CLOWN LOACHES

[TOMMY]

Hi all! I got a problem (I think) that has been bothering me for a while... I have a tiny school of 6 loaches appx. 2inches long. When they were young their colors were pretty nice with the black being solid. For a couple months now the black has faded and never returned. They eat well and have no signs of disease. Their diet include black worms, tetra color flakes, tubifex worms and brine shrimp.
What is causing this?

Thanks, Tom

[ChloroPhil]

What're your water parameters?

[TOMMY]

My ph is neutral 7.0 I have yet to test the hardness...

[dm]

My Clown Loaches lighten up a little once in a while but not all the way and not for long. If they didn't come right back to normal I would say you have a problem. I agree with Biotypical to check your water parms and also make sure you are not contaminating anything by accident.

[Richman]

Do you keep salt in your water. I have noticed that my loaches don't like this not none at all. I also think they are partial to slightly acidic water.

[TOMMY]

As a matter of fact, once a month I give the tank a "salt bath" but I do this a day before a waterchange. Another thing is that they live in my discus tank. Maybe they are afraid of those big, round monsters....

Thanks, Tom

[BLUEKNIGHT]

HI Guys
The fishes are probably domestically bred. They tend to lose coloration escpecially if they have been inbred too much.

[larry lob]

Hi,

I have kept clowns for over 9 years and know that they are scared of nothing, they are however by nature more skittish than discus.
even after all these years i don't know for sure but beleive the bleaching is as a result of readiness to mate but inability to follow through in tank conditions.
they will regain colour but not as bold as juveniles.
i will restate this is just an oppinion and have no science behind my theory.

they have no problem living with discus and discus definatly need to aclimatise to the fact that clowns are in the tank with them, if anything the clowns are over active for the discus but they do adjust well in a short time.

they don't over compete for food just a healthy balance to keep both species on thier toes.

Larry

P.S tom they love a bloodworm or two.

[tjudy]

Who is breeding clown loaches domestically?

[Wahter]

From everything I've read, clown loaches are not easy fish to breed and David Lass once asked one of the fish collectors/ exporters in Malaysia if they catch cloach loaches, then grow them out. The collector/ exporter said, "what for? it's easier and cheaper to just go out and catch one".

I think clown loaches' coloring will change according to their mood and a little with age. Once I had one that was faded looking except first thing in the morning.

Some info:

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/botia_macracanthus.shtml


Walter

[Ralph]

That's a great link Walter, I love seeing loaches sleeping. They are the only fish I know that really looks like it is sleeping.

[dm]

I have one Clown Loach that loves to sleep wedged under one of the rocks in the tank. If he is in there for a while when he comes out the black stripes on him are really light colored. After a while it becomes black again.

[Debbie]

As far as I know there are few if any people who have spawned clown loaches. They are a bit skittish and although they are active at times during the day they are mainly nocturnal. Do you have bright lights on your tank?

[TOMMY]

Not that bright! I mean they seem pretty happy and healthy. They eat EVERYTHING well.... Their colors are just.....fading. Maybe it is the high tempurature 86 the tank is set for the discus?

T.

[yellow sub]

At one point my loaches color started to fade a bit. I tried adding shrimp pellets to thier diet and their color came back.

I can't say if this will bring back the color for you but its worth a try and cant harm them.

Stephen

[TOMMY]

Any particular brand? I'm sure my discus can use the variation too!

Thanks, Tom

[yellow sub]

Just the plain old Wardley shrimp pellets.

I have my clowns in my comunity tank, so they also get a "normal" varity of fish food. But I noticed that their color faded a bit over time. So I started to use shrimp pellets daily and their color is back. I have had these clowns for quit a while now and they are around 6-7 inches in size. The other thing I have noticed is that they are sensitive to less than optimal water conditions, but you keep them with discus so I doubt that would be your problem.

The other thing I do out of the ordinary with them is to purposly feed them live snails. I have in another tank is a breeding colony of rams horn snails. I take the young ones out every other week or so and give them to the clowns. I have never seen the clowns eat them, I assume they do it at night, but there are never any survivors in this tank.

[TOMMY]

Once I started having a bad investation of snails, and this is why I got the loaches. They hover over the snail (like a chopper) and flip them over with their cute little snout, then they go for it. I've seen several of them going at the same snail once. But you are right, they do most of their unusual stuff at night. I have a tiny light in the tank which I keep on 24/7. It's just bright enough to be see shadows and figures in the dark water. I enjoy watching them like this too because the fish take on a whole new behavior at this point and it is very interesting to see them change like that.
Thanks for the hint, I'll give those pellets a try.

