# Clown Loach.....



## papik (Oct 6, 2008)

so i'm not a beginner, but i am experiencing a problem that i've never run into before....... they are shy..... it's that simple....... i walk into the room, the dart to the other side, and it's not just one of them, it's the entire pack of nine.... and this batch are also not as colorful as i'm used to... i've had them a couple months now....... just can't figure it out.....


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

My Clowns also took a bit of time to get accustomed to people. Even now, they will still dart around if it is an "unfamiliar" person. But when I go to feed them, they are more than happy to swim to the front and beg for food.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Do you have enough hiding places for them? 
Have you watched them with the lights out?

I have a group of 10 that I've acquired a few months ago and they are similar to what you are describing. The group have recently become a lot less shy for some reason ever since I've added a few more rocks for hiding spaces. Which sounds weird but I guess it helped them feel a little more comfortable? Now, I notice them come out and play more especially in the current from the maxi jet I have placed near the bottom of my tank. They are also less _skiddish_ which I'm hoping will eventually go away completely.

Are they eating well? What kind of tank mates do you have with the loaches?

I'll keep you posted as I am bringing in another group today to add towards my collection.


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

the fact that they are darting away when someone comes close is a good sign on their health. 

If this is darting away behaviour just started recently, then you need to think about anything you did to stress them out? rescaped the tank, added things to the tank (including fish) etc.

But generally, just give them time to get accustomed again, and you will be golden.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Hitch said:


> the fact that they are darting away when someone comes close is a good sign on their health.
> 
> If this is darting away behaviour just started recently, then you need to think about anything you did to stress them out? rescaped the tank, added things to the tank (including fish) etc.
> 
> But generally, just give them time to get accustomed again, and you will be golden.


Hitch, can you ellaborate more on how it is a good sign on their health if they are darting away? I'm curious as I have never heard that before. I'm new to caring for clown loaches so any bit of information helps.


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

gucci17 said:


> Hitch, can you ellaborate more on how it is a good sign on their health if they are darting away? I'm curious as I have never heard that before. I'm new to caring for clown loaches so any bit of information helps.


darting away when a fish sees a large shadow/body moving towards them is a natural behaviour of all fish (ie, a possible large predator is coming and I better run away before I get eaten kinda thing). So its never a good idea to try to force any fish to come out more (ie moving them out of their cave and hiding spots).

The fact that they are still darting away means they are still behaving normally. Its when they just sit there and dont move when you walk by is when you need to start worrying about them. (at least when my plecos dont run into their caves when I come close, I start to test the water and everything).

Of course this darting away bahaviour is lessened when the fish is acclimatized into their tank and even more so when they associate you with food. (ie, my apistos and angels never leave me alone when I am close to the tank.)


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Ah ok, that makes sense. It's what I was thinking about their natural behaviours but I thought it may have been a specific characteristic this species carries. Thanks


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

it is more something that clown loaches do than other fish, but most loaches will do that as well. i second the 'add more caves' opinion. they feel more secure if they know they can hide a seconds notice.


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## papik (Oct 6, 2008)

i had alot of hiding places, but then they would just hide....... and do nothing else........ so i took some out, hoping that they would just get used to see ppl around and what not..... they still have some hiding places.... The darting away has been like that since day one. They are eating just fine... but with previous schools, i would hear alot more clicking and that's just not hapening with this group....As far as tank mates go, there are a couple of algae eaters, and a couple dwarf cichlids that don't pester the loaches whatsoever.... and there's plenty of stuff in the tank to keep them busy.... i'm doing a water change today... maybe i'll reconfigure some things......


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

This is what clown loaches do. They only come out when lights are out or when food is dropped in. No need to worry about them. Caves wont do much. Get some wood and make a nice big pile so they can hide in it. They like that more than caves.


As for the colour issue they just might be low quality farm raised fish. Nothing you can do about that as well.


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

I second the wood idea. Also, if you have some powerheads, increasing the current would make them feel more homy


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Hitch said:


> I second the wood idea. Also, if you have some power heads, increasing the current would make them feel more homy


High flow is very important this keeps them fit and makes them active. If you have fish in there that cant handle a high flow you might have to consider new tank mates.


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## sunsunsun (May 18, 2009)

My school never did that even after i just put them into the tank, they were already wondering about even when the lights are on, as of now they still are out and about. I was scared one morning though when i woke up and i only saw one! first thing that came to mind was that my red devil made a quick meal of them over night. As i came out later that day they suddenly all appeared. I even looked in every nook and cranny there possibly could be but they were nowhere to be found lol.

I also agree with the wood and powerhead idea. They love the current, would jsut spend time swimming against it.


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

if your tank is big enough you could add a school of yo-yo's or golden zebras. that helps keep them out more during the day.


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## papik (Oct 6, 2008)

thanks for all your help.... i have power heads, just added some wood, and rearranged the tank, and i heard them clicking this morning........ it's all good now....... and since there are more places to hide, they are out more cuz they know they can always seek shelter.......... cheers


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Nice! My new group just came in and I can wait to add in the rest.


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