Anyone had a CL stuck in rocks.,cave,under driftwood etc.?

[Bill Bajaj]

I know this is probably a daft question but seriously CL'S best pastime is hiding behind rocks, caves especially digging under driftwood etc. Anyone has a CL got stuck and it passed away.? I mean just llook at them they jam themselves one over another in the TINNIEST hole they can find and they love iit ! I'm just fearful one of them will get stuck and disaster.!
In my tank they just love digging under a driftwood and. I'm using fine sand for substrate and they just love to dig and dig !
I've also seen massive CL tanks in YouTube some having tens of CL'S with loads of hiding places how does one monitor his shoal of fish I'm just curious!?
Anyone ?
Thks in advance

 

[esoxlucius]

When my clown loach were very small they were hiding everywhere. I had six but very rarely did I see all six out in the open together. Maybe four, maybe five. It was a real concern. I could never find them anywhere. At first I used to take my decor out and i'd find them lodged in a little cranny. I stopped worrying in the end. Nowadays it's not a problem, they're too big to hide in nooks and crannies, if they want to have a rest from swimming around like loonies they'll go and rest in a pipe or just lay on their side and play dead!!

 

[Chromobotia]

Mine only cram into tight spots at night to sleep. Otherwise they lay all over the tank when not swimming during the day.

Yours will be fine. Don't stress out, they are great fish.

 

[Bill Bajaj]

Mine only cram into tight spots at night to sleep. Otherwise they lay all over the tank when not swimming during the day.

Yours will be fine. Don't stress out, they are great fish.

Thanks for assurance buddy mine too swim around mostly in the early mornings and evenings YES they are a great fish like NO OTHER !
Cheers - Bill

 

[Coryloach]

Generally, I'd only worry if the hiding places have some sharp sides for them to hurt themselves or too small space inside for the fish to venture in but then can't straighten out properly to get out. They do swim backwards though if needed Another thing I want to mention is that it is a misconception that they need a tight cave to hide. A very large hollow object like big pvc pipe will also do the deeds and there is no fear of them jamming inside.

In their previous tank, mine had a hollow driftwood to hide into, which I didn't even realize was hollow until all the clowns started going into it.

In their current tank their home is a big pvc pipe. It is wide enough for them to swim through freely, even in couples, so 13 of them sometimes go inside at night but I think they still have plenty of room.

Nowadays though my clowns don't hide that much and are out and about all day. Some of them just lay sideways on the sand in the open when resting....Years ago the picture was different and they hid a lot more. I think it takes them years to adjust to their surroundings and they're not fish that like changes around the tank...They'd seek the same hiding place for years and if removed, they can get stressed until they find a new place.

 

[Bill Bajaj]

When my clown loach were very small they were hiding everywhere. I had six but very rarely did I see all six out in the open together. Maybe four, maybe five. It was a real concern. I could never find them anywhere. At first I used to take my decor out and i'd find them lodged in a little cranny. I stopped worrying in the end. Nowadays it's not a problem, they're too big to hide in nooks and crannies, if they want to have a rest from swimming around like loonies they'll go and rest in a pipe or just lay on their side and play dead!!

Generally, I'd only worry if the hiding places have some sharp sides for them to hurt themselves or too small space inside for the fish to venture in but then can't straighten out properly to get out. They do swim backwards though if needed Another thing I want to mention is that it is a misconception that they need a tight cave to hide. A very large hollow object like big pvc pipe will also do the deeds and there is no fear of them jamming inside.

In their previous tank, mine had a hollow driftwood to hide into, which I didn't even realize was hollow until all the clowns started going into it.

In their current tank their home is a big pvc pipe. It is wide enough for them to swim through freely, even in couples, so 13 of them sometimes go inside at night but I think they still have plenty of room.

Nowadays though my clowns don't hide that much and are out and about all day. Some of them just lay sideways on the sand in the open when resting....Years ago the picture was different and they hid a lot more. I think it takes them years to adjust to their surroundings and they're not fish that like changes around the tank...They'd seek the same hiding place for years and if removed, they can get stressed until they find a new place.

