Species · Chromobotia macracanthus

Clown loach: tank size, water and tank mates

FLAG: slow-growing to ~30 cm; ich-prone; eats snails; may nip long fins.

Adult size30 cm (11.8 in)
Minimum tank170 US gal
Temperature25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
pH6–7
Temperamentpeaceful
Keep in groups of6+
Swimsbottom
Shrimp & snailsLikely to eat them

Fin nipper: avoid long-finned tank mates such as bettas, fancy guppies and angelfish.

Check a tank with Clown loach

Good tank mates for Clown loach

These species share its temperature range and temperament, with no fin-nipping or predation risk under our rules. Still check your tank size and bioload in the checker.

African dwarf frog · Agassiz's dwarf cichlid · Banded archerfish · Banjo catfish · Black ghost knifefish · Black neon tetra · Black phantom tetra · Black ruby barb · Black skirt tetra · Bleeding heart tetra · Bloodfin tetra · Blue acara · Boeseman's rainbowfish · Bolivian ram · Buenos Aires tetra · Bumblebee goby · Cardinal tetra · Celestial pearl danio · Cherry barb · Chili rasbora · Chinese algae eater · Clown killifish · Clown pleco · Cockatoo dwarf cichlid

Avoid with Clown loach

Amano shrimp (predation) · Assassin snail (predation) · Checkerboard barb (temperature) · Cherry shrimp (predation) · Common / comet goldfish (temperature) · Convict cichlid (aggression) · CPO dwarf crayfish (temperature) · Crystal red shrimp (temperature) · Demasoni cichlid (aggression) · Dojo loach (temperature) · Emerald dwarf rasbora (temperature) · Fancy goldfish (temperature) · Ghost shrimp (predation) · Gold barb (temperature) · Jack Dempsey (aggression) · Jewel cichlid (aggression) · Lyretail killifish (temperature) · Malaysian trumpet snail (predation)

Sources

Checked 2026-11-09 · confidence: high. These are cautious community guidelines, not guarantees. Not veterinary advice. Report an error.