Clown Loach vs. Yoyo Loach

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If you’re looking for good fish for your aquarium, then you might be considering getting some loaches. There are quite a few loaches out there that work out well in community tanks.

For many people, the choice comes down to clown loaches and yoyo loaches. Which of these is going to be better to buy for your tank?

It depends on various factors. There are some important differences about these fish that you’ll want to know about.

Read on to learn about clown loaches and yoyo loaches. This will ensure that you have all of the information so that you can make the best decision for your fish tank.

Understanding Clown Loaches

Clown loaches are probably the most popular and recognizable type of loach. So many people purchase these fish for their aquariums.

They have a reputation for being fantastic community tank fish. One reason why is because they’re peaceful fish that generally don’t bother their tank mates.

You’ll also find that they can tolerate a variety of different water conditions, which makes it easy to find tank mates for your clown loaches.

One potential problem involves how big these fish grow to be. You might buy clown loaches when they’re somewhat small as juveniles, but they’ll grow large over time.

It’s common for clown loaches to reach lengths of 10 inches or longer in captivity. As such, you’re going to need to have big fish tanks for them.

You should note that these fish need to live in small groups, too. They thrive in schools and won’t do well if you try to keep them alone or in simple pairs.

As such, it’s recommended to ensure that you have room for at least five clown loaches in your tank. Keeping these fish in groups of five to nine will work out nicely.

It’s imperative to keep these fish in tanks that are big enough. You’ll need to get a 75-gallon fish tank, at the very least.

Most experts recommend a 125-gallon tank or something larger. Since these fish grow so large and have to be kept in groups of at least five, it’s wise to give them a larger tank that they can grow into.

Clown loaches are considered to be long-lived fish by most. If you do a great job of caring for them, then they have the potential to live for 15 years.

Understanding Yoyo Loaches

Yoyo loaches are also popular fish that people like to buy for their fish tanks. They aren’t quite the same as clown loaches, though.

The first thing to understand is that yoyo loaches are much smaller at maturity than clown loaches. A yoyo loach is only going to reach five inches in length at maximum growth.

For many, this is going to make it more practical to buy yoyo loaches. It’s easier to put them in slightly smaller fish tanks since they don’t get huge once they mature.

Much like clown loaches, these fish are going to need to be kept in schools. You’ll need to keep several yoyo loaches in one tank to ensure that they can thrive.

Plan to put five or six yoyo loaches in your fish tank. They might fight with each other a bit, but no fish will ever get bullied badly when the fish are kept in groups of this size.

To keep the yoyo loaches happy, you’re going to want to keep them in a 40-gallon tank or larger. It’s also best to maintain stable water conditions to keep them healthy.

As far as behavior goes, they’re quite similar to clown loaches. They might seem a bit shy at first, but they will wind up interacting with other fish a bit.

Yoyo loaches are quite peaceful, but they’ll stand up for themselves when necessary in community aquariums.

So long as you’re caring for these fish properly and picking appropriate tank mates for them, they’re going to do well. They’re hardy fish that will be good for beginners just like the clown loaches.

So Which Ones Should You Buy?

Which ones you should buy will depend on various factors. For some, it might make more sense to purchase yoyo loaches.

Both clown loaches and yoyo loaches are going to look very nice in your fish tank. They’re fish that can add color and charm to any freshwater community aquarium.

The biggest difference comes when looking at the size of the fish. Clown loaches grow to be so much larger than yoyo loaches.

If you don’t have a lot of space in your home, then it’d likely be easier to get yoyo loaches. They can be kept in much smaller fish tanks and don’t take up as much real estate.

Clown loaches are more popular because they’re very colorful. That doesn’t mean that yoyo loaches don’t look very nice.

You might want to look at both fish and see which of them you prefer. Next, consider the practicality of caring for clown loaches based on your situation.

If you have more than enough room for a large fish tank, then buying clown loaches will make sense. Those with limited space can buy yoyo loaches.

Both fish are great in community fish tank settings. They’re also both fairly hardy fish that will be easy enough to care for if you’re a beginner.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you feel like you better understand the differences between clown loaches and yoyo loaches now. They have enough similarities that it makes sense to compare them.

They appeal to people who are looking for great community fish tank members. The generally peaceful nature of these fish will allow you to make them important parts of your community aquarium.

Clown loaches are larger fish that will require bigger fish tanks. You can get away with keeping yoyo loaches in much smaller tanks when compared to clown loaches.

Since both are easy to care for, either option will work out well for beginners. It just comes down to how much space you have in your home for an aquarium.

You’ll be able to determine which of these fish you appreciate more from an aesthetic perspective. That might be the factor that will help you to make your decision, but it’s a subjective matter.

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