Remarks: Clown loaches have been a long-time popular staple of the aquarium hobby. It is not hard to see why with their striking orange and black bodies and their endearing personalities. Once settled into a tank, some of these behaviors might include "shadowing" other fish, sleeping in odd (and sometimes worrisome) positions, and feeding voraciously. Clown loaches are typically amicable with tankmates as long as they can't fit in their mouths and do not harass the loaches. Many mistakenly believe that their size alone makes it where clown loaches can be housed with large, aggressive species such as jack dempseys and african cichlids, but this is not the case. While they do have a sharp barbel on either side of their heads, they do not help defend against fin nippers that may harass these scale-less loaches. In the case of being housed with African cichlids, another reason this is a poor decision is that clown loaches prefer soft, acidic water unlike peacocks, mbunas, and haps who prefer hard, acidic water. Unfortunately, many fishkeepers get clown loaches without realizing how large they get (12" in captivity, 15" in the wild) and how social they are. If not kept in groups of at least 5 or more, they will become stressed and skittish. The more clown loaches you have, the more brave they will be. While a 55 gallon is suitable for growing them out as they are slow growers, once they begin to approach 6", usually around the 2-3 year mark, they will need a minimum of 175 gallons to thrive.
