View Full Version : clown loach behavior
My 2 clown loaches spend a lot of time in a cave I constructed for the tank. They are always in there together. I can't see inside the cave so I have no idea whats going on. I have no idea how to sex these fish so I don't know if they are mating. Any ideas? :hearts: :feedback:
Calgone
02-09-2006, 9:22 PM
I've heard rumor that they typically don't like to roam much when they aren't in large numbers. They could be afraid of another certain fish in the tank. =O
I read somewhere on here that it's a good idea to have 3+...
I'll let the pro's correct me though.
joeytoe
02-09-2006, 9:23 PM
clowns do better in groups of 3 or More. I have 4 an they stick together an roam the tank together. I suggest getting 1 to 3 more.
DeLgAdO
02-09-2006, 9:23 PM
I've heard rumor that they typically don't like to roam much when they aren't in large numbers. They could be afraid of another certain fish in the tank. =O
I read somewhere on here that it's a good idea to have 3+...
I'll let the pro's correct me though.
you are correct
clown loaches are schooling fish that love to be in groups of 3 or more, the more of them there are they happier they will be.
The two that I have frequently come out of the caves at feeding times, and are always swimming together. I will take your advice and get two more, but is it possible that they are a mated pair? And if so, do they protect the young?
Also, will other loaches school with clowns? I'd like to add a polka-dot or a yo-yo.
DeLgAdO
02-09-2006, 9:53 PM
The two that I have frequently come out of the caves at feeding times, and are always swimming together. I will take your advice and get two more, but is it possible that they are a mated pair? And if so, do they protect the young?
it is near impossible to breed clown loaches in captivity
very little is known about there breeding behavior in the wild
DeLgAdO
02-09-2006, 9:55 PM
Also, will other loaches school with clowns? I'd like to add a polka-dot or a yo-yo.
yeap, mine school with my two orange fin loaches
they will school with other active fish as well
tinfoils, balas, silver dollars, also known as dither fishes :grinyes:
rweedon
02-09-2006, 10:20 PM
clown loaches have often been known to school with tiger barbs when they are in too small of numbers I believe that this is because of the similar markings on the two types of fish...
ewurm
02-09-2006, 10:47 PM
yeap, mine school with my two orange fin loaches
they will school with other active fish as well
tinfoils, balas, silver dollars, also known as dither fishes :grinyes:
Never seen orange fin loach, have any pics? Also, how do I post pics?
DeLgAdO
02-09-2006, 10:48 PM
as requested ;)
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Picture_352.jpg (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Picture_352.jpg)
ewurm
02-09-2006, 10:53 PM
You are the man....how do I post pics?
DeLgAdO
02-10-2006, 1:01 AM
i upload my pics to my gallery and hit the copy button under the pic
Calgone
02-10-2006, 1:10 AM
Here's a full thread on posting pics on the forums.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8401
What you are probably looking for though in that thread was posted by guppy.
Okay, to post pics on a thread this is the way I do it, it might not be the easiest but it works for me.
Save your picture to your computers photo file and edit it to no more than around 600 pixels wide, I like about 350, and make sure you save it as a jpeg file not a bmp.
Start a thread, you will need to type in at least one word,
Below the message box click "go advanced"
then drop down until you see "manage attachments" and click there.
In the new window click on "browse"
select your picture and click "open"
repeat as needed
Then click "upload"
close that window,
then below the box where you found "manage attachments" click "submit reply"
now you are done, hope this helps
Give that a shot, and see if it works. Good luck :)
Breeding has been done in aquariums but rarely. I doubt you have a breeding pair. Here is why.
Clown loaches mature slowly and can live as long as 50 years, those that have bred were kept in groups in large tanks. Temp in the low 80s, ph 6.5. They were all sexually mature and that means several years old and not less than 7"-8" long.
It is not easy to sex them unless they are adults and side by side, the male's tail tips curve inwards slightly at the ends while the females do not.
If I remember right you said in another thread that yours are only a couple inches long, much to young to mate but when they do they are noisy about it. They mate at night and make rapid clicking noises as they chase each other around the tank splashing and scattering eggs that sink to the bottom. They lay 400-500 eggs. They need to be seperated from the eggs as they eat them.
What is going on with yours is that unless you have several they tend to hide.
DeLgAdO
02-10-2006, 2:23 AM
Breeding has been done in aquariums but rarely. I doubt you have a breeding pair. Here is why.
Clown loaches mature slowly and can live as long as 50 years, those that have bred were kept in groups in large tanks. Temp in the low 80s, ph 6.5. They were all sexually mature and that means several years old and not less than 7"-8" long.
It is not easy to sex them unless they are adults and side by side, the male's tail tips curve inwards slightly at the ends while the females do not.
If I remember right you said in another thread that yours are only a couple inches long, much to young to mate but when they do they are noisy about it. They mate at night and make rapid clicking noises as they chase each other around the tank splashing and scattering eggs that sink to the bottom. They lay 400-500 eggs. They need to be seperated from the eggs as they eat them.
What is going on with yours is that unless you have several they tend to hide.
well ill be damn :D
you learn something (or relearn) something new everyday :thumbsup:
Thanks for help with posting pics! Upload successful. Checout the posts in unusal deco thread, these tanks are cool and weird!
Nice red tail (botia modesta). They come in two fin colors, the red and yellow. I have seen the red fin but have not seen any of the yellow fin for about 2 years. Has anybody seen any of the yellow fin lately ?
Clown loaches take a while to become comfortable with thier surrondings, once comfortable you can expect to see them out and about more. As said above the larger the group the better.
stingraybranden
03-06-2006, 11:05 PM
Plus clowns are mostly nocturnal in the wild I believe. They sleep in bamboo reeds (tight small spaces) to stay safe the majority of the time. I have found if the they have a nice safe spot to sleep they grow faster from sleeping more etc. I built a pyramid out of cut, siliconed together plastic two inch pipes cut to a foot long each. The clowns love their clown hotel and if you face it outwards you can see who is in there whenever you want. I currently have about sixty of the little puppies :) Hope that helps.
ewurm
03-06-2006, 11:13 PM
I have a cave where they hide 30% of the time. they are much more active since I added the cave!
crazy_davis1988
03-15-2006, 5:05 PM
I have 5 clown loaches and the most likely reason they are in the cave is beacaue they are only a pair. These fish like to be in shoals of 3 or more. So that could be the reason
I have 5 clown loaches and the most likely reason they are in the cave is beacaue they are only a pair. These fish like to be in shoals of 3 or more. So that could be the reason
They are only in there mainly in evenings, I think they sleep in there.
I added a third loach tonight. We'll see how it fits in.