Clown loaches swimming oddly

[Jubb]

hello all,

i have six clown loaches in my tank and ive noticed them sleeping upside down and on their sides and sometimes swimming upside down . my other fish are all fine, and the loaches are active enough, so is it normal?

 

[wuvmybetta]

hmmmm, sleeping on their sides seems like typical clown behavior....I have seen mine kinda swim upside down but only for a second or two

I do believe it's swim bladder disease that cause fish to swim upside down but I think that they stay upside down too if they're sick...

do they seem ill or are they just "clowning" around?

 

[Jubb]

hi, ummm, they only really swim upside down when they are at the surface and in the little rock caves in my tank.. so i figured it wasnt anything bad. i just thought it was weird is all.
thanks

 

[jumpman]

my clowns do that sort of thing all the time! just larking around!!

 

[wetwetwet]

Thats why they got the name

 

[gadazobe]

I have 4 in my tank and am constantly suprised by the antics they get up - they play follow the leader all over the tank, they swim upside down just under the surface and then dive bomb down to the bottom, they play hide and seek with each other - one stands still, the others hide and a moment or two later the one standing goes looking for the others. They've even persuaded a couple of my cories that they're clowns - the cories join in the fun and games. Sometimes they're so still I think they're dead but just when I start to get worried, they come to the front of the tank, look at me, and I swear they're laughing

 

[impur]

Yup mine regularly swim upside down and sideways and if they could do it effectively i bet they'd swim backwards!!!

 

[njparton]

I just caught one of mine doing this and i was about to pose the same question - phew

 

[njparton]

Oh dear, he actually be dead now. I found him on the bottom of the tank - stiff as a surfboard....

It's actaully the first tropical fish I've lost if you don't count some small lampeyes that were mistaken for food by my angels....

Do clown loaches need to be in groups?

If so I need to replace the lost fish...

 

[gadazobe]

Clowns do need to be in groups - so if you haven't got room for them (they grow to quite a large size) don't get any. What did he die of? They are very suspectable to bad quality water and for them to stay happy and thrive they need good water and friends.

Sorry to hear of your loss - it always hurts when one of our fishies die for no apparent reason. So before you do anything else, check your water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrate.

 

[njparton]

Clowns do need to be in groups - so if you haven't got room for them (they grow to quite a large size) don't get any. What did he die of? They are very suspectable to bad quality water and for them to stay happy and thrive they need good water and friends.

Sorry to hear of your loss - it always hurts when one of our fishies die for no apparent reason. So before you do anything else, check your water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrate.

My ammonia and nitrite are always zero, but I do have a problem with rapid production of nitrate.

My tap water has next to zero nitrate and if I do a 20% water change my levels will creep back over 100 mg/l in 3 or 4 days.

I've therefore done 2 things:

1. reduced feeding to once a day (I guessed I was over feeding as 2 fat red platys haven't yet given birth so I guess they are just stuffed full of food and one of my 3 week silver dollars has more than doubled in size!!).

2. replaced one of my powerheads with a fluval external filter. This means any old food and waste doesn't get sucked into the gravel so much and my corys and loachs will find it easier to get at it.

I clean my gravel with a gravel cleaner siphon thingy to keep it clean and I guess as my ammonia/nitrite levels never climb I'm not removing too many good bacteria?

I guess I need to keep thinking of other ways of keeping nitrate levels down - I already have 5 plants!!