Clown loach growth rate?

[jokerls240]

So I've had 3 clown loaches since October, I think. They were barely 1" long when I got them. Initial feeding was veggie wafers 2x/day until I realized that they weren't eating any of the snails in the tank. So I cut feeding back to once every day or 2 days. Now that they have cleaned out the majority of the snail population, the largest clown is nearing 2" with the other 2 just 1/4" smaller.

So here's my question. With a conservative feeding regimine and living in a 55g community, how quickly should I expect them to outgrow the tank? It seems that at this rate, it may be close to a year or more before they reach 6", if they even do.

I know there's a lot of mixed opinion about fish growth in relation to the space available. Some say a fish will not grow to their full potential in a relatively small tank. While others say it doesn't matter, fish will grow to their max potential, and the 3 clowns I have will eventually get too big for the tank.

After seeing the nearly 12 inch clown loach I saw at Critter, I now do believe that they can get huge! This guy was so big, he could hold his ground against the massive pleco in their large display tank.

Any thoughts?

[madreefer]

The general rule for clown loaches is one inch per year, with a top out of twelve to thirteen inches at about thirteen years old. Most loaches don't get anywhere near this size or age. Some grow much faster and some much slower, all depending on tank size, water quality, food, and etc etc. This is what I've been told and experienced. Good luck with the loaches!

[ronjohn]

I have 3 that are in a 180 and an inch a year is not far from their growth rate...the small fish/small growth thing has more to do with metabolite concentration than just size of tank(or so i think)

[jokerls240]

Thanks for the tips guys! I'll know when it's time for a bigger tank or to give the clowns away when they get too big. ;-) Just wanted to make sure they aren't going to outgrow the tank in less than a few months.