Sleepy heads

[esoxlucius]

Of all the quirky comical behaviour that clown loach exhibit, the one which gets me every time is when they lie on their side to sleep/relax.

Mine have a little "den" which they huddle up in. They go in there at a certain time at night, and usually when I get up in the morning they are already active. But this morning they decided to have a lie in, lol.

You can make out two in the picture but all eleven of my clowns are tucked away within this driftwood.

You've just gotta love clown loach.

 

[anitstuk123]

Adorable!

 

[jjohnwm]

Everybody loves those things. They're nice, for sure, but they are just one of numerous super-popular species that I've never owned...not even once...in 5 decades+ of fishkeeping.

And, frankly, I don't want 'em. I don't need the stress of looking into one of my tanks and seeing a couple of big fish, that may have perhaps been with me for years, flaked out like corpses on the bottom.

It's why I gave up the practice of Polar Bear Swims; just too much for my heart and my nerves...

 

[esoxlucius]

It's why I gave up the practice of Polar Bear Swims;

I just know I'm going to regret this, but my curiosity is beating me over the head with a big stick!

What the hell is a "polar bear swim"? If it's what I think it is then for sure you can no longer ever look on me as a crazy daft Blightonian, ever again. Lol.

 

[jjohnwm]

I just know I'm going to regret this, but my curiosity is beating me over the head with a big stick!

What the hell is a "polar bear swim"? If it's what I think it is then for sure you can no longer ever look on me as a crazy daft Blightonian, ever again. Lol.

Hey! Now that I don't do 'em anymore...I can continue to consider you as crazy and daft as I want!

But, yeah...it's what you are probably thinking. When I was a kid it was more fun than it likely is now, simply because it is rare for the local waterways around Windsor (where I grew up) to freeze up so solid anymore. The Polar Bear Club would make a day of it; go out on the ice with a chain saw, cut out a nice appropriate-sized hole (maybe as much as 8x10 or 10x15 feet depending upon the turnout that day), retire to our vehicles which were parked as close as possible (oftentimes on the ice), remove our clothing down to our swim trunks...and jump in. It's not really a swim, per se...you basically just bob around like a weird-shaped ice cube for a few seconds, screaming/laughing/crying, then climb out, towel off real fast, wrap up in blankets and head back into the warm, waiting vehicles. Then you go get drunk.

Haven't done it since I was in my early thirties, but there were plenty of old-timers who did it each year; one guy must have been in his 70's! It's a terrific shock when you jump in, but as long as you didn't try to stay in too long the worst part was when you came out, since the air was usually colder than the water. Of course, water draws the heat from your body much faster than air, so minimizing the time spent in it is critical...but once you go in, trust me, wanting to stay there too long is usually not a concern.

Maybe we should organize a British equivalent event, something more suited to the climate? How about Aquatic Fruit Bat Hangs? Hand upside down by your feet in a tree, and then try not to drown in the incessant rain pelting down on you! Last guy or gal to fall out gets a prize.

 

[esoxlucius]

But, yeah...it's what you are probably thinking.

No, that is not what I was thinking at all, lol. You've just described a dip in very cold water basically, which is a bit of an anti climax really!

What I imagined by the term "polar bear swim" was a little more literal, lol. Like swimming with polar bears! I thought surely not, but we are talking Canuckistan here, lol.

Can you see why my curiousity was torturing me now? Lol.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

You've just gotta love clown loach

Enough with the understatements! One cannot merely love clown loaches, the proper term is be addicted to!

 

[esoxlucius]

Enough with the understatements! One cannot merely love clown loaches, the proper term is be addicted to!

In your case we're not just talking clown loach though. You're addicted to ALL loaches, lol.

You should seriously think about changing your username to "Multiple loach syndrome." Lol.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

In your case we're not just talking clown loach though. You're addicted to ALL loaches, lol.

You should seriously think about changing your username to "Multiple loach syndrome." Lol.

Lmfao yes. Either that or 'Loachaholic'.

I've got enough of that to be more addicted than the whole Eels and Loaches section put together, lol.

 

[jjohnwm]

No, that is not what I was thinking at all, lol. You've just described a dip in very cold water basically, which is a bit of an anti climax really!

What I imagined by the term "polar bear swim" was a little more literal, lol. Like swimming with polar bears! I thought surely not, but we are talking Canuckistan here, lol.

Swimming with polar bears?!?!?! I can see how the reality failed to compare.

Yup...daft...

You do realize that the closest free-ranging polar bear to the locale I was describing would have been something like 2000km away, as the crow flies? Even from my home today, it's still over 1000km.

...Either that or 'Loachaholic'...I've got enough of that to be more addicted than the whole Eels and Loaches section put together, lol...

You mean there's actually a section devoted to Eels and Loaches?

Why?