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i have bought an L66 and an L444 (i think thats what it is petsmart calls it a ruberlip pleco)

both of them where about an inch long and both died. any thoughts?

Have you checked your water parameters lately?

its a 20 gallon tank with an emporor 400 filter, baby tiger barbs and zebra danios, assorted corys and a few loaches. i do not test my water, but the last time i had it tested everything checked out good, and i use proper ph when i do water changes. temperature is 81 degrees.

tiger barbs and loaches; one of those is probably the culprit.

it's a small tank, so chances are that your plecos couldnt escape harassment

Some loaches are "evil" to other bottom dwellers - what sort do you have?

As Sid points out these or tiger barbs are likely culprits.

Assuming we're talking 20 US gallons that's 75 litres gross, maybe 65 litres or so of water. It's probably overstocked. You really should pay attention to Barbie and BGF's requests and get the water parameters properly measured and post them.

clown loaches, and there are more than enough hiding spots in the tank. also with the amount of filtration and water changes, the over stocking really isnt an issue, which is why im so puzzled. are baby plecos that much more fragile than adults.

Clown loaches (plural) in a 65 litre tank..... Is this just a wind up?

The thing is, both fish were small and neither fish could compete with your tank's other occupants.
Also, the L66 likes warm well oxygenated water, whereas the L444 likes cooler well oxygenated water.
Both fish demand high quality water, especially when they are new additions.

wrasse wrote:The thing is, both fish were small and neither fish could compete with your tank's other occupants.
Also, the L66 likes warm well oxygenated water, whereas the L444 likes cooler well oxygenated water.
Both fish demand high quality water, especially when they are new additions.

This is spot on - these 2 plecos require quite different water in terms of temperature - there is not really a happy medium,

There may be enough hiding places in your 20g but there physically isn't enough territory for clown loaches - these need something like a 4x2x2 minimum. They can be quite belligerent when they take a dislike to invaders of their territory and quite dogged in their pursuit of them.

the 2 plecos where in the tank at different times, but i have another L66 comming in tommorrow. i just recived a 35 gallon cube tank that i am going to swap this 20 gallon for. that should give everyone more room. im having a hard time finding a hood for the tank though, and i think i am going to have to build a stand. the clown loaches are small as well by the way, about an inch or so too, actually everything in the tank is about an inch at the moment.

Clown Loaches?

you are aware that Chromobotia macracanta reaches 1 foot in length?

or at least 6-8" which is fairly common when they're a few years old.

now it's not a fast grower anymore in the larger sizes, but when juvenile it is; it can an d does go from 1" to 4" within a year or considerably less.

a 35g tank isn't going to work for these, unless you plan to upscale to a 75G or a 100g within the next 6-9 months....

there are several nice alternatives, maybe the best is the active and peaceful shoaling Dwarf Loach Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki, also known as Botia sidthimunki.
this little fish reaches 1-1.5" and it'll never outgrow a 35G tank
;)

Many moons ago when i was in the trade we sold some 9" absolute beauties which the purchaser ( ithink his name water peter byrne/byron or similar)wanted delivered to Coventry (not far) which i did as a favour.

Upon arrival i discovered these would be his smallest ones!!! He had a 9 foot tank with the biggest fish probably bigger than 15" & he had a tremendous group - never saw the like again

wow, those loaches are huge, and yes i know that they can get big, and when they do i will sell them to my supplier. i am not able to put up a bigger tank less it fall through my old houses floor, again, i dont think tank size is the problem with these baby plecos. i also got my water tested again and everything was good.

I wouldn't want to be a 1" L66 in your tank...

clown loach, tiger barbs and danios is a great combination.

Aside from the tank size debate and size of clown loach, its a case of what fish can live happily with your existing fish...
you say you also have mixed corydoras... are their dorsal fins intact? Tiger barbs will terrorize your corys.
L66 and corys cannot compete with your other fish. They will slowly starve and be miserable.

The real question is - is any of the advice given registering with you?

MrGT500, can you supply a photo of the tank?

Sometimes I find you can learn a heck of a lot about conditions in the tank from a photo, and this would definitely help us give you better advice.

all of the corys fins are intact and everyone in the tank gets along, the barbs and loaches school together, and i dont have any nipping problems. i can supply a photo of the tank tommorrow.

MrGT500 wrote:wow, those loaches are huge, and yes i know that they can get big, and when they do i will sell them to my supplier.

Clown loaches won't get big in a 20g tank....