Gibbiceps And Clown Loaches

[james.]

I have a large tank with a gibbiceps plec. I had two clown loachs and no other fish until today. I added two more clown loaches so that the two I already had would be happier. Since I added them the clown loaches seem happier than ever.

My problem is that with all the loach dancing and playing going on, the loaches occasionally brush past my gibbiceps, I'm not sure whether they are doing this on purpose or not. He seems to be slightly annoyed by this and whip his tail, or shudder slightly as they brush by him.

Should I be worried about this? Will the loaches settle down, could the gibbiceps be seen as a threat? And most importantly could the clown loaches hurt my gibbiceps in any way?

Thanks in advance, I really need help with this soon as I'm quite worried.

James.

 

[JenCliBee]

wot size tank do u have (gallons,litres,dimentions) and how big is the gibby?


jen

 

[CentricOregon]

the only soft part of gibbis or any other plecs are there bellys and eyes, the rest is armored and extremely tough so unless the loaches go for the eyes then he should be ok.some plecs can have a bit of a temper so just watch out for him, most the plec would do is chase them away.

 

[barryman]

I have 4 large clowns and 2 red-tailed blue botias in a tank with a large gibby. The clowns are really playful and tend to aggravate the gibby and the blues. The blues are much more "in your face" and aggressive; they all chase each other around but there is never any real aggression or physical stuff. Keep an eye on them but I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[mikev]

IME, not a problem.

I kept a large common with Clowns for a year; the common (12") is now with a large shoal of Kubs and Striatas. They definitely annoy the pleco all the time, particularly when they sit on him (they view the pleco as furniture rather than a fish), but no real damage. Worst case, he'd shake them off or move away.