Should I buy it?
Clown Loach
Chromobotia macracanthus
Also known as: clown, botia group, Clown, Botia group
Fishori provides conservative planning guidance, not guarantees.
Based on multiple reputable aquarium care sources with strong agreement. Use the numbers here as planning defaults — your room, water, and routine still shape real-world outcomes.
A schooling loach that grows to 30 cm. The 5 cm juveniles sold in shops become adult fish that need 400 L or more over several years.
Best for
Large community tanks 400L or more with a school of at least five adults. A 10-year-plus keeper commitment.
Avoid if
Your tank is under 200L, you can't plan for a long-term large fish, or you want something permanently nano-sized.
Top things that go wrong
- Grows large or needs a very big footprint. Clown Loach is often sold at sizes that hide adult length (~30cm on file) and a published minimum near **400L**. Shop tanks are not adult housing.
- Group welfare — not a solo display fish. Plan at least **6** together for normal behaviour; smaller groups often mean stress, colour loss, or nipping depending on species.
- Shrimp & snails. Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Common mistakeThree juvenile clown loaches in a 100L. They grow slowly and look fine for years, then the tank is too small with no obvious moment to act.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Large minimum volumes still need real footprint: length and width for turning matter as much as the litre number on a sticker.
- 2.Buying three or four to start. Clown Loach settles in a group of 6 or more. An understocked school sulks at the back of the tank and loses colour within a fortnight.
- 3.Buying for juvenile size in the shop tank. Budget for adult length and turning radius, not the inch-long fish in the bag.
- 4.Clown loaches grow slowly but eventually reach 30 cm and need a very large tank. Shops sell them at 5 cm as juveniles. Not a small-tank fish long-term.
- 5.Clown loaches grow large and need a very long tank and strong filtration.
About this species
Clown loaches are large social loaches from Indonesia with black and orange banding. Adults reach 25 to 30 cm and ten or more years.
- Yoyo Loach200L min · same fish family
- Dojo / weather loach150L min · same fish family
- Zebra Loach120L min · same fish family
- Hillstream Loach100L min · same fish family
- Kuhli Loach70L min · same fish family
- Bala / silver sharkalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Common Plecoalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Cuckoo / petricola catfishalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Denison's / red-line torpedo barbalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Denisons Barbalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Giant danioalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Yoyo Loach tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
Plan grid
Key limits are shown above; this section adds planning detail: pH band, swim level, bioload and activity, and the radar.
Swim zones
Planning trait chart
Six indices for comparing species on paper before you spend.
- Beginner ease26
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit83
- Small-tank fit52
- Hardiness54
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Common setup sketches
Conservative patterns from Fishori fields — still run the pair checker for every species you add; sketches are not a stocking guarantee.
Prioritise 6+ of Clown Loach in 400L+ with filtration sized for messy feeding — add only mates that already pass pair checks with this species.
Tank mate intelligence
Pairs with peaceful community fish in adult volume: gouramis, corydoras, angelfish, and even tiger barbs that they shoal alongside in the wild. Need a group of five or more and a 400L or larger adult tank, since they reach 25 to 30 cm. Tank mates only matter once the long-term volume is genuinely in place.
Pair-level compatibility with this fish as anchor.
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Clown Loach + Pearl Gourami
- Try Pearl Gourami — open the pair check.
- Try Corydoras Catfish — open the pair check.
- Try Angelfish — open the pair check.
- Try Tiger Barb — open the pair check.
Behaviour, temperament, and what to watch
Prose and lists come from the same record: read temperament first, then glass-level signals so you are not surprised after day three.
Clown Loach is peaceful in mixed company.
Stress / aggression triggers on file
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper, but individuals can still test fins under stress or in a crowded tank.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly-sized community fish. The usual community caveats about mouth size still apply for very small fry or shrimp.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still claims a working area in the tank. Give it room to settle without overlapping the next species' patch.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Moderate pacing — not hyperactive, not motionless.
- Shoaling/schooling: most colour and confidence show when the group meets **6+**.
- Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, hiding non-stop, or refusing food after the first week.
- Rapid breathing when parameters swing — fix ammonia/nitrite first, then reassess mates.
- Low listed risk — still watch new introductions.
- Separate or rehome if injuries appear, one fish is pinned, or feeding becomes a daily chase.
- If water is stable but behaviour worsens, reduce stocking or remove the highest-impact species first.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Care parameters: water, food, inverts, grouping
Chemistry and group rules sit here so you are not re-reading the same line from tank mate or temperament blocks. Swim level is in the plan grid above.
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Mixed diet: a quality flake or pellet as the staple, with frozen or live foods two or three times a week.
Shrimp & snails
Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Shoaling species. Buy 6 or more of one species together. Smaller schools sulk, lose colour, and redirect their schooling energy at whatever else is in the tank.
Egg scatterers and schoolers still spawn in stable tanks. Have a plan for the fry, or accept that the parents and tank mates will eat them in a community setup.
- Hold 24 to 30 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6 to 7.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Schooling species. Buy 6 or more from the same tank on the same day before adding any centrepiece fish.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 400L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 6 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 24–30°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Same library as the rest of Fishori: tank-mate index for this species, category peers, guides, and litre-based stocking lists where min tank on file is within the hub volume.
Plan with tools
Pair-level rules and multi-fish stocking use the same conservative engine — add this fish in the tank builder only after mates pass pair checks.
Filtration & heating
A 400L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 1600L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–30°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Clown Loach does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–30°C and pH 6–7.5:
Profile status: partially verified · Evidence tier: high · 3 linked source(s). Fishori does not fabricate citations.
Fishori uses conservative planning rules based on these sources.
Confidence is explained in the summary at the top of this page (same tier as here), not repeated below.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Chromobotia macracanthus
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Chromobotia macracanthus
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Chromobotia macracanthus
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
- Fishori profiles work from typical aquarium trade sizes and hobby care norms. Specialist site checks and literature review for this species are not yet recorded here, so the ranges on this page are planning numbers rather than guarantees.