I am just setting up a 55 gallon aquaruim and can't decide what loach to get. I don't want both of them because I don't want to feed that many sinking shrimp pellets. Where I live clown loaches are VERY expensive compared to coolie loaches. But I still haven't decided. I just thought I might share in case anyone else had faced this problem. If so, please share with me. Thanks.
Clown loaches or Coolie loaches?
- Thread starter tropfish
- Start date
I've never read anywhere else(books, magazines, or other web pages) about clowns harming plants , execpt at this site..and i've had coolie loaches in the past which i never saw (quite lame), but my 4 clowns (in my 30 gal) , which cost less than $8.00 each, have been a great investment...very active, very good at cleaning the bottom of my tank(they will actually move gravel with their "snouts" to get between rocks), they have a great "personality", and very colorful..DONT BUY SMALL CLOWNS (very "fragile"
but thats just been my exeperince..good luck!
but thats just been my exeperince..good luck!
Go with the khulis!!! I have 4 in my 55 gallon and they are great. They do come out during the day to poke around in the gravel and eat leftover food. They are more likely to come out if they have a safe haven to hide in when they are scared. They startle easily. Lots of plants helps too. They love to lie in the middle of them or underneath them in the shade. Mine dug a cave underneath my driftwood to hide in. They like it better than any of the other hiding places because the fat cories can't fit in it to bug them. It's so cute when they stick they're heads out to see if it's safe to come out. The java khuli loaches aren't as colorful but are more brave. I have 3 striped and 1 java. Both species get along great just like different species of cories do. I might get another java. I personally think that clowns are too big for a 55 gallon. A group of them wouldn't leave much room for anything else. Khulis are small and skinny so they have a small bioload.
I really liked my coolies.... they do like low light i have noticed. they seem to be out alot when i dont have my tanks lights on but they still venture out when the lights are on. my mother never liked them when i lived at home. she said it reminded her of a worm and she hates worms....lol... they are a very clever fish and very entertaining.....beforew i knew what aggressive fish where i had coolies and green terrors and jack dempsys in a tank and the last fish left alive in the tanks after the big ones killed themselves fighting 1 day was the coolie..it lasted 6 months with those 2 fish. if it was me i would go with the coolie because they are a very different looking fish......
I have to say that you guys have convinced me to get the kuhlli loaches. I have the tank covered in driftwood for the kuhllis to make homes. The thing I have always worried about kuhllis is that they might get eaten because they might fit in a fish's mouth. It will be a community tank though so I probly won't have to worry about that. So what is the best number of them to have in a 55? Thanks
G
I've had both, the kuhlis I had were always hiding and almost never came out when I was looking...but then again, I didn't buy them to be seen, I bought them to help clean up the bottom crud and algae. I haven't noticed my clowns eating any plants...they love snails and spend 85% fo the day looking for them....where I live kuhlis go for about 1.25$ each and clowns start at around 3.50$ for small ones so neither should break your bank. Oh, and I've had fish eat my kuhlis AND my clowns (and no, the clowns weren't that small!)
(and no, the clowns weren't that small!)Why not get yoyo loaches? They look pretty cool in my tank and those kuhli loaches look kinda scary to me but to each his own. I bought 4 yoyo loaches for 1.50 each and my clowns cost 2.99. I had to look around though because certain LFS have surplus and wanted to sell them cheaper.
Oh BTW, the clown loaches do eat plants, especially my sword plants. They punch holes into them actually. One leaf had like 30 holes.
Oh BTW, the clown loaches do eat plants, especially my sword plants. They punch holes into them actually. One leaf had like 30 holes.