FishTankClown loach care: tank size, temperature and tankmates
A striped, playful loach that grows big, often 8 inches or more, and lives for decades. Clown loaches need a large tank and a group.
Quick facts
| Type | Loach |
|---|---|
| Adult size | About 8 inches |
| Smallest tank | 75 gallons |
| Temperature | 77–86°F |
| Keep | 5 or more |
| Watch for | Grows big and lives for decades. Eats snails and shrimp. |
How to keep them
Plan for 75 gallons or more and 5 or more loaches. They eat snails and shrimp.
Like every fish, they need a cycled tank, a heater set inside their range, and a weekly water change of about 25%. Test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate before you add them. New to this? Start with how to cycle a fish tank.
Tankmates
Good tankmates
Neon tetra · Cardinal tetra · Ember tetra · Rummynose tetra · Black skirt tetra · Serpae tetra · Harlequin rasbora · Cherry barb · Tiger barb · Platy · Guppy · Endler's livebearer · Molly · Swordtail · Honey gourami · Dwarf gourami · Pearl gourami · Pygmy corydoras · Kuhli loach · Otocinclus · Bristlenose pleco · Angelfish · Glowlight tetra · Black neon tetra · Lemon tetra · Congo tetra · Chili rasbora · Lambchop rasbora · Dwarf neon rainbowfish · Sparkling gourami · German blue ram · Bolivian ram · Cockatoo dwarf cichlid · Kribensis · Siamese algae eater
Possible, with care
- Zebra danio: They only share 77°F. A good heater and thermometer are a must.
- Betta (male): Clown loaches are large and busy and may stress a betta. Calm, small tankmates suit bettas better.
- Corydoras (bronze or peppered): Only a narrow shared temperature range (77–78°F). A good heater and thermometer are a must.
- African dwarf frog: African dwarf frogs are slow, nearly blind eaters. Bigger or faster fish take their food, so feed the frogs with a baster or tongs.
Avoid
- White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: clown loaches like 77–86°F, white cloud minnows 60–72°F.
- Fancy goldfish: Goldfish need cool water and grow big and messy. Keep them with other goldfish, not tropical fish.
- Common goldfish: Goldfish need cool water and grow big and messy. Keep them with other goldfish, not tropical fish.
- Cherry shrimp: Clown loaches eat shrimp.
- Amano shrimp: Clown loaches eat shrimp.
- Nerite snail: Clown loaches eat snails.
- Mystery snail: Clown loaches eat snails.
- Gold barb: No shared temperature: clown loaches like 77–86°F, gold barbs 64–75°F.
- Rosy barb: No shared temperature: clown loaches like 77–86°F, rosy barbs 64–74°F.
- Hillstream loach: No shared temperature: clown loaches like 77–86°F, hillstream loaches 68–75°F.
- Ghost shrimp: Clown loaches eat shrimp. Clown loaches eat shrimp.
- Ramshorn snail: Clown loaches eat snails.
Not sure about a mix? See the tankmate answers or the stocking ideas by tank size.
Tankmate questions: Can angelfish live with clown loaches?
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