|
 |
Clown LoachTiger Loach Family: Cobitidae
A very popular fish, the Clown Loach is one of the most beautifully colored and patterned of all the freshwater fish!With a bright orangish to reddish body, three broad jet black vertical bars with one passing through the eye, and a bright to deep red coloring on the front fins and tail, the Clown Loach is an extremely striking fish. They are most colorful when they are young however, and tend to become a bit less brilliant as a larger fish. The word macracanthus stands for 'big spine and as this name suggests they have a pre orbital spine that is quite large, making an effective defensive weapon. They have four barbels and have been known to make audible clicking sounds. For the most part they are a shy bottom dweller, but unlike many loaches the Clown Loach is active during the day. Once they are secure in their environment they can even become quite tame. They like the company of their own species and can also be kept with other fish. They are fairly easy to keep, but are prone to ich. For more Information on keeping this fish see:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Since they are omnivorous, the Clown Loach or Tiger Loach will generally eat all kinds of live foods, flakes, and algae. They like tablets and frozen foods as well. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) as a treat. They also like mosquito larvae, tubifex, daphnia, and vegetable foods such as algae wafers.
This fish prefers a fairly large aquarium (30 gallons or so) with plants and places for retreat such as rocks, caves, and roots. Also use subdued lighting. They do best in soft, slightly acidic water with frequent water changes of about 10% a week. Because they are burrowers, the substrate needs to be a fine gravel or sand that does not have sharp edges. Be sure to provide hardy plants with the roots protected and have decorations firmly placed on the glass bottom so they don't fall over. Plastic tubes also make safe and excellent hiding places.
Distribution:
The Clown Loach or Tiger Loach are found in Southeast Asia;
from Borneo, Sumatra, and Indonesia. They are found in either running
or standing waters in their natural habitat.
Size - Weight:
These fish get up to 12 inches (30 cm) in the wild though
they haven't been known to reach that length in the home aquarium. Captive
species are seldom longer than 6.5" (16 cm), with about 8" (20
cm) being the maximum.
Social Behaviors:
A good community fish, they will tolerate other tank mates
as well as enjoy other members of their own species. Lively and fun to
watch.
Sexual Differences:
Males are thinner.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
These fish are mostly bottom dwellers, but will occasionally
swim in the middle of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: to 5° dH
Ph: 6.0-6.5
Temp: 77-86° F (25-30° C)
Breeding/Reproduction:
The Clown Loach or Tiger Loach has rarely been bred in the home aquarium. There are only a couple of reports of success, with the most recent being in the fall of 2007 by Colin Dunlop from Carluke, Scotland. In an article from the publication Practical Fishkeeping, there are photographs of the spawn but he said that most of the eggs were infertile, and no fry have yet been reported. It is thought that they need a large aquarium with lots of hiding places, along with their being satisfied with their aquarium conditions.
They have been spawned commercially with the aid of hormones on fish farm in the Czech Republic, and farmed fish are available from both there and from Asia.
Availability:
The Clown Loach or Tiger Loach is readily available and is
very popular.
Comments from people who have kept this fish:
In my experience, and I've kept clown loaches for years, when I introduce new loaches I do a reshuffle of the ornaments to allow the loaches to establish new territories.
Hi. I have a little problem with my last clown loach and I would like to know if anyone can advise me. We had 2 of them 9 years ago, and had different species who all died one by one. Since the last fish died tragically (the pomp broke during the night and the clown was the last one of the two alive on the little water left). Since he has been alone (approx 1 month) he spent all his time hiding in the vase I bought for them few years ago. He/she sounds a bit traumatize still by this accident I think. Anyway, today we bought him 2 clown friends and other species to keep him entertained. I suppose they will all settle down within few days. Therefore, I want to create a hiding place for the new one with 3 flat stones so when hidden we can still see them. My question is: can I remove the vase for the old one as I don't see him/her as much as before, or you will advice me to keep the vase as this it an old fish now? If anyone has experience this .. Thanks for you help Laure
I have a 3 to 3 1/2 inch male and about a 3 inch female clown loach. Mamma died and I now have 5 frys and daddy. I have read that it is rare for loaches to breed. I have a 30 gallon aquarium with fan tailed guppies, red finned shark, and assorted mollys. None of them have bothered the fry (yet).
The clown loach is also great for controlling or fixing a snail problem. Not wanting to use chemicals in my tank I found some research that suggested some loaches will eat snails and that the clown was very good at this. I got two loaches and within two days my large snail problem was SOLVED never to return. These are fun and colorful fish and great for snail control. Get a couple of these and you will not be disappointed!
I have a Clown Loach. His name is Nemo. I love him. The Clown loach is my favorite loach. I love to watch him.
these fish are crazy. They are completely active, beautiful, and fun to watch. I have a school of 5 in my 90 gallon tall tank, along with a yoyo loach. They swim up and down up and down on the side of the tank, and make you dizzy.
Some of the coolest comments:
I have to say the Clown loach is one of my favorite freshwater fish. Got my first one and 17.7 years have passed since then and I'm still buying food for this guy. He's a male named Phoenix. When I got him he was as long as a thumbnail, he's about four inches now. He was the only surviver when my first tank (30 gallon, which I bought at a yard sale) sprung a leak, cracked, and exploded. If it wouldn't have been for Phoenix I would have called it quits then. I saved all my fish in bucket but they all died minus the loach. Times were harder for me then and he ended up living in my bathroom sink for 2 days until I found a way to borrow money for new tank. I have a 55 gallon now and he lives quite a happy life with two other Clown loaches. They love to hide but you still see them often and they are definately the class clowns of the community. They'll do all sorts of crazy stuff and they get along with absolutely everything. They live a long time though, so you better be prepared for a long term relationship.
Hello all, I've a big fish tank which consists of quite a few fish. The tank is 5 feet long and contains a large Panaque (Royal Pleco), 3 Striped Raphael fish, and several clown loaches. When I first saw these I'm probably the only one to admit I wasn't keen until a friend bought some and I saw their nature and characters. I was fascinated and got some of my own, including Blue Botias. I must now admit they are my favorite fish and would be lost without them. They are cheeky, dancing up the side of the tank and always hungry! (but they are not overfed). he clicking when food is put in the tank is loud! Lots of hiding places are best but too many and you never see them. I feed mine on cucumber (loudest clicking), flake, catfish pellets, algae wafers, and sinking wafers. I vary the diet so they don't have the same each day. They also like earth worms chopped, bloodworms, and many other varieties of foods. One of the best fish I can recommend for an aquarium!
Author: Clarice Brough. CFS.
[Home] [Newsfeed]
[Saltwater Aquariums]
[Reef Aquariums]
[Freshwater Aquariums]
[Cats][Pet Birds] [Small Animals] [Reptiles] [Cute Pets] [References] [Team] [Pet Links] [Pet Supplies] [Care Sheets] [About Animal-World] [Site Map][Privacy Policy] [Recommended Pet Books]
