Many people think that clown loaches are the best community aquarium fish that you can find. They’re definitely great fish to own for a number of reasons.
Clown loaches are peaceful fish that get along well with others. They’re also bright and colorful.
If you’re looking for fish that will add aesthetic appeal to your fish tank, then you’ll be pleased with clown loaches. You might be wondering about them if you’re thinking of buying some, though.
For example, you could be curious about whether clown loaches need to have plants in the aquarium to thrive. Do clown loaches like plants or do they eat them?
Read on to learn more about clown loaches and plants. This will help you to understand what to expect when you add clown loaches to your tank.
Do Clown Loaches Like Plants?
Yes, clown loaches absolutely love plants. In fact, you shouldn’t put clown loaches in an aquarium that doesn’t have plants.
These fish are well-known to love hiding near live plants in fish tanks. They also like to hide in little caves or other hiding spots that you might put into the tank.
If you don’t have plants in the tank for the clown loaches, then they aren’t going to feel nearly as comfortable. They won’t feel as if they’re able to hide properly.
This could easily cause the fish to feel stressed, and it might keep them from getting used to the aquarium. If you want your fish to do well, then you should definitely have plants for them to utilize.
Do Clown Loaches Eat Live Plants?
So you know that clown loaches like plants because they enjoy hiding in the aquarium. They hang out at the bottom of the fish tank and often hide using the plants.
Do they also like to eat the plants? Well, it’s true that clown loaches are omnivores that will eat many different things.
There are some plants that clown loaches will constantly eat in a fish tank setting. Certain fast-growing plants such as the Cabomba plant are considered to be plants that these fish truly love.
The leaves grow very fast and the clown loaches love to nibble on them. Certain types of plants will absolutely get eaten by clown loaches.
They don’t usually eat plants so much that they will ruin them, though. You don’t necessarily have to worry about the plants constantly getting destroyed by the clown loaches.
Some plants will be more appealing to clown loaches than others. They can also more easily damage plants that have fine root systems.
This means that you’ll want to pick which plants you put into the tank carefully. Doing so will ensure that things go fine.
Plants That Clown Loaches Won’t Eat
There are plenty of options when you’re looking for plants that clown loaches won’t eat. At the very least, you should be able to find plants that clown loaches won’t harm if they happen to nibble on them a bit.
One of the best plants that you can try is known as the anubias plant. Many say that this is the one true “clown loach-proof” plant that you can put into the tank.
You should also be able to put java ferns in the aquarium. These plants are known to be hardy enough to survive a bit of nibbling.
Other hardy types of plants should be able to do well in fish tanks with clown loaches. You just want to avoid picking plants that are fragile or ones that don’t have strong root systems.
Best Plants for Clown Loaches
As mentioned above, anubias plants are likely going to be some of the best to buy when you want to put clown loaches in your tank. They’re very hardy and the clown loaches won’t be able to do too much to them.
Java ferns will also be perfect for clown loach fish tanks. They will be able to survive due to being hardy enough that nibbling won’t be a problem.
Try to choose hardy plants that don’t have weak root systems. You should be able to pick out plenty of plants that will look nice in the fish tank while also being rugged enough to survive the fish.
If you choose poorly, then the plants might get eaten or destroyed. You can always ask for help at the aquarium store to find the hardiest freshwater aquarium plants that you can.
Do Clown Loaches Dig up Plants?
Yes, clown loaches have been known to dig up plants when they’re rooting around and looking for food. These fish hang out at the bottom of the tank and they sometimes mess with the substrate.
This is fine and it’s not something that you can really keep them from doing. You just need to pick appropriate plants that have strong root systems.
Plants that have shallow root systems can be more easily uprooted by the fish. This can become a problem when you have clown loaches in your tank.
It’s just another situation where picking the right plants will be important. Take the time to research the plants that you want to add to the aquarium ahead of time.
How to Stop Clown Loaches From Eating Plants
Is there anything that you can do to keep clown loaches from eating plants? You should start by picking plants that they can’t harm as much.
Earlier, you learned that anubias plants and java ferns will work nicely in clown loach tanks. There are other hardy plants that will do fine, too.
It’s also going to be best to ensure that the fish are eating properly. If the fish are being fed on time and are eating enough, then they’ll be less likely to feel the need to eat the plants.
Remember that clown loaches should be fed twice per day. You want to try to give them a varied diet to meet their nutritional needs as well.
Clown loaches like being fed algae rounds and sinking nutritional pellets that you can purchase at the pet store. It’s also appropriate to feed them live food on a weekly basis.
For live food, most people go with earthworms and bloodworms. You could also buy freeze-dried worms to feed the fish if you’d prefer to do that.
Clown loaches love chasing snails down and eating them. Giving the fish snails as a treat on occasion will be a good idea.
Supplementing the diet of the clown loaches with chopped-up zucchini or cucumber can work. Chopping up slices and dropping them into the tank will ensure that the clown loaches leave the plants alone.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you feel like you’ve learned what you need to know about clown loaches and plants. You should be able to set your tank up successfully by picking plants wisely.
To get the best results, you want to pick hardy plants such as anubias plants and java ferns. These can survive being nibbled on by fish without it being a huge deal.
You can also take steps to keep the fish from wanting to eat the plants. Simply ensuring that the fish are fed very well will make a difference.
If you’re still having issues, then try supplementing the diet of the fish with zucchini slices or cucumber slices. You’ll be able to keep the plants safe and you’ll be glad to be able to enjoy the beauty of the clown loaches.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.