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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 15, 2009 20:00:23 GMT -5
I'll be the first to admit a I was wrong, well, okay, skeptical when I got my clown loach a few months back - remeber when I was whining about snails again - out of desperation I broke down and bought one, a clown loach and he was pretty laid back at first - I continued to kill dozens a day for weeks that came to the waterline while he laid on a flat rock and lierally watched snails crawl by him, then all od a sudden it must have dawned on him they wee food! I haven't even seen a snail in over a week - he is very industrious and enjoyable to watch, burrowing down in the gravel in search of snails or eggs - he has also become best buddies w/ my isolated yellow lab that I put in there for a "time out" for his harrassment of the other labs when they were together - I'm glad I followed the advice you all gave me to go out and buy one! thanks!
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Post by bikeguy33 on Mar 15, 2009 20:55:06 GMT -5
glad hes working....loaches are a blast to watch....
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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 15, 2009 20:58:04 GMT -5
indded they are - he and the lab coud get a job as excavators! have the tank down to bare glass in spots - one excavates and the other fills it in - comical!
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Post by kagome on Mar 15, 2009 22:29:28 GMT -5
Ha! I have helped convert another to loachdom! I just love loaches, they are some of the coolest fish in the trade as far as I am concerned. I'm glad that the loach and lab are doing well together. Mine used to hang out with the blue gourami. They seem to be very good at interspecies relationships. It's great that you enjoy him, they are such great fish.
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Post by eve on Mar 16, 2009 13:30:00 GMT -5
i'm really happy to hear that john, congrats  |
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Post by goldenpuon on Mar 16, 2009 15:57:32 GMT -5
Glad the snail are under control now. It's good Mr. Clown Loach finally came around.
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Post by Suzie Q (Lori) on Mar 17, 2009 8:58:33 GMT -5
Congrats John!!!
I am starting to get a snail problem (I have MTS) I don't want to get rid of them...just get them under control. Clown Loaches get way to big for my tank...I have kulhi's but they don't eat snails (found that out AFTER I bought them). What other loaches eat snails that don't get huge? I am thinking that Weather (Dojo) Loaches do...and they only get about 6 inches.
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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 17, 2009 10:13:18 GMT -5
I'm not the expert, only bought what was available at our local petsmart - Kagome would be the one to ask IMO - good luck!
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Post by eve on Mar 17, 2009 12:30:05 GMT -5
any loach that stays small will eat them botia loaches, skunk loaches, .... here are some loach profiles to read up on Loach Profiles |
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Post by nosoop4u246 on Mar 19, 2009 19:40:18 GMT -5
Good to hear the Clown's working out for you! They definitely grow on you in a way only Cichlids and Loaches seem to do (maybe Anabantoids, too...). I am starting to get a snail problem (I have MTS) I don't want to get rid of them...just get them under control. Clown Loaches get way to big for my tank...I have kulhi's but they don't eat snails (found that out AFTER I bought them). What other loaches eat snails that don't get huge? I am thinking that Weather (Dojo) Loaches do...and they only get about 6 inches. I've seen much larger Dojos... easily upwards of 8". Also, I've not found most of the elongate bodied Loaches (Kuhlis, Dojos, other Misgurnus species) aren't terribly adept at clearing out snails, as their mouths are relatively weak (compared to the Botia-like species). A handful of Dwarf Chain Loaches ( Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki) might be the best mix of small sized and industrious. |
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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 19, 2009 19:47:27 GMT -5
thanks Soop - he is an industrious little bugger! problem is, he's in a 20 gallon and will soon grow way too large - I don't want to stunt him, or shorten his life - he will need more room within a year - I gave away my prize pleco to a guy w/ a 125 which was great for all involved except for me because I bacame very attached to that fish - thanks for the response! unfortunately, I live in a town w/ a Petsmart, and clown loaches are the only loaches available......
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Post by bikeguy33 on Mar 19, 2009 19:48:54 GMT -5
soop offered good advice. pakistani loaches stay small and do a great job of snail control
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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 19, 2009 19:52:53 GMT -5
soop offered good advice. pakistani loaches stay small and do a great job of snail control can't get them here as mentioned earlier...... |
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Post by jonv on Mar 19, 2009 20:36:28 GMT -5
I should have mentioned in my tank stock post, I found a new store too, Hannover Pets, and they have a hell of a selection of not just cichlids, but salt water fish too. I don't like the little isolation tanks they keep select Pirahna in, but hey what place is perfect, but to relate to this thread, man did I EVER see the biggest Clown Loach I've ever seen today. That bugger had to be at least a good solid 10 inches, maybe 12 and about 4 inches top to bottom. I think he had like a 50.00 price tag on him so I promptly went somewhere else LOL.
