Clown Loach

Chromobotia macracanthus

Freshwater South-east Asia

A striped loach that can live for decades and reaches 25 cm. It needs a group of five or more and hiding places. A snail eater, and often noisy at night.

Also called: Clown loach, Tiger botia.

25 cm adult length, drawn to scale. torpedo body.

Outgrows a typical home tank. Check this fish against the adult size above before buying a juvenile. The minimum shown is the least it is kept in for good, not a comfortable size.

Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 5 fish added.

What it needs

Item	Value	Because
Adult length	25 cm	Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round.
Smallest tank	450 L, at least 150 cm long estimated	The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group.
Extra water per added fish	60 L estimated	What each further fish adds once the minimum is met.
Waste load	Class 4 of 5 estimated	How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check.
Temperature	25 to 30 C	Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges.
pH	6 to 7.5	Compared with tankmates in the Water check.
Hardness	GH 4 to 12, KH 2 to 8	Degrees of general and carbonate hardness.
Flow	Medium	Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current.
Light	Dim	Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet.
Group size	At least 5, ideally 6	Kept alone or in small numbers it hides, fades or turns on tankmates.
Temperament	Peaceful	Not territorial.
Swims in	Near the bottom	Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily.
Lifespan	About 15 years	A fish is a long commitment.
Experience	Some experience helps	A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes.

Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.

Diet and tank layout

Clown Loach is an carnivore that swims in the lowest part of the tank. It leaves most plants alone. Give it plenty of cover. It digs, so anchor plants and keep hard rock off loose sand.

Tankmates

Works with

No close matches in the data. Check the pair tool.

Depends

Avoid

Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.