Clown Loach Aggression...?

[bmxer4ever]

Hi guys, my two biggest Clowns have been doing some weird stuff lately. They grasp each others mouth tendrils, face to face like they're kissing (!), push each other around and click like crazy...! They do this for up to twenty minutes at a time, ending up with both breathing heavily, but eventually calming down. Is this a territorial issue? Never seen or heard of this before. On another note, how predacious are Clowns? A few of my fish have gone missing lately, and it could only have been the loaches....
JD man...ewurm...any thoughts?

 

[is300zx]

they're doing the domination thing. it's natural and they're trying to see who is going to be the alpha loach. like many other fish they will eat whatever fits their mouth.

 

[bmxer4ever]

they're doing the domination thing. it's natural and they're trying to see who is going to be the alpha loach. like many other fish they will eat whatever fits their mouth.

Thought that might be it.....
On the eating side, it was actually a smaller loach in another tank. A few small tetras vanished, that I could understand, but then a healthy female guppy disappeared,leaving just some body parts... ( she was just smaller than the young Clown that was in there).
Never had one go for another fish that was of a similar size.

 

[Sunpoe]

they're doing the domination thing. it's natural and they're trying to see who is going to be the alpha loach. like many other fish they will eat whatever fits their mouth.

I agree my guys seems to do it all the time. I guess they 're still not sure who is going to be boss.

 

[is300zx]

Thought that might be it.....
On the eating side, it was actually a smaller loach in another tank. A few small tetras vanished, that I could understand, but then a healthy female guppy disappeared,leaving just some body parts... ( she was just smaller than the young Clown that was in there).
Never had one go for another fish that was of a similar size.

it's not totally impossible but highly unlikely that it was the loach. i keep some clown loaches with feeder guppies and they don't even touch the frys. maybe the fish that disappeared just expired and the loach decided to eat them. or maybe you have pyscho clown loach.

 

[JD_MAN]

Interesting. I haven't witnessed any of my loaches doing this. But, I think that they already know who the dominate one is since he is at least 1" bigger than the rest of them.

You will have to try and get some pics, if you can, the next time they start doing this.

I don't have any smaller fish in with my loaches, mainly just rainbows, discus, and angels. I have a couple of really small loaches that none of them ever seem to bother. I wouldn't put it past them to be eating smaller fish, seeing they way the eat their shrimp.

 

[ewurm]

Mine never fight. I have smaller and larger loaches together, they all get along. In fact, I have many species of loaches in the same tank, I haven't seen a fight. Only problem was a modesta that got moved.

 

[mssassysan2000]

I agree they probly were jousting.

 

[bmxer4ever]

Just got some pics developed - forgot I had this shot. Clown domination battle...they do this a lot, clicking like crazy and kicking up gravel! They go all pale and colourless like this when they do it, then sit around panting like crazy afterwards..!

 

[H3D]

My clown loaches do it everyday.