i am new to keeping clowns or any other type of loach. i have two 5" CL's in a 75 gallon tank with a bahia kelberi and a mono both 5-6". while i was at work lastnight my fiancee noticed one of the clowns lying on its side next to a cluster of rocks. she to me it stayed in the same exact spot and position overnight and was still there when she woke up. when i got home later this morning she pointed it out to me and as i went to remove it from the tank. the loach suddenly became aware and darted off. he or she has been swimming, eating and seems perfectly healthy all day. what up with that??? thanks
whats up with my clown loach??
- Thread starter fishmanbob87
- Start date
Loaches like to "play dead." It's just part of their charm. I've seen them literally upside down and have sworn they are dead, but when I go to take a closer look, they they just swim off and look like they think they're hilarious. Also, they need to be kept in groups of 6+... Get more loaches! 75 gallon really isn't big enough for a shoal either IMO.
It's normal. Mine do it all the time too. It kind of looks like they are just sleeping or resting.
As I agree with keeping more loaches, I highly doubt they can count, and can tell the difference between 5 and 6. lol.
Ya Clown Loaches will lay down on their side for extended periods of time just cause they can, its perfectly normal
I just got a school of 6 about a month or two ago and the runt of mine does the play dead thing too, lol. He likes to skim the top of the water. Sometimes he'll turn sideways or upside down"ish". First time he did it I thought he was floatin' at the top dead. I poked the water near him and he flipped around and swam off, lol. He's still perfectly fine and with the school today.
I have seen them do that before and you would first believe that they are on there way out. Oscars also will lay like that.
If I had a dollar for every time I went to scoop a "dead" kuhli loach from my tank...I don't fall for it any longer, when they actually die they turn white pretty quickly.
Loaches are funny, my kuhli and dojo loaches drape and hang from plants, float upside down at the surface, stick themselves to the filter intake, very amusing fish.
Loaches are funny, my kuhli and dojo loaches drape and hang from plants, float upside down at the surface, stick themselves to the filter intake, very amusing fish.
thanks for the help... i will be getting more clown loaches, the cichla will be moved to the 400 gallon soon and more loaches will be added to the 75. which is ample space to grow them out for a few months. thanks