Clown Loach Losing Stripes?

[Zanziba]

Well, my tank is nicely established now and I have 3 Platys from the start and 6 of the 8 Guppies I introduced survived and seem very happy. I have a ridiculous snail problem so I introduced 2 "Clown Loach" (That's what the guy at the LFS called them and recommended them) but they are losing their blackstripes, turning a sort of grey.

Now, I am guessing it is diet (They seem to be making no headway on the snails and I haven't seen them eat any) as I was only feeding the tank flake on the surface so I went and bought bottom feeding tablets from Tetra (their is actually a picture of my fish on the tub) but they are so dumb they swim over them, even touch them and it's as if they don't know they are food!

My Platys seem to like them though so not a complete waste

My question is, has anyone else owned these fish, what did they feed them, has anyone else seen them lose colour as I have?

P.S. The guy at the LFS said they were "Tiger loach" but a quick googleing experience has pointed out the error of his ways!

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Loches change color all the time. Normally the most dominant loach in the loach pecking order is a dull grey color. The most submissive one will likely be the brightest. They all change their colors from brighter to duller at will and this is almost always normal.

 

[-germ-]

Few handy links.....

Make your own clown loach food;
http/www.loaches.com/articles/home-cooki...archterm=recipe
Clown loach profile;
http/www.loaches.com/species-index/clown...ia-macracanthus
Discussion on chocolate clowns;
http/forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=...our+change+dark

You may have chocolate clowns who are actually colouring up (good thing) or as Araura mentioned it could be related to their establishing a heirachy.
You do know how big they can get don't you?
Like a foot long or even bigger.....

 

[fishlette]

i cant speak for what discus said as ive never heard that before but clown loaches can be susceptible to stress and when stressed they can go quite pale, almost grey in colour.

they usually take a little while to settle in and i have found IME that they can take a little while to start eating properly. trying adding some live or frozen meaty foods like brine shrimp or bloodworm or something.

i could be wrong and probably am lol, just adding another possibility

 

[afishdude]

since nobody has aked yet i will, how big is your tank?

 

[fishlette]

since nobody has aked yet i will, how big is your tank?

its in his signature: 60L. and now that its been bought up, yes that tank is way too small for 1 clown loach much less 2

 

[afishdude]

you might want to rehome him asap, if he isnt stunted yet he will be soon

his sig says "tiger loach" is that the same thing? i dont no about common names

 

[Zanziba]

you might want to rehome him asap, if he isnt stunted yet he will be soon

his sig says "tiger loach" is that the same thing? i dont no about common names

Sorry , LFS said "Tiger Loach but I have seen on Google pics it is a Clown Loach !I'll change my sig.

I know they get to 11inches but I understand that they tend to stop at 5inches in captivity??? I am hoping to buy a 250 liter PLUS tank next Easter when I have more cash. If they do get too big before then the LFS will take them back. They use them in their plant tanks to kill snails.

They are currently small (1.5 inch including tails) so I "think" they will be OK for 9 months. They don;t seem stressed at all and the other fish don;t bother them. They hide under the filter housing or in my "shipwreck" but snuffle about in the gravel happily.

I think that when I eventually get my bigger tank they will be the Highlight of it.

 

[afishdude]

thats just it they wont get to big, they will get stunted. which meens the body stops growing and the internal organs keep growing.

 

[murphyk32]

basically im guessing the color loss is stress // they havent yet got comfortable in their new home. YES, it is true that a lot of people know from personal expierence that in aquariums they average around a max of 6-7 inches, BUT 1, if properly taken care of it is POSSABLE they will reach 1 foot + and 2nd,, you do want to get them into that bigger tank as from what i have read they grow very quickly to the 4-5 inch mark, THEN they grow extremely slowly over a long period of time.,,, try some googling as that is the only reason i kno anything of them, i have yet (will soon) to own any but just googling a lot on them has made me much more knowledgable on them and I would advize u to do the same so you can answer your questions

GOODLUCK,,

P.S. just one more random note : ive heard many stories of them being hand fed as soon as 2-3 weeks of being owned so give it a try maybe,, might help with any stress issues aswell if they feel comfortable,, AND i have also heard that when putting more caves in the acctually get more comfortable and come out more as they feel they have safety in the aquarium.

EDIT: even though they dont seem stressed, the hiding may be a sign they are still getting comfortable but anything i said above will help with that aswell

 

[branjie]

My Clown Loaches have had their black stripes go to a grey colour, and back again, while being happy as larry. They love flakes or micro pellets for breakfast, and frozen food eg. brine shrimp or bloodworms for tea. They are very curious fish, but mine are very skittish too. They will come to have a good look at my face by the tank, but if I move the slightest bit, they will quickly swim away. Mine don't ever seem to hide. One had a time where he or she spent time resting on the bottom of the tank on and off which worried me, but that fish is very active again now. Good luck with your loaches.

 

[Yetti]

Fishdude, stop saying the same thing over and over, it sounds like a broken record. They are small so they should be fine for at least 9 months.

 

[fishlette]

Fishdude, stop saying the same thing over and over, it sounds like a broken record. They are small so they should be fine for at least 9 months.

60L is the size of my holding tanks at my shop and im happy most of them only spend a short time there. essentially he has a tank the size of average holding tanks at both my lfs and most others i know. it does tend to slow their growth somewhat.

prime example is my pleco. he was at the shop for about 3 months, which is a considerably long time for a plec however, this is how long he was there. he was bought at 7cm. in the three months he was in the shop, he grew about a centimetre, if that. since coming home with me, he has grown to a healthy 20cm. thats in about 12 weeks. ive also seen it with many other fish that i have eventually bought home to my tank.

there is something to be said for tank size and personally, i would not keep two clown loaches in a tank that small for that long. its when they are at their smallest that they do the fastest growing

 

[Zanziba]

Well I don;t really have much choice, I don't want to part with them and I can't possibly afford a new tank until spring (Also have to buy a new flat screen TV to go on the wall so my tank will go where my TV currently is).

I'll just have to see how they get on... Also thinking of varying their diet a bit, I have two cucumbers ripe in the garden so I think they will be sampling those.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Fishdude, stop saying the same thing over and over, it sounds like a broken record. They are small so they should be fine for at least 9 months.

I agree in the idea that they will be fine for a few months, fish don't get stunted in a matter of days. It takes time. JUst upgrade to a bigger tank as soon as you have the chance.

Loaches don't eat cucumbers, it will be a waste.