Soop I also think keeps or knows a hell of a lot abou skunk loaches too. I remember seeing him give some input way back on this one and chain loaches too. Basically if it's a loach or botia, this guy knows these fish and then some. I wouldn't be surprised if he's half loach LOL.
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Post by nosoop4u246 on Mar 19, 2009 21:25:24 GMT -5
soop offered good advice. pakistani loaches stay small and do a great job of snail control can't get them here as mentioned earlier...... I had a few Yoyos (AKA Pakistani; regardless, Botia almorhae) for quite a while (until they got pissy with my discus), and I actually got them at Petsmart. Haven't seen them there lately (may be seasonal, assuming they're wild caught), but they might be able to watch out for them on their stock list. Soop I also think keeps or knows a hell of a lot abou skunk loaches too. I remember seeing him give some input way back on this one and chain loaches too. Basically if it's a loach or botia, this guy knows these fish and then some. I wouldn't be surprised if he's half loach LOL. I've got a Skunk Loach I rescued (somebody bought it singly and couldn't explain why it killed his Neon Tetra), but I'm still getting acquainted with it... Yoyos are my specialty.  |
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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 19, 2009 22:16:12 GMT -5
I once saw 3 clown loaches together at an aquarium that were at least 16"-18" long and damn near a foot tall - big FAT lunkers!
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Post by kagome on Mar 19, 2009 22:46:33 GMT -5
Murdock, Petsmart does sometimes carry the angelicus loaches. They stay small, are really pretty, really entertaining and are awesome snail eaters. The down side is that they are very pricey, are seasonal, and are sold at a size at Petsmart where it is difficult to judge the overall health of the given specimen. I got mine from Petsmart and two out of three turned out to have problems, which really sucks since that's $60 worth of fish. For your size tank I would suggest you choose one of three species, the angelicus (aka Burmses border, polka-dot), the yoyo (aka Pakistani), or the zebra (aka Striata, Striatus, Striped). The YoYo and Zebra are more widely available and less expensive, around $10 a piece for juvies, at least in my neck of the woods. I have also found that these two tend to be more hardy. The only reason that I don't suggest the Skunk Loach is that it has been known to be somewhat more aggressive than the other loaches, even though it does not get very big. Unfortunately, I think that once again you are going to run into a problem of availability in your area and would have to order. If ordering, I would suggest two things, (1) do not have angelicus shipped, they are super delicate and (2) be super, super overly meticulous about acclimating any loach as they are scaleless fish (or nearly so depending on species) and therefore more sensitive. I'm not saying that loaches can't handle the shipping process or trying to scare you off, just that they are the kind of fish where it is really worth it to take the extra steps to be cautious.
As for the clown that you have now, I know that it seems that he's growing very rapidly right now, but once they reach 4 to 5 inches their growth slows down dramatically, even in a very large tank. Your little dude should be good for quite some time.
On a personal note, it really just drives me nuts that LFS's almost always have a tank full of clown loaches and it's so much rarer to find the other Botia species. It is so much more practical for the average aquarium hobbyist to keep some of the other species and they are just as attractive as the clowns! It's just stupid and irresponsible IMO for dealers to not make more of an effort to carry the other species.
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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 20, 2009 8:45:27 GMT -5
I realize Petsmart is a chain store - they are not aloowed to order anything that is not on their list - I have been shown the list for the fish available at our local store - occasionallt they may get a zebra loach, but clown loaches are the only other one on their list - we are not a big city so I iamgine our selection is limited because of that - thanks you all for your suggestions, it just doesn't work here
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Post by kagome on Mar 20, 2009 8:50:24 GMT -5
What about ordering for direct shipment to your house through an internet dealer?
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Post by murdock6701 on Mar 20, 2009 9:03:20 GMT -5
could do that if I wanted to pay the $45 for overnight shipping - seems ridiculous to do that for a fish that say costs $10.....and if you're not home , it gos back in the truck til later - you have to sign for it - they don't leave it on the back porch which is good becaus right now it's 12 degrees outside!
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