-Tom-

[fossil]

Make sure you have a big tank for these things at my LFS they have one in a show tank it is 10 inches long and i think they said 6 years old it looks sweet.

[dm]

My Clown Loaches love the Wardly Shrimp Pellets better than anything. (except maybe blackworms)

[TOMMY]

Fossil, ten inch long loaches???? I know they grow big but I have never seen one that big in person. I wonder what they charge for something that size?

-Tom-

[Debbie]

I have seen them at one LFS near me for $60.00. Another LFS has a 1700 gallon show tank that has some that are 20 years old and are about 18 inches long. It is awesome to watch them "playing around" like the smaller ones.

[TOMMY]

I could never have a tank big enough for those guys anyway.... >:( And for $60 I would actually rather get some real nice discus!!! I've always been fascinated by the loaches playfulness though....and they have the cutest little faces :)

-TOm-

[ChloroPhil]

I've seen some XXXL Clowns on sale for 120.00 and up. These things were at least a foot long apiece...it was amazing.

[TOMMY]

Does anyone here have pics of their clown loaches?

[dm]

Here is a pic of a couple of mine. Sorry it is kind of blurry.

http://www.members.cox.net/damiller/images/cloaches.jpg

[TOMMY]

I like how the black is so.....perfectly black! I wish mine were like that :( But mine have this beautiful gold overtone to them. As soon as my friend comes over with his digital camera I will post my picture.

[ChloroPhil]

Great, thanks guys! Now I want to make a Clown tank.... You really know how to look out for your fellows, don't you? ;D

[TOMMY]

Those clowns look good anywhere! In my discus tank they always swim in schools. At exactly 12:00 pm every night they all get together and huddle in a corner...as if to tell me that it's time for the lights to go out!!! They have great personality except for the fact that they are shy and can get skittish.. My discus on the other hand always come up to me and beg to be petted! When I open the lid, they come to the surface and start sticking their heads out! Thats when I pet them...then they turn over to the other side for more! I love my fishies!!

[dm]

I love having Clown Loaches. I will probably always have some.
Here are a few more pics of mine.

http://www.members.cox.net/damiller/images/cloaches5.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/damiller/images/cloaches4.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/damiller/images/cloaches3.jpg

[therchenhahn]

hi all

i'm new to the board, but really want to keep discus (i keep angels and everyone tells me that discus aren't alot more trouble) :)

i have 5 clowns loaches and 3 yoyos in with my angels and a lone silver dollar - they all get along great with the angels - even "play" fight for food (the rich mix sinking tabs) but it never seems to get out of hand (the angel will have one halfway in its mouth and the clown takes it) - they are especially playful with each other and the yoyos - often a clown and a yoyo will swim together - they love frozen brine shrimp

mine never fade - i have really bright lights (compacts) but i only have the lights on when i am in the den or some at nite - it is a heavily planted tank, so they only come out to feed and at nite - there is a huge "cave" made of a pile of driftwood, rock with java fern all around it - this is their home - all 5 of them pile up in there together - there is a smaller "cave" that the yoyos share

i have an oddly patterned clown - his middle "stripe" looks more like a puzzle piece - is almost a circle - this one in particular is a character - gets on the side of the tank and looks at you! there are some huge clowns at www.loaches.com and they have drawings of all the different clown patterns

a word of advice - i used an algaecide several months ago and lost 3 of my yoyos - these are extremely sensitive fish! i know that discus are, but i had no idea that an algaecide, used as recommended would kill them

for anyone considering clowns - get them! they are such fun to watch! and mine are totally non-aggresive (except for food - they are pigs) mine are sleeping or in the cave most of the time, so i really don't think they would bother discus - i even have baby angels and they don't bother them

lol - tanna

[TOMMY]

Hey Tanna! How are you? Do you have a picture of the Yoyos or a website link? Never heard of them :P


Thanks, Tom

[dm]

Here is one. I have three Yo Yos in my 55. They are great fish. Very active and playfull.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/pakloach.htm

[henryD]

I had a 300 gallon tank about 10 years ago. They guy I bought them from had kept 4 loaches. They were beaultiful. At the time I didn't know what they were. I wanted the tank for discus. He was going to give them to me for free but I passed.

Well after I had the tank for 2 years I bought some loaches to through in with my discus. I noticed the color fade so I called the guy up. He told me they change when they are ready to mate and also change with the seasons. Like other fish they also fade when they are stressed out. I also found that when I add too much salt to the water they don't seem to like it very much.

But they are great. Very very hardy fish. I had a tank of parrots (please no judgement) that all die after a kids birthday party and the loaches were the last ones to go....

[dm]

I think they get very hardy after they feel comfortable again after a move. When they are moved to another tank they take a while to feel safe again.