Clown Loach
Chromobotia macracanthus
The Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) is a peaceful fish that's a good step up once you have a little experience. Give it a tank of at least 285 litres (75 US gallons), water held at 75-86°F, and a pH of 6-7.8. Always keep a group of at least 6 - they feel safest in numbers.
Captive lifespan reflects typical experience in a home aquarium, not maximum recorded age; genetics, sourcing, and care vary.
Natural distribution
Rivers of Borneo and Sumatra, Indonesia.
- East & Southeast Asia
Regional colours match the stocking calculator's origin map.
Clown Loach Tank Setup
Give them at least 285 litres (75 US gallons) and a tight-fitting lid, since many loaches are escape artists. Keep the water at 75-86°F with a pH around 6-7.8; soft sand suits the ones that like to burrow. Always keep a group of at least 6 of their own kind - kept alone or in pairs they tend to turn shy, nippy, or wash out in colour. They grow to around 30 cm, so plan the tank size and filtration for a full-grown adult rather than the small juvenile you see in the shop.
What Do Clown Loaches Eat?
They're not fussy eaters - feed a varied diet, rotating good-quality dry, frozen, and gel foods rather than the same thing every day, and match the food size to their mouths.
Clown Loach Tank Mates
Requires a large tank and good filtration. The Clown Loach is peaceful, which is the first thing to weigh up when you choose tank mates. It's a known fin-nipper, so avoid bettas, guppies, and other slow, long-finned fish. At around 30 cm fully grown, it needs tank mates that can hold their own against its size and appetite. It's a shoaling fish, so settle a group of 6 or more of its own kind before adding anything else - a stressed, lonely fish is far more likely to nip or hide. Before you buy, run your full stocking list through our stocking calculator. It weighs temperament, adult size, and water needs together, which a single species page can't do on its own.
Are Clown Loaches Good for Beginners?
Doable once you test water regularly and catch problems before fish look sick. If this is your first tank, pick something more forgiving and come back later.
Clown Loach - frequently asked questions
What size tank do Clown Loaches need?
Clown Loaches need a tank of at least 285 litres (75 US gallons). A bigger tank is always easier to keep stable, and gives them more room to settle in and behave naturally.
How many Clown Loaches should I keep together?
Keep a group of at least 6. Clown Loaches are a shoaling species and become stressed, lose their colour, or hide when kept singly or in pairs.
What water parameters do Clown Loaches need?
Keep them at 75-86°F with a pH of 6-7.8, steady rather than chased to an exact figure. In a cycled tank, ammonia and nitrite should both read 0 ppm, with nitrate kept low through regular water changes.
What do Clown Loaches eat?
Clown Loaches are omnivores and aren't fussy eaters. Feed a varied mix of good-quality dry, frozen, and gel foods, and match the food size to their mouths. Feed small amounts once or twice a day, and remove anything they don't eat.
Are Clown Loaches good for beginners?
Clown Loaches are best for keepers with a little experience. They are manageable once you test water regularly and catch problems early; a complete beginner may prefer something more forgiving first.
Common mistakes with Clown Loaches
- Buying fewer than 6 - Clown Loachs need a proper school to feel secure; isolated individuals hide, fail to colour up, or become stressed.
- Underestimating tank size - the minimum footprint is 285 litres (75 US gallons); impulse buying into a smaller tank leads to stress and shortened lifespan.
- Mixing with long-finned fish - Clown Loachs will nip at bettas, angelfish, and other fish with flowing fins, causing stress and infection risk.
Building a community? Run the full list through the stocking calculator before you add anything else.
Great tank mates
Chosen from temperament, overlapping temperature/pH bands, plausible minimum tank footprints, and size versus yours in App-aquatic data. Hobby nuance always wins - verify stocking and temperament before purchasing.
Check Clown Loach against any other fish → Compares water parameters, predation risk, fin nipping and tank size, and draws both at life size.
Fish to avoid mixing with Clown Loaches
These well-known species are commonly sold alongside this fish but are not recommended tank mates - verify before purchasing.
- OscarPredator - Oscar will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Pea PufferPredator - Pea Puffer will eat or injure smaller tank mates
- Common GoldfishGoldfish - prefer cooler, harder water that tropical fish cannot tolerate
