominance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave+Amy Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 does this apply for all loaches?? will my chain loaches dull out too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarFish Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 Hey now I'm sure this has been discussed before but are you aware that in a group of clown loaches the 'alpha' of the pack actually secretes a hormone which can stunt the other clowns growth? I read that a while back and find it totally fascinating. Apparently other fish do it too, like discus... Weird huh... Star^<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 Hey now I'm sure this has been discussed before but are you aware that in a group of clown loaches the 'alpha' of the pack actually secretes a hormone which can stunt the other clowns growth? I've heard that about discus and polypterus, but never clowns. Where did you read it? Just another reason why big water changes are important even if your parameters are good, there's a heap of other things we don't test for that could build up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarFish Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 Just google it and im sure you will find something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave+Amy Posted October 9, 2008 Report Share Posted October 9, 2008 wow - CLEVER fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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