Strange pigmentation on my clown loach

[JayC74]

Anybody ever seen this on a clown loach before? Perfectly symmetrical pigmentation change on each side. Been like this for a couple months now. Heater is in sump, don't think it's a burn of any kind. Tankmates I don't believe could have caused this in any way. Moving, acting & eating fine. 15 or so other clown loaches with no signs of this. It seemed to just appear one day and hasn't spread on him much since the first day I saw it. 3rd pic is him when he was a bit smaller. thx for reading

 

[JakeH]

Is he the biggest in the shoal, or maybe close to the biggest? The dominant CL in a shoal will usually "grey out" to show his status--That's totally normal & the grey color would probably spread completely if this is the case. If you already have a big grey dominant in the shoal, this guy may start pecking at him & being a nuisance, as he clearly thinks he's next. The others may start treating him like the alpha too, keeping a little extra distance. Nice plecos & I really like that substrate!

 

[JayC74]

He's actually the smallest at around 3inch. I know what you're saying with the "greying out". I have a gut feeling this is something different with the little guy. One of my big guys has greyed out several times. Here's a pic of the first time he greyed out. It lasted for almost 2weeks. This was greying out to the extreme!

 

[evabug1]

Don't know what it is, but I've seen it once or twice in other forums where it shows up on the fins and bars like yours. It is not the normal "greying out" that is displayed as dominance. It could be a different pattern break that happens when loaches get bigger. The black bar has a line of white or grey that bisects a black bar. Although, in that standard pattern break there isn't anything that shows up in the dorsal or other fins.

 

[JayC74]

Yea, I found it strange it's on the fins too. Good observation evabug. Def not the normal greying out. I really hope it sticks around whatever it is. It's like a double oddball now,lol...thanks a bunch for commenting along with JakeH..Figured if MFK hasn't seen it, nobody has. Not the case anymore evidently. Slow growing fish that don't breed easily in aquariums seemed to have lost popularity it seems on the big sites (or at least on this one). But the speciality sites prob is the best bet for something this rare (if it is rare, that is).. thx again for replying evabug!!

 

[evabug1]

You're more than welcome! I like that double oddball lol. I personally find so much more enjoyment out of slow growing fish where you get to see all of the changes and progression. Also since clowns are very long lived compared to your typical aquarium fish that enjoyment gets to last for years. It's a big reason why they're my favorite. I like your clowns! You've got a cool looking group!!