Large loaches lose colour?

[ckk125]

Why is that so?

My clowns are wild caught, at 11 inches...that fellow has done nothing but eating and getting fatter day by day. Suprisingly, his colouration is almost if not the same as a 3 inch clown.

Before and after pics:





(note the colour intensity, i dont get it why this big guy retains most of his colour)

 

[ewurm]

Awesome fish! It can happen in larger fish. I think it has to do with multiple factors. Genetics, diet, water quality, stress level, etc.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

love when large loaches keep their color instead of fade....

just curious about your tank combo....

Are those goldfish feeders or goldfish that you keep along with your loaches?

 

[aquatic_wonders]

Awesome fish! It can happen in larger fish. I think it has to do with multiple factors. Genetics, diet, water quality, stress level, etc.

Yep I agree!

 

[bill88]

theres 2 types of clown loach; 1 grows larger and has less colour and the other 1s are smaller and have more colour.

 

[guppy]

I haven't seen any info on this.

 

[ewurm]

theres 2 types of clown loach; 1 grows larger and has less colour and the other 1s are smaller and have more colour.

I'll have to disagree with you. All loaches are the same, and all will reach the same aproximate maximum size. The smaller ones usually have good color, but the larger ones need good water and good food to maintain their color.

 

[Lrry93]

I'll have to disagree with you. All loaches are the same, and all will reach the same aproximate maximum size. The smaller ones usually have good color, but the larger ones need good water and good food to maintain their color.

I will have to disagree with you. There are loaches that have been collected from two different locations in the wild and color differences have been noted. I will try to find the article and link it to the site.

I do agree diet , stress, and water quality play a factor in maintaining good color though.

 

[Mystix212]

Those loaches there are very thin, but have good colour. Compare them to this 12" Loach called 'Marge'. www.loachesonline.com Somehow, I think I might agree with Lrry93 and bill88. But Im very open minded.

 

[TheKeyToArson]

"Marge" was obviously kept in a very large tank since she was small.Unfortunatly Emma Turner rescued her only about a year and a half ago(give or take) so her history is relatively unknown. Since loaches can grow to 16 inches it's usually how they are kept that affects the size and color. There are not two differant types of clown loaches. Unless you are talking about a royal clown loach which is a differant species. The reason why there are differant variations in clowns color in the wild are usually it's surroundings. Depending on where the species were collected the coloration could be nothing more than the differance between a sandy or rocky substrate.

Lrry93 if you have some scientific evidence of the possibility of two species of clowns I would love to read it. But until then I have to believe it was a variation due to surroundings like many other species.