Clown loach tank mates

Clown loach: peaceful, 15.7 in, kept in groups of 6 or more, swims in the bottom and middle of the tank and needs about 202 gallons. The list below checks every species in our catalog against it.

Each species is checked against clown loaches both ways: mouth size, fin nipping, temperament, territory, water overlap and keeper reports.

Good tank mates

Panda corydoras
Corydoras panda
Fits
Friendly armoured catfish that sift the sand in groups; need soft substrate and a group of six or more.
1.6 in · 17+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6–7.2
Betta
Betta splendens
Fits
The Siamese fighting fish: one male per tank, warm still water, and no long-finned or nippy tank mates.
2.8 in · 11+ gal · 72–86°F · pH 6–7.5
Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare
Fits
Tall, graceful cichlids for tall tanks of 30 gallons and up; adults eat neon tetras and shrimp, so stock around them.
3.5 in · 32+ gal · 77–84°F · pH 6–7
Black widow tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Fits
A hardy, deep-bodied tetra with black 'skirt' fins; easy for beginners, but a small group nips the fins of its tank mates.
2.4 in · 22+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 6–7
Blue dolphin cichlid
Cyrtocara moorii
Fits
A sky-blue Malawi cichlid with a fatty forehead hump; calm and sociable over open sand, but no match for boisterous mbuna.
9.8 in · 80+ gal · 77–81°F · pH 8–8.5
Bristlenose pleco
Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus
Fits
The go-to glass cleaner: a compact 5-inch pleco with bushy whiskers on the males that needs a cave and vegetables, not just algae.
4.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 5.5–7.5
Common pleco
Pterygoplichthys pardalis
Fits
The classic store 'algae eater' that grows to nearly two feet, fouls the water and eats less algae with age; a fish for very large tanks only.
22.8 in · 203+ gal · 77–82°F · pH 7–7.5
Convict cichlid
Amatitlania nigrofasciata
Fits
A tough Central American cichlid that breeds almost anywhere, and is aggressive enough to attack fish several times its size.
5.9 in · 34+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 7–8
Dwarf gourami
Trichogaster lalius
Fits
A bright little gourami popular with beginners; one male per tank, no bettas, and buy carefully, as imported fish often carry an incurable iridovirus.
3 in · 18+ gal · 72–81°F · pH 6–7.5
Firemouth cichlid
Thorichthys meeki
Fits
A Central American cichlid with a fiery red throat it flares when threatened; fairly calm for a cichlid but territorial when breeding.
4.7 in · 34+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6.5–8.5
Kuhli loach
Pangio semicincta
Fits
A banded, eel-like loach of about 4 inches that burrows by day and explores the bottom as a group in the evening; needs soft sand.
3.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 3.5–7
Leopard sailfin pleco
Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps
Fits
A tall-finned pleco with a brocade pattern that is sold at 2 inches and grows to about 20, needing a very large tank and heavy filtration.
19.7 in · 187+ gal · 77–86°F · pH 5–7
Pearl gourami
Trichopodus leerii
Fits
One of the calmest and most beautiful gouramis, covered in pearly spots; ideal for a quiet planted tank with floating plants.
4.7 in · 26+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 5.5–8
Ram cichlid
Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
Fits
A brilliantly coloured dwarf cichlid from the Orinoco llanos that needs warm, very clean water and calm tank mates.
1.6 in · 17+ gal · 81–86°F · pH 4–7
Severum
Heros severus / Heros efasciatus
Fits
A calm, large South American cichlid often kept with angelfish and catfish; eats soft plants and any fish that fits in its mouth.
7.9 in · 76+ gal · 72–84°F · pH 5.5–6.5
Three spot gourami
Trichopodus trichopterus
Fits
The most common gourami: hardy, omnivorous and an air breather, though males can turn quarrelsome, especially when spawning.
5.9 in · 26+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 6–8
Assassin snail
Anentome helena
Fits
A yellow-and-brown striped predatory snail kept to control bladder, ramshorn and trumpet snails; it breeds slowly and never becomes a pest.
1 in · 3+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7.2–8
Mystery snail
Pomacea diffusa
Fits
The most popular large aquarium snail; it leaves healthy plants alone and lays its eggs above the waterline, so numbers are easy to control.
2.2 in · 7+ gal · 68–82°F · pH 7–8
Red swamp crayfish
Procambarus clarkii
Fits
A hardy but aggressive American crayfish that digs burrows, wrecks plants and eats snails and fish; invasive in many countries and banned in the EU.
3.9 in · 25+ gal · 68–79°F · pH 7–8.5
Redclaw crayfish
Cherax quadricarinatus
Fits
A large blue-green crayfish with red patches on the claws, up to 8 inches; a predator and plant shredder best kept alone under a tight lid.
7.9 in · 47+ gal · 64–82°F · pH 7.2–8.2
Bamboo shrimp
Atyopsis moluccensis
Fits
A large, fully peaceful shrimp that catches floating food with fans on its front legs; it needs strong flow and a mature tank or it starves.
3.1 in · 17+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5
Black ghost knifefish
Apteronotus albifrons
Fits
A nocturnal electric fish that glides by rippling a single long fin; it grows to nearly 20 inches and eventually eats small tank mates.
19.7 in · 202+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6–8
Black phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Fits
A calm, deep-bodied tetra with a black shoulder patch; males with tall dorsal fins put on harmless sparring displays.
1.4 in · 23+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6–7
Blue acara
Andinoacara pulcher
Fits
The classic acara with a blue sheen: calm for a 6-inch cichlid, but a keen digger that will swallow any fish that fits in its mouth.
5.9 in · 34+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6.5–8

And 22 more in the species catalog.

Risky

And 76 more in the species catalog.

Avoid

And 3 more in the species catalog.

Every tank is different. Set yours up once (size, water, who already lives there) and each species is checked against it.

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