Odd Clown Loach Pattern

[slippery slimecoat]

I've had them less than 2 months. It doesn't matter what I do, they run and hide as soon as someone even comes in the room. During the day several times I've stayed in another room for extended periods of time and will occasionally peak around the corner to see if they come out to forage or anything and they don't and that's with the lights out. They stay hidden ALL day long and only come out like I said before, after the lights go out at night and there is NO movement in the room. Even then, only the 8" and one or two others come out and that is only when I have some cucumber clipped to the side. When I go to clean the tank they freak out bad, slamming into the sides and everything. I have 4 small gouramini, 3 yoyos, 2 very small tire track eels, and a juvie fire eel in with them. As far as the lights go, I keep them on a timer that runs them from 5 pm to 11 pm. Everybody else in the tank is very social. I even already have the eels eating from my fingers in just a couple weeks. I just can't seem to calm these cl's.

Putting them in the 125 will at least help give them some space to run when they get spooked. And being in a tank in a less traveled area may help as well. Mine still get spooked by sudden movement near the tank and I've had mine for years. You may already, but I'd try having food in the tank only when the light is on to force them out. I've also noticed smaller active dither fish like filament barbs, roseline sharks, rainbows, etc, seem to help bring them out as well. I also think mine might be a bit more comfortable since I went from a dual T5 HO to a more subdued Beamswork LED light.

 

[1eyedbicher]

I have one with a circular spot like that on both sides......The odd thing is (at least to Me) that it developed as He got bigger , I bought 7 at once a few years back and He did NOT have the spot when He was 1-2 inches,I thought there was something wrong with His intestine when it first began to grow , first one side then the other. He is perfectly healthy and is the alpha now.

 

[USMCSS]

Yeah 2months isn't really a long time. Yours may just take longer to calm. How often are you inside the tank doing water changes and cleaning?

Well this week not at all. Been letting a dose of prazipro soak in for 5 days to possibly rid the 8" of a parasite but I'm getting ready to do a water change right now. Normally, I'm in there every other day

 

[USMCSS]

I have one with a circular spot like that on both sides......The odd thing is (at least to Me) that it developed as He got bigger , I bought 7 at once a few years back and He did NOT have the spot when He was 1-2 inches,I thought there was something wrong with His intestine when it first began to grow , first one side then the other. He is perfectly healthy and is the alpha now.

This one has the one large spot and then on the other a small one right in the lower abdominal area.

 

[1eyedbicher]

cool wonder if the spot will grow as mine did. I really gotta get a camera.