Mysterious death of Clown loach

[Alien_spawn]

I found 1 of my clown loaches dead this morning

leaving only one left in the tank, I heard that they are close to the other CL's and if one dies (if you only have a pair) the other dies soon after is this true?

 

[Lateral Line]

CL are a gregarious fish and like the company of their own kind, a group of 3 or more suits them well. Certainly I would expect your remaining fish to be a little stressed, but as long as your water and care regime are good, he will not, in all probablility die, however, the first one died for a reason, so bear that in mind.

There are people that keep CL's alone, and do so for many years. That said, I would always recommend keeping more then one, and would suggest you find a replacement. Try to get one that is not drastically different in size if possible, ideally one that is just a little smaller.

 

[Alien_spawn]

Cheers -I think I will buy a new one, the odd thing was he laid down in his usual spot at night with the other loach and never woke up again, as he was dead in that position this morning, no obvious signs to what was up. I had a platty that froze and died of a heart attack i think, many years ago seems simliar to that but not sure...

 

[Nina7777]

So sorry to hear about your loss. get him a buddy real soon if you can