was thinkin about gettin some clown loaches, but before I get any fish, I always check what the fish looks like when it gets older. so far i have not found a picture of a clown loach 8" and up with colors like that of a small clown loach, their colors seem really black and colorless. can someone post a picture of a good 8"+ clown loach with good colors.
adult clown loaches color
- Thread starter Arowana King
- Start date
While their colors do typically fade somewhat as they mature, I wouldn't go so far as to say they become really black & colorless.
Lots of factors can affect a loaches overall coloration, tank parameters, hierarchy within the shoal, stress, diet, age, and even the lighting one uses.
Check out the 8-11" clowns in the following threads .......
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?p=115194
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?p=74965
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=6038
In the last link, note how colorful that loach is (in the bag no less) under natural daylight. If you follow that last thread through, you can see that the 11" clown still has fairly solid color, and looks even better once fully settled into that tank.
Interestingly enough, the adult clowns that I see that appear to be the most faded, or very dark in overall color, are the ones that also appear to be on the obese side. Perhaps their owners are just a wee bit too generous when it comes to feeding, and that too affects their overall health & color? Notice how long & slender those wild caught 8-11" clowns are.
Lots of factors can affect a loaches overall coloration, tank parameters, hierarchy within the shoal, stress, diet, age, and even the lighting one uses.
Check out the 8-11" clowns in the following threads .......
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?p=115194
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?p=74965
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=6038
In the last link, note how colorful that loach is (in the bag no less) under natural daylight. If you follow that last thread through, you can see that the 11" clown still has fairly solid color, and looks even better once fully settled into that tank.
Interestingly enough, the adult clowns that I see that appear to be the most faded, or very dark in overall color, are the ones that also appear to be on the obese side. Perhaps their owners are just a wee bit too generous when it comes to feeding, and that too affects their overall health & color? Notice how long & slender those wild caught 8-11" clowns are.
The theory on the fat loaches and color sounds good. All the 8"+ CLs I have seen, where on the overweight side and colors less than popping.
My largest is ten inches. The others below the ten inch fish in the second shot average 6-8 inches. In the first shot the cl is eating mussel meat which I believe is responsible for the good red in the fins and the nice yellow body colour. Unfortunately the larger loaches always seem to grow a split in their black bands vertically
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Nice shoal of loaches Justin, and very nice overall color. 
FYI - mussel is an excellent source of amino acids (protein) but won't do a whole lot in the color enhancement department. I suspect that for the most part what you are seeing is good genetics at work.
FYI - mussel is an excellent source of amino acids (protein) but won't do a whole lot in the color enhancement department. I suspect that for the most part what you are seeing is good genetics at work.