clown loaches

[wuvmybetta]

I have 2 clown loaches, who are perfectly content being a duo, they were both the same size when I bought them a few months ago, only difference was their coloring, one being bright orange with grayish stripes, the other lighter with blackest black stripes,but now the orangiest one has doubled in size, he's clearly at least 4 inches compared to the other one who remains 2ish or so, what gives? Is it because the oranger one hogs all the food? the other one certainly gets its fair share though so I'm not sure, the larger one seems to be waaay more territorial then the other ,turning pale anytime I change something in the tank or if he has something really good to eat and doesn't want to share, is it the sex of them, how can you tell a loaches sex?

 

[cichlidmaster]

The larger of the two has become the dominant loach!!

In a group of these, when one becomes the dominant, the others aren't affected to much due to having a pecking order.

I have a group of 13 clowns. All but one were bought at the same time. All are approx. the same size now. The one that was not bought with the 13 was 5" at the time the others were purchased.

I placed the 5" loach in the tank well after the other 12 were in and you would think because of his size he would be the dominant one....right?? Wrong!!!

He was low man (loach) on the totem pole (pecking order) and took his rightful place among the rest.

I believe the "group" theory is not only to make them feel more at home, but due to having a pecking order.

CM

 

[wuvmybetta]

That makes sense, I wonder if it would have been the same if you had added the 12 to the 5" loaches habitat instead of adding him last, you know what I mean?
I like the loaches and I'd like to have more but they seem so content right now, they're too cute

 

[dolphin]

Hi wuvmybetta.

I have read some where, (can not remember where) that there are two species of clowns, which inhabit the same water. One species grows larger than the other; the difference between the species is the coloring. I have never confirmed this by a separate account, so it might not be true. A LFS had some 12" clowns a few years ago. These certainly had different coloration than the 5" clowns that I currently have.


Dolphin

 

[semper fi]

loaches are schooling fish which need to be kept in groups of five atleast. you may want to add some more loaches to make them even more comfortable.

semper fi

 

[wuvmybetta]

That's interesting Dolphin, and would explain alot, if they were caught together, shipped together and sold together that just may be the case
But as far as adding more goes, I have a 29 gallon that they're in, I'd like to move them to the 42 but I'm not sure they'd handle it well especially with my nippy gouramis so I'll leave them in the 29,a couple of days ago I took 7 fish (out of the 29er) back to the lfs because they were overloading me and the balas (2) were just getting too large too fast, so now I have
1 gold nugget plec
1 male betta
2 clown loaches
and 4 guppies, bunch of ghost shrimp & a mystery snail


So....how many loaches could I comfortably add?
I was watching them tonight and the larger one sure is pushy & a loner, the other one wants to be buddies but he ends up being chased off and settles for following my betta , so I'm sure he'd appreciate a new friend.....or two?

 

[bruce44]

wuvmybetta: So....how many loaches could I comfortably add?
I was watching them tonight and the larger one sure is pushy & a loner, the other one wants to be buddies but he ends up being chased off and settles for following my betta , so I'm sure he'd appreciate a new friend.....or two?


thats exactly the situation with my clown loaches