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Contents
Overview
The clown loach is one of the hobby's favorite loaches, thanks to its black bands on bright orange and its playful behavior: it clicks, lies on its side "playing dead" and piles into caves with its buddies. It comes from rivers on Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia.
What many stores don't mention is that the 2-inch fish on sale grows slowly but reaches 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) in aquariums and can live more than 20 years. It is also intensely social: kept alone or in a pair, it stays stressed and hidden. Buying one for a 25-gallon tank is a very common mistake. It is a fantastic fish for anyone who has, or will have, a genuinely large aquarium.
Care and tank setup
A group of at least 5 adults needs roughly a 130-gallon (500 L) tank or larger, at least 5 feet (150 cm) long. Juveniles can start smaller, but plan the final tank from day one.
- Water: warm, well oxygenated and very stable, with weekly partial water changes. A cycled tank, strong filtration and a heater are essential.
- Decor: sand or smooth fine gravel, driftwood, rocks and caves or tubes big enough for the whole group.
- Plants: it leaves most alone but may punch holes in soft leaves. Anubias and ferns work well.
- Tank mates: peaceful medium to large fish such as barbs, gouramis, rainbowfish and giant danios. It eats snails and shrimp.
It is very prone to ich and sensitive to medications: quarantine new fish and use half doses of treatments containing copper or malachite green.
Feeding
An enthusiastic omnivore. Feed a base of sinking wafers and pellets, plus frozen foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp and mysis, and some blanched vegetables such as zucchini or peas. It is famous for eating snails, which helps with small pest snails, but they should never be its only food. Feed once or twice a day, ideally around lights-out, when it is most active.
Breeding
It does not breed in home aquariums. Nearly all clown loaches in the trade are wild caught or come from Indonesian farms that spawn them with hormone injections. That is one more reason to buy healthy fish from a reputable store and give them a long life. Sexing is difficult: adult females are slightly stockier, and some keepers report subtle differences in the tail fin shape.
Compatible tank mates
Species from our database that share water parameters, size and temperament with the Clown loach. Calculated from the data in each profile.
Swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii 32 gal (120 L) · 72–81 °F (22–27 °C) 
Bristlenose pleco Ancistrus sp. 26 gal (100 L) · 72–81 °F (22–27 °C) 
Bronze cory Corydoras aeneus 21 gal (80 L) · 72–81 °F (22–27 °C) 
Discus Symphysodon aequifasciatus 79 gal (300 L) · 82–88 °F (28–31 °C) 
Angelfish Pterophyllum scalare 53 gal (200 L) · 75–84 °F (24–29 °C) 
Blue acara Andinoacara pulcher 53 gal (200 L) · 72–82 °F (22–28 °C) 
Golden wonder killifish (striped panchax) Aplocheilus lineatus 26 gal (100 L) · 72–81 °F (22–27 °C) 
Eastern rainbowfish (splendid rainbowfish) Melanotaenia splendida 53 gal (200 L) · 72–82 °F (22–28 °C) 
Blood parrot cichlid Amphilophus hybrid 53 gal (200 L) · 75–82 °F (24–28 °C) 
Blue gourami Trichopodus trichopterus 32 gal (120 L) · 72–82 °F (22–28 °C) 
Pearl gourami Trichopodus leerii 32 gal (120 L) · 75–82 °F (24–28 °C) 
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid Apistogramma cacatuoides 16 gal (60 L) · 75–82 °F (24–28 °C) Check the compatibility of your whole tank →
What not to keep it with
Popular species you shouldn’t house with the Clown loach, and why.
- Cherry barb: one may eat the other due to size
- Tiger barb: incompatible temperatures, one may eat the other due to size
- Betta fish: one may eat the other due to size
- Common goldfish: incompatible temperatures
- Panda cory: incompatible temperatures, one may eat the other due to size
- Zebra danio: incompatible temperatures, one may eat the other due to size
- Guppy: one may eat the other due to size
- Dwarf gourami: one may eat the other due to size
Recommended equipment
What you need to keep the Clown loach healthy, checked against Amazon stock.
Frequently asked questions
How many liters does a Clown loach need?
At least about 500 liters for a group of at least 5 fish. More space always helps keep the water stable.
What water temperature does the Clown loach need?
Between 25 and 30 °C, with a pH of 6 to 7.5.
What fish can live with the Clown loach?
Based on water, size and temperament, it fits with species such as Swordtail, Bristlenose pleco, Bronze cory, Discus and Angelfish. Use our compatibility calculator to check your whole tank.
Can the Clown loach be kept with shrimp?
Not recommended: because of its size or instinct, it will eat shrimp.
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