Clowns, skunks and overstocking

Jul 14, 2004
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#1
I have a 10 gallon tank that is currently cycling. I am still undecided as to what is going to populate that tank, but at the top of the list is 3 clown loaches and 3 skunk loaches. Would this cause the tank to be way overstocked (keep in mind that I'll be upgrading to a 29-55 gallon tank in 1-3 years), or would they be okay for some time? If not, what other options to I have? (clowns are practicaly a must) My second question is, would these two species get along (with lots of hiding spaces of course)? I've been reading, and it seems skunks can be aggressive.

Thanks for any help/suggestions.
 

ecotank

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Aug 30, 2003
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#2
Clowns are my favorite fish, so if you put 3 in a 10g I'll have to hunt you down and break your legs!

If clowns are a must, then get the 55g now. A 10g is far too small for 3 clowns even if your buying them young. Snunks are small and stay small so they aren't a problem. I have 2 skunks in with 4 clowns and the skunks "tag along" with the clowns all the time.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ecotank/id6.html Clowns

http://home.earthlink.net/~ecotank/id9.html Skunks
 

kikuchiyo

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Apr 28, 2004
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#3
keep in mind that I'll be upgrading to a 29-55 gallon tank in 1-3 years

For any number of reasons tank upgrades often don't happen (financial reasons, etc). Don't count your chickens (fry?) before they hatch :) It's better to have the tank first THEN get the fish than to be stuck with growing fish and not be able to get a bigger tank.

Have you thought about kuhlis? They stay small and I think they're adorable :)
 

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ecotank

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Aug 30, 2003
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#4
Even IF you do stick to getting a 29-55 gallon tank in 1-3 years, I still say no to clowns in a 10g tank. It is simply too small for them even at 1.5 inches! A 10g tank can not accomodate 3 clowns and their prefered habitat, especially with other fish in the tank. Sure you may keep them alive just as I could keep you alive stuffed into a closet as long as I fed you enough...but it's not the right thing to do.

If you really want clowns (and who wouldn't?) then get a 50-55g tank for them. They will do better, you won't have to worry about losing them to stress from overcrowding or the eventual move. Clowns get ich like dogs get fleas, get the right setup and minimize the problems.
 

Mar 24, 2004
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#5
agreed, clowns are a horrible choice for a 10g, even a 20g. you couldn't keep them in a 10g for a month, let alone 1-3 years. IMO, it would be rather cruel to do so, knowing what we're all saying here.

i say stick to 3 skunks...they grow slow and will stay under 3". i've had my crew of skunks for almost 2 years, and the largest is a little over 2" and growing slooooowly.
 

chefkeith

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Sep 14, 2003
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#6
I agree. No clowns should ever be kept in a 10 gallon tank. I wouldn't even use a tank that small for quarantining them. 10g = dead fish because they cannot tolerate ammonia spikes at all. It's almost gaurenteed that a tank that small, with a hearty fish like a clown loach, that the clown loach will die off within a few days or weeks if you're lucky.
 

Jul 14, 2004
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#8
Hmm, I am disappointed, but not surprised. A 55 gallon is impossible at the current time, for money/space reasons.
So, I could keep some skunks with no one hunting me down and breaking my legs, huh? :D
So would 3 skunks be the limit? Maybe 1 or 2 more? Or maybe just some danios? Or nothing else?
Thanks a lot for your input!
 

Mar 24, 2004
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#9
it depends on what else you want to keep. skunks do not get that large, but they ARE active, so i think more than 3 or 4 would be pushing it. danios are also real active-- you might be better served to get 3 skunks and a small school of some kind of small tetra or harlequin rasboras, maybe? harlequins are cool. if you only have skunk loaches, i think they'd hide a lot...if you had 3 of them and a small school (or one slightly larger fish), they'd probably come out more.
 

bingoboy

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Jul 3, 2004
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#10
my roomate had a clown in a 10g a year or so ago for about 6 months till he moved. the clown seemed rather happy for the time being...he was also a sole clown loach. the tank had a hiding place and literally *hundreds* of snails...so maybe the snails are what kept him happy since he would snack on them to no end. after i moved out and my roomate moved he told me that the loach died later, i don't know the reasons behind it. not that i'm condoning putting a clown in a 10g, this is just my story and i felt like sharing.
 

ecotank

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Aug 30, 2003
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#11
Originally posted by bingoboy
my roomate had a clown in a 10g a year or so ago for about 6 months till he moved. the clown seemed rather happy for the time being...he was also a sole clown loach.
Ok so 2 reasons the fish wasn't really happy. Clowns are social, i.e. need buddies, 3 is really the min. and you can't have a happy clown in a 10g, it's just not possible.

Back to the thread, I'd stick with 3 skunks, maybe 4 if you wanna push the limit (not the limit of total fish, but the limit of skunks) As said they are very active, so anymore and they'd be slamming into each other. I'd go more with the rasboras than the danios as they will offset each others activity levels
 

ashleigh

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Jan 8, 2004
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#13
well and not just that but as much as I anthropomorphasize my animals, happy is a subjective term when applied to a fish. Alive for a year does not mean happy. nor does eating well. that is why we must research how our fish live in the wild- it's easy to impose emotions on them when they look healthy- but short term health has little to do with long term health or actual happiness. If you want to call them happy when all of their needs are met I think that's fine- I know this is a bit of a diversion from the thread but I think not taking full lifespans and behavioral needs into accouint is a really common mistake.
 

tevo

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Jun 16, 2003
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#15
I felt bad having my 3 clowns in a 29 gallon. I just setup a new 55 gallon with a sand substrate and I've never seen them so happy. Lots of room to play ;). Not to mention I now have an empty 29 gallon to stock...oh the joy.

Also, you have to consider how big they can get. Though I don't think it's all too common in captivity, they can grow in excess of 12". I think I'll run down to the LFS where they have a foot long clown loach and snap a picture of him to post. Oh, and they have a common pleco that's over a foot long too...things are damn huge! At least they have them in 200+ gallon tanks heh.