Nice helpful replies gents.! Yep I'm very careful about sharp edges on their hiding spots n I too am using pipes but one thing I definitely observe is that they love to DIG! and boy do they dig!! I using fine sand for substrate and they just love to dig way underneath the one driftwood that I have and thats their favourite place ! its under this driftwood I mean a big hole nicely dug up!
Gee I didnt know that they get upset and stressed about moving about their hiding places.The more I learn about the personality about Mr. Clown Loach the more I'm intrigued.
Great stuff guys n thks
Cheers

 

[Coryloach]

One of my clown loaches had a favourite cave in which he religiously slept for years. When I moved all the clowns to a different tank, I experimented and put the exact same cave right at the front of the tank in the bright area. He still went into it despite where it was. He eventually outgrew it and when I saw he could barely get in, I removed it and replaced with the very big pvc pipe I have since.

 

[Bill Bajaj]

One of my clown loaches had a favourite cave in which he religiously slept for years. When I moved all the clowns to a different tank, I experimented and put the exact same cave right at the front of the tank in the bright area. He still went into it despite where it was. He eventually outgrew it and when I saw he could barely get in, I removed it and replaced with the very big pvc pipe I have since.

Buddy thks very much for that - you know it's like I said the more I learn about the Clown Loach the more it never stops to amaze me!
I actually said in a earlier thread this fish has real emotions and its personality is REALLY something else ! What you said about your fish still living in that cave despite having a tank and location change says it all. ! I can safely that this fish Mr Clown Loach has real emotions and feelings which us why its so immensely popular.!
Cheers buddy
Bill

 

[RD.]

Years ago I had to help a friend get one out of a piece of driftwood. We ended up cutting the wood in half, as there was no way that loach was coming out.

I have to say that thousands of juvenile clown loaches I have seen over the years, almost all imported from the wild, most have settled into the life of a glass box by the time they have reached a tank in the LFS. When this species is small, like most fish, in nature they tend to spend most of their day in hiding from larger predators. Remove that part from the equation and IME when kept in groups of 5 or more they become tame fairly quickly. Larger loaches, not so much, some can take months to settle into a new environment.

Years ago I kept a group of approx. 15 clown loaches by themselves in a 6ft 125 gallon species only tank. When the tank lights went off each loach would within minutes gravitate to their special resting spot in the tank. They appeared to sleep in the exact same spot each night, and I had several with unique markings so it was easy to establish who rested where. Some laid on the sand, some in caves, some in special nooks of the driftwood, some laid on open stretches of a certain section of a specific piece of driftwood. I had never seen this behaviour over the years when keeping them in community set up.

 

[esoxlucius]

Years ago I had to help a friend get one out of a piece of driftwood. We ended up cutting the wood in half, as there was no way that loach was coming out.

I have to say that thousands of juvenile clown loaches I have seen over the years, almost all imported from the wild, most have settled into the life of a glass box by the time they have reached a tank in the LFS. When this species is small, like most fish, in nature they tend to spend most of their day in hiding from larger predators. Remove that part from the equation and IME when kept in groups of 5 or more they become tame fairly quickly. Larger loaches, not so much, some can take months to settle into a new environment.

Years ago I kept a group of approx. 15 clown loaches by themselves in a 6ft 125 gallon species only tank. When the tank lights went off each loach would within minutes gravitate to their special resting spot in the tank. They appeared to sleep in the exact same spot each night, and I had several with unique markings so it was easy to establish who rested where. Some laid on the sand, some in caves, some in special nooks of the driftwood, some laid on open stretches of a certain section of a specific piece of driftwood. I had never seen this behaviour over the years when keeping them in community set up.

This is the exact reason I want a species only tank some day. Clowns are probably the quirkiest fish in the hobby, yet most will never see their full spectrum of behaviour simply because they're in com tanks with other species, or they don't keep a big enough group for said behaviour to flourish, or simply because they're kept in undersized tanks and the limited space then hampers their true potential.

I 've got no qualms about eventually putting a group of 20 or 30 individuals in my 180 (dependent on purchasing size, maybe more if tiny). I'l try and mimic their natural environment as best I can and then it should be a simple case of enjoy the show.