Adult Sizes Of These FIsh?

[Don Vito]

Ok... Some of the fish in my tank can get to be over a foot in length and I wanna know if it is a myth or truth. Here are the fish im having trouble figuring out....

African Black Ghost Knife - I read they can get up to 18".... but other places I read that they will only get up to 12 - 14" in captivity but usually only get up to 8 - 10" I have not truley measured him yet but he is anywhere from 7 - 10" already.

Clown Loaches - wow... do I hear things about these guys.... I have heard 16".... mostly what I see is 12" and I have also heard 8" In captivity :confused:

The rest im pretty sure about but ill list them anyway incase someone knows otherwise... so pls tell me.
Red Lizard Whiptail Pleco - up to 6"
Rainbow Shark - up to 6"
Angelfish - up to 6"

[lloyd berg]

your ghost knife will taper off unless you move him into bigger space. 10-12" is as big as he gets without huge space to himself.
i've read clowns go 12+ in the wild easy. but not in captivity. largest i've seen is wild caught at the marina exhibit.they were over 12 for sure. i've never heard of anything bigger than 8" in an aquarium but i get cautioned all the time that they 'can'.
good site for clowns: info:http://aquahobby.com/gallery/gclown.html
(my gift to buddha_red,if he doesn't have it already)ha ha

[crazyred]

Excellent website lloyd!! Dang, I learn something new everyday, and my favorites lists just keeps getting longer and longer.

[Buddha_Red]

thanks a bunch, i lost that page in a restore.

only thing i found a little wrong was the name of the clown loaches. it was changed a while back, i have no idea why.

Chromobotia macracanthus is the official name now, It's still in the botia family but for some reason they wanted to let it be known this botia has thorns under its eyes.(colored warrior) Allot do so i dunno but besides that a lot of great reading! BOOKMARKED again. Good link, clown pages are a wonderful gift to me. thanks Lloyd :D (please forgive if i mis spell your name, you know my spelling abilities he he)

if you are raising small loaches( under 4 inches) you can use a 55g, but you must know that by the time they hit 4 1/2 you should have them in a 135g or more. Most clowns top out at 12 inches, but you must remember they live a looong time so they may grow larger in a tank that is best suited for them.

The mature size applies if you have no plans of upgrading your tank at all. I would not own clown loaches if i knew my 55g was the only tank i could ever have. It would be terrible on them, fish don't quit growing naturally because of a small tank, they will become "deformed" internally and suffer a not so good death.

Now that isnt a liciense to own the biggest fish you can find, its just a logical way to raise small clown loaches in a 55g. forget anything smaller. They must have roaming room and lots of places to check out.

My botia, with the exception of jake the snake, they are always visable during the light on cycle. Jake (my dojo) is out more now, after 1 1/2 weeks but he still likes night time better. If clowns hide all the time, you are either giving them too much hiding spots or there is aggression or stress caused by another fish. Clowns like a good time and will hide when something is a miss.


i am sorry to be so graphic or scary, i am just very protective of fish and clown loaches are a big time responsibility. They require planning, nutrition and managed stress levels all the time. i am still daily researching the latest information i can about them.

They are a wonderful fish, I could never stop having clowns. i love them so much. I know you personally are doing the very best you can. i just wanted to drop a few bits of info. Please update me if i have missed something or am uninformed about something. Pride means nothing when it comes to fish health and happiness.

[Don Vito]

hmmm, ok thanks for the fish sizes. Good news is since the ghost knife probobly wont get as big as I thought, i am deff. not overstocked *yay for me* Bad news.... I have 4 loaches and I doubt ill be getting a bigger tank than 75gallons anytime soon. :(
Id hate to have them suffer. Would it be wise to find another home for them or do you think the 75 will be ok?!?! Right now they are 4" - 6" All 4 are around those sizes.

[crazyred]

Gee, I'm no expert by any means, but I think the tank you have will be okay for them check this link:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1949&articleid=2303

Minimum is listed at 50 gallons, you have 75. I'm no mathmatician, but that seems okay to me.

[Don Vito]

Yeah I have read they need a minimum of 55 gallons and thats why I went with the 75, figured it would be good but other people are telling me they need 120+ They are my favorate fish I own and I would rather see them live and be healthy than be unhappy and slowly dying just for my pleasure. So if someone else is pretty damn sure let me know because again I have read they need a minimum of 55 and my tank is larger! :HP

[crazyred]

IMHO----overly cautious.

[Don Vito]

Id agree I am very cautious but thats only because I put myself in their shoes..... their living things too. :WC

[Buddha_Red]

know this, you will someday have to give them up unless you can have the 135g.
75 Gallon 48 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 21 3/8 , This tank has 18 width which is a good amount of room, length is fine also. You are good to go if we only talk about clown loaches.

by the time they are 10 inches it's time to start thinking about upgrading, i am reserving 8 inches as a safety zone. this is how much room they have to turn around and live a normal life. Clown loaches grow very slowly after 3 inches so you will have them a long time just not permanent, this is one of the calculations you must be aware of. The depth means nothing to bottom dwellers like all the botia are. They only worry about how much room and length is available. I am over simplifying it i know, If you have rocks and decor, that takes up some of the substrate area, reducing places to turn around in, much less explore and hide.

I sound very demanding in this thread, i do not mean it that way i promise :D

[Don Vito]

alright well if it takes years then maybe ill be ready by then! :D Specially since in 1 - 2 years I may finally move outa this apartment and own a home!

[crazyred]

I didn't mean that I thought YOU were overly cautious, just the tank requirement. :D I think some tank req. are overstated because, as was mentioned in a previous post, most people keep minimum filtration for their tank. Knowing this, the people that figure the tak req. recommend overly huge tanks. If you can afford and accomodate a 135 gal. in a few years though, go for it. I know I'd love to have one!!!