Clown Loach
Chromobotia macracanthus
Photo: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Sold at three inches, grows past a foot, wants a group and a 75-gallon. A classic “I did not know” fish.
Snail-eater that outgrows the tank it was sold for.
Needs a group of its own kind and grows much larger than sold size implies.
In the tank
- Will hunt pest bladder snails.
- A group in a 75-gallon is a real show. A trio in a 20 is a future rescue.
- Water
- freshwater
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Swims
- Bottom
- Adult size
- 12 in
- Minimum tank
- 75 gal
- Group
- School of 5+
- Temperature
- 75–86°F
- pH
- 6.5–7.5
- Diet
- Sinking pellets, frozen foods, snails if you have extras.
- Beginner
- Not a first fish
How to keep them
- Sold at three inches, grows past a foot.
- Need a group and warm water.
Tankmates
Other large peaceful fish in a big tank.
Avoid
Nano tanks and ‘just to eat snails’ as the whole plan.
Check tankmates · Stocking calculator
Same group
Corydoras Catfish
Corydoras spp.
The correct bottom crew for a community.
Sift sand so leftover food and mulm do not sit and rot.
Bristlenose Pleco
Ancistrus spp.
The pleco that actually fits in a home tank — and eats algae.
Rasp green algae and biofilm off glass, wood, and hardscape.
Common Pleco
Hypostomus plecostomus
Sold as an algae eater. Becomes an 18-inch waste factory.
Juveniles do eat algae.
Kuhli Loach
Pangio kuhlii
Nocturnal sand noodles. They work leftover food after lights-out.
Pick food that hit the sand overnight.
Otocinclus
Otocinclus spp.
Tiny algae grazer for a mature planted tank.
Best small fish for soft green algae on leaves and glass.
Rainbow Shark
Epalzeorhynchos frenatum
One shark per tank. Owns the lower third.
Picks some algae and leftover food on the bottom.