onebto
Fish Herder
Greetings to you all on this fine forum, I have been keeping Clown loach for 2 years maybe more I do not know exactly but that is inconsequential as the joy of keeping these wonderful loach is the same today as it was when I first discovered there appeal in my early days.
Like most I have spent an age reading about the species as well as observing them, doing my up most to provide them with the best environment and food as possible for there good health and happiness.
However I have to admit some frustration in my knowledge of this fine species, so I thought I would venture some questions to you fine people to see if there is something new or something I have missed to plug the gaps.
Sexing the species: As I understand sexing the species is almost impossible on living Clowns and that we can only verify this when they reach there adult size and the females become more bulkier a wider width looking from above? There is a theory that you can at adult age identify a male from a female from the shape of there tail fin and that the males fin tips point in a little resembling a subtle claw like shape? Is there any fact to this? Are there any other ways that have been proven over the years other than doing an autopsy on a deceased fish?
I have mentioned about when a Clown loach reaches an adult age, when is this? I am aware that they can live to 20 plus years if kept in ideal conditions. So if we consider keeping a group of Clown loach in minimum conditions of a 6X2X2 tank with good water conditions plenty of flow subdued lighting with a good and varying diet. How old is a Clown at 2 inches in length or 6inches in length etc etc? I do realise Clowns are not going to grow uniformly they are going to vary in the speed they grow, but would any one like to venture there thoughts on this? is there a rule of thumb as the saying goes? I have read one article saying the 7 to 8 inch size I have also read 7 to 8 years of age is the point of maturity one can get very confused by it all and being an Engineer by trade I am guilty of liking exact facts and figures which I know I will never get when It comes to Clown loach but hey we can only try!
Breeding Clown loach? has it really been done in captivity I like most have read one or two brief accounts of breeding Clown loach in captivity is there anything to this? I am not asking how because I have absolutely no inclination of achieving what appears to be the Holy grail of Keeping Clown loach, well not at the moment anyway.
The Clowns we bye in our local fish shop's are they from the wild or are they from farms? I read the majority are from the wild, but do these farms I here about exist? This leads back to the whole age and size question in that: If the average juvenile Clown we see in the shop for sale is 1.5 to 2 inches long how old is it when it is caught how long do these poor little fellows have to endure what I can imagine is a retched trip to get to the shop? Or if they come from a farm are they being compromised due to the steroids and drugs I have read that are used to help bread them? Will the farmed fish over a period of decades de-gradate like some other species of tropical fish through in breading? Again how old are these fish when they are in the shops at the size of 1.5 to 2 inches and is there a difference in size between a farm fish and a wild fish?
I frequent many Local fish shops and never fail to stop and study every Clown loach they have as I have a great interest in what would be considered odd marked Clown Loach, just the other day I asked my wife to drag me out of one LFS before I purchased a 1 inch double dot on the belly clown Loach with one stripe! Fortunately for me and according to a couple of shops round my way odd marked loach are quiet unpopular so if he or she? is still there next time then maybe...lol.... so does the markings differ more on farmed or wild species?
Well I do hope some of you venture what you have learnt or experienced and please be assured I am not being lazy I have searched and searched on the web and read stuff from the tenth and twenty first pages as well as the first of Googles results I guess I just cannot get enough information on these magnificent Loaches but I am sure I have missed some of the good bits of information as you can probably work out from my ramblings above, the length of this post I must apologies for.
Regards onebto.
Like most I have spent an age reading about the species as well as observing them, doing my up most to provide them with the best environment and food as possible for there good health and happiness.
However I have to admit some frustration in my knowledge of this fine species, so I thought I would venture some questions to you fine people to see if there is something new or something I have missed to plug the gaps.
Sexing the species: As I understand sexing the species is almost impossible on living Clowns and that we can only verify this when they reach there adult size and the females become more bulkier a wider width looking from above? There is a theory that you can at adult age identify a male from a female from the shape of there tail fin and that the males fin tips point in a little resembling a subtle claw like shape? Is there any fact to this? Are there any other ways that have been proven over the years other than doing an autopsy on a deceased fish?
I have mentioned about when a Clown loach reaches an adult age, when is this? I am aware that they can live to 20 plus years if kept in ideal conditions. So if we consider keeping a group of Clown loach in minimum conditions of a 6X2X2 tank with good water conditions plenty of flow subdued lighting with a good and varying diet. How old is a Clown at 2 inches in length or 6inches in length etc etc? I do realise Clowns are not going to grow uniformly they are going to vary in the speed they grow, but would any one like to venture there thoughts on this? is there a rule of thumb as the saying goes? I have read one article saying the 7 to 8 inch size I have also read 7 to 8 years of age is the point of maturity one can get very confused by it all and being an Engineer by trade I am guilty of liking exact facts and figures which I know I will never get when It comes to Clown loach but hey we can only try!
Breeding Clown loach? has it really been done in captivity I like most have read one or two brief accounts of breeding Clown loach in captivity is there anything to this? I am not asking how because I have absolutely no inclination of achieving what appears to be the Holy grail of Keeping Clown loach, well not at the moment anyway.
The Clowns we bye in our local fish shop's are they from the wild or are they from farms? I read the majority are from the wild, but do these farms I here about exist? This leads back to the whole age and size question in that: If the average juvenile Clown we see in the shop for sale is 1.5 to 2 inches long how old is it when it is caught how long do these poor little fellows have to endure what I can imagine is a retched trip to get to the shop? Or if they come from a farm are they being compromised due to the steroids and drugs I have read that are used to help bread them? Will the farmed fish over a period of decades de-gradate like some other species of tropical fish through in breading? Again how old are these fish when they are in the shops at the size of 1.5 to 2 inches and is there a difference in size between a farm fish and a wild fish?
I frequent many Local fish shops and never fail to stop and study every Clown loach they have as I have a great interest in what would be considered odd marked Clown Loach, just the other day I asked my wife to drag me out of one LFS before I purchased a 1 inch double dot on the belly clown Loach with one stripe! Fortunately for me and according to a couple of shops round my way odd marked loach are quiet unpopular so if he or she? is still there next time then maybe...lol.... so does the markings differ more on farmed or wild species?
Well I do hope some of you venture what you have learnt or experienced and please be assured I am not being lazy I have searched and searched on the web and read stuff from the tenth and twenty first pages as well as the first of Googles results I guess I just cannot get enough information on these magnificent Loaches but I am sure I have missed some of the good bits of information as you can probably work out from my ramblings above, the length of this post I must apologies for.
Regards onebto.
