Clown loach

[rb6161]

I know Clown loaches are called clowns because of the way thay act. i have 6 Clown Loaches the biggest is about 6 inches.the smallest is about 2 inches.The smaller loaches get right up aganst the bigger ones around the gills and it seems like it is stuck there.the big loach swims like a mad fish but the little one stays right with him.. is this normal or should i worry about something? i love my Clown Loatches and dont want any thing to happen to them.

 

[bevans76]

I've had 8 clowns of different sizes for about two years now and I've never seen or heard of that. Hopefully they're just schooling.

 

[Lotus]

Do you mean the small one stays attached to the larger one while it swims? I haven't heard of that before.

 

[ecotank]

That's totally normal. Clowns love to "stick" together and you'll often find them all crammed into a small space that looks like only 1 loach would fit in, yet all 6 are in there. We get ours doing the stuck together swimming routine all the time, sometimes just a pair, sometimes 4 and othertimes all 6 in a pack squished together. No need to worry, this is common clown behavior.

 

[dana307]

I have two clowns, about 2" and 3". They hang out together in a small pvc pipe and generally hang out together all the time. Might not be that abnormal for them to be a bit "hangy."

 

[420Loach]

ive noticed that in my loaches too, not really the clinging thing, but ive noticed the smallest clown stays right alongside the biggest (whenever the big one decides to pop his head out)

i always thought it might just make the smaller one feel safer.

my clowns love doing the sqeeze play too hehe, i have a piece of driftwood in my tank that i hate because whenever my clowns(all the loaches really...) get spooked they ALL manage to jam themselves in there and usually dont come out for a few hours. i cant remove the driftwood, because no matter what i do, at least ONE loach manages to wedge himself in it.