# 30 gallon tank



## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

Hey everybody, i just signed up for this forum. I have a 29 gallon tank and its my second tank. Its 30 in by 12 in by 18 in. I have a redtail shark in there right now. I was wondering if having two of three clown loaches and a blue gourami would work in there?? On the internet places say that the clown loach only gets 7 inches but 12 inches in the wild and other places say taht they get 12 inches. How big do they get?? Also one blue/ three spot gourami to go with that. I realize that the clown loaches will outgrow the tank if they 12 inches though.


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## MaelStrom (Jun 24, 2007)

Unless you plan on getting a MUCH larger tank, then dont get clown loaches. They can attain 12( I belive Danh or Gump here has some that are 7 inches long and still growing and a few that are 12+) and are very active so a large tank is still required. And a gourami with a red tail would do just fine.


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

Well i am planning on getting a 55g possibly 75g in a couple months. If i dont i would trade them in once they get 6 inches or so.


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

Is this alright to do??


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## osiris214 (Jul 28, 2007)

instead of buying them on impulse why not wait til' you actually get the bigger tank?? clown loaches hav to be in schools of atleast 5 and would outgrow the 75g. i would get atleast a 125g


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2007)

I agree...I'd wait until you get a bigger tank. For full grown Clown loaches (even though it takes a while for them to get full grown) a 6ft tank is best. I'd wait until you get the 55g or 75g and then get the Clowns as that would be a better first tank for them. 

Be careful what you put with Blue gouramis....they can be aggressive at times, so I would keep them with tetras or rasboras and then some bottom feeders like cories. I would avoid keeping other gouramis, angelfish, and bettas with them.


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

I thought gouramis seemed to be pretty good with peaceful fish when kept as the only one in the tank. It seems to me that people keep clown loaches with cichlids sometimes and cichlids are pretty aggresive. Well i doubt i would be able to get a 125g tank. Would a 75 gallon be fine for them?? Also would it be okay to only keep 2?? Lots of places say to keep 3 but definitley not just 1.


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## MaelStrom (Jun 24, 2007)

I would say no. the difference between 75 and 125 is quite a bit, and they should be kept in groups, not pairs.


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

well then what else would go well with a blue gourami and redtail shark??? Maybe something with good contrast and not too small like 3 - 4 inches would be good but if something bigger would work that would be good


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## MaelStrom (Jun 24, 2007)

Go to you LFS and look at fish, take some names, and research them. Also, many fish profiles can be found here
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profile.html
and here
http://elmersaquarium.com/000tropfishcareguides.htm


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

Ok well im thinking of 
1 redtail shark which i have
1 blue/ three spot gourami
1 or 2 dario botia loaches
4 or 5 corycats ( 5 if they only are 2 inches)
I'm a little concerned about the cory cats though since the gourami can get aggresive and the site that i found the dario botia loaches said they are semi aggressive as well. I still have alot of research to do though.


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Keep an eye on that red tailed shark. As they get bigger they get mean and may pick on anything that gets in their way, at least mine did. I had to get rid of him.


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

But a redtail wouldnt be able to handle itself with aggresive cichlids, right??
Ya well when i was browsing over other fish i found some other loaches that only got like 4" although some places said they get 6". Anyways i was thinking that instead of the corycats i would keep like 2 _Botia dario _(Dario Botia Loach and then 2 _Botia striata _ (Striata Botia Loach).


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2007)

Loaches should be kept in groups larger than 2. I wouldn't have less than 4 loaches of a certain species. It might be best to pick 1 type of loach and get 4-6 of them. In a 29g, you really don't have room for much more. Loaches are pretty active too, so whenever you can upgrade to a 4ft tank, do so. I wouldn't think of keeping my full grown Yoyo loaches in a 29g....they are far too active.

Some people keep Redtail sharks with African Mbuna cichlids......but you couldn't add them in with the gourami or in a 29g. 

Have you thought about adding some upper/middle level fish, other than the gourami, like maybe some Rainbowfish? Dwarf Neon Rainbows get about 2-2.5 inches and are very nice looking. I'm not sure what your plan is for this tank, but keep in mind alot of fish will outgrow or are too active for a 29g and others may not be compatible with your gourami.


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## Kurly (Jul 31, 2007)

Kristin (JustOneMore20),
What do you have in your 29 gallon? I hope BBB doesn't mind me asking you this on their thread.


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

I have 7 clown loaches in a 75g now 3-6". I got rid of two of the smaller and my 8" guy died... Went downhill fast... He had a crick in his back, so I assume that didn't help his health at all. I, personally, wouldn't hesitate at all to put three small clown loaches in a 30g. They grow SOOOOO slow. I have had three of my current 7 for about 6 months and haven't noticed any growth at all. I pack them with bloodworms, shrimp and algae pellets daily. Their tank mates in the past have grown quickly. 3 2" clown loaches in a 30g should do fine for a few years... If by then you don't have a bigger tank, it's generally fairly easy to at the very least give them away if not sell them or trade them in. 
I say I personally would do it if I were you, but if you forsee yourself POSSIBLY not getting a new tank and not wanting to go through the slight trouble of unloading them when the time comes, the don't do it. Mine are currently in a 75g by themselves, and I don't really have a larger tank to move them to, but I know a ton of people in my area that would buy them if I offered them at a decent price.


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

Well most people say i should have a tank that can keep them for life and shouldnt put them in a 30 gallon tank.


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

I am about to move a few of mine to a 20g. I still have bigger tanks, just not bigger tanks were they'd survive. I see where they are coming from. IMO there are tons of people that want bigger ones. If you keep yours long enough to grow them out of your 30g then will have no problem getting rid of them. That's just my opinion. And do you really think that you would even want to have clown loaches in the tank in two years? There a possibility you won't even want them any more, and trade them in at your lfs before they ever grow out of the tank.


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## BBB (Aug 5, 2007)

ok ya your right about that. Would they do ok in a group of 3 with a blue gourami and a redtail shark??


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