Can clown loaches live with pencilfish?

Verdict

Yes, with care

Yes, with care. Clown loaches and pencilfish can share a tank, but watch one thing. A grown clown loach may treat small pencilfish as food, especially at night.

Clown loach77–86°F · pH 6–7.5

Pencilfish75–82°F · pH 5–7.5

What to watch

Watch outA grown clown loach may treat small pencilfish as food, especially at night.
Watch outClown loaches grow to 8 inches and need 75 gallons, far more than a tank set up for pencilfish.

What works

Both are fine at 77–82°F.
pH 6–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: clown loaches the bottom, pencilfish the mid.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Clown loach	Pencilfish
Temperature	77–86 °F	75–82 °F
pH	6–7.5	5–7.5
Adult size	8.0 in	2.0 in
Minimum tank	75 gal	15 gal
Temperament	Peaceful	Peaceful
Swims at	Bottom	Middle
Group	Groups of 5+	Groups of 6+
Diet	Omnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for clown loaches

All clown loach tank mates

Better tank mates for pencilfish

All pencilfish tank mates

Questions

Can clown loaches live with pencilfish?

Yes, with care. Clown loaches and pencilfish can share a tank, but watch one thing. A grown clown loach may treat small pencilfish as food, especially at night.

What temperature suits both clown loaches and pencilfish?

77–82 °F. Clown loaches need 77–86 °F, pencilfish need 75–82 °F.

What size tank do clown loaches and pencilfish need together?

At least 75 gal, set by the clown loach. Add space for each extra fish.