? growth on clowns in big tanks.

[LORENZO]

okay how many years to get a 10 " clown loach? Then what happens you won't be able to just give them away. My if it grew like that within three years... i will be starving ... i will have to dismantle my house rid it of furniture to buy a bigger 400 gallon tank. And even then...when does it end.......

[Colin]

Good question and one I am desparate to find the answer for, looking at my stock lists you can see why.

I bought 14 about a year ago, they were all the same size and about 1 1/4" long and are now maybe 2 inch long some slightly larger, some slightly smaller, hence I have come to the conclusion they grow about an inch a year

One other thing, while they only grew maybe an inch, they cetanly bulked up and became deeper, just another point.

[Colin]

just got a message from Emma Turner, I think she has sufficient credentials to give the most accurate and definitive answer. Here it is

Hi Colin.

There are so many factors that affect the growth rate of clown loaches, from size of tank they are kept in from young, water quality, feedings/quality of diet etc. Clown loaches are very easily stunted by being placed into small aquaria when young, and it saddens me that so many shops sell them for tanks under 4ft long. Juveniles are ok in tanks of this size, but when they get to 5-6", they really need a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft minimum if they are to reach their potential size. Regular partial water changes and good feedings of a varied diet help immensely too. I have kept clowns from 2" TL and they reached 8" within 6 years when kept in a 4ft long tank when small, upgraded to 5ft, then an extra high and wide 7ft long tank (1000 litres) when I judged they needed more room to grow. Water changes have always been frequent. There is also speculation that the Alpha (boss) loach can secret hormones into the water which inhibit the growth of the subordinates. These would be diluted with regular partial water changes. I have rehomed many clowns over the years and some were given to me at 3" total length and despite having been in my 1000 litre tank for many years now, they have never grown at all. This is likely to be because at some point in their lives they have been kept in a tank that was far too small for them and were permanently stunted. Other fish I have added at 3" (wild caught) have grown up to 6" or so during the same time period.

Hope this helps,

Emma

Nuff said really, an inch a year if managed correctly