Evil Clown Loach

[katyboombaty]

the clown loach i have i bought about 5-6 years ago. i had bought him with a couple other clowns, but they have since died. he is the only clown loach in the tank along with 2 yo-yo loaches 3 kuhli loaches and 2 corys. For the longest time he was very peaceful and nice, especially with my bronze cory. to add to this story i have 2 female gold angels that, well....lay eggs about every 10 days together. it seems everytime they lay eggs he goes nuts, and at the same time gets incredibly aggressive. he goes after the angels, but they are able to hold their own. however, aside from when the angels lay eggs, he attacks the bronze cory he used to be so nice to. its so weird. i really don't know what to do about him. he's causing alot of nipped fins in the tank when he used to be a peaceful as can be. i also added a piece of driftwood to the tank which he now claims as his own. whats going on with him? what should i do with him? i've had him for awhile and i hope i don't have to get rid of him (aka sell him to a pet shop). HELP!

 

[bobrob]

Maybe you should try adding a few more clowns. This seems like weird behaviour. Clowns are usually so peacful. They usually hide all the time when theyre alone.

 

[katyboombaty]

i thought it was weird too. he didn't start really acting weird until we moved over the summer too. i dunno if that stressed him to the point of becoming a grouch. unfortunately i dont think i can get any more clowns because my fish tank is at max. capacity (its only a 29 gallon). well he's calmed down a little bit. it was time to feed the fish dinner anyways, so the angels went on laying their eggs and he ate his dinner and is now back in his driftwood. does anyone else have a clown loach like this?

 

[Brockway]

How big is he? Wouldn't a 6 year old clown be too big for a 29? Not exactly sure, never seen one that old (only ones older and younger)... could that make him grumpy?

 

[420Loach]

i think hed be somewhere around 5 1/2", but it depends on how old he was when you bought him(and how much ya feed him). he might be mad that hes the only clown in there. what happens to the eggs the angels lay? do they get eaten by the clown? if they do, he might be acting like this to hog all the eggs to himself.(my yoyos were doing it with apple snail eggs.)

 

[catfishmike]

he could be in a state of sexualy frustration.clowns have been bred in captivity using hormones.with your angels breeding frequently it could be releasing so many hormones into the water that it is causing your loach to come into"heat" and that could be the cause of the behaviour,but then again i could be a crackpot too.i think it's worth exploring though.

 

[wayne]

I've heard they get increasingly aggressive with age and size. You should check on the web for info on breeding clown loaches - by the time these things are large enough, and old enough to breed, they are feeding them feeders! 5 or 6 years seems old, but I susect yours might have reached 'loach puberty'

 

[420Loach]

ive read they reach sexual maturity somewhere around 7 1/2 - 8 inches long, but it probably is hormone related. clowns do get more aggressive as they age so he may just be a grump.

i know the aggresivensess comes in if the loach has to compete for food or feels like they dont have their own space(which is why hes playing "hog the driftwood"), and from being the only clown in there. i dont think a 29 gallon would give a bigger sized clown enough room to be happy also.

 

[katyboombaty]

i'd say the biggest he is would be about 5" so he's a good size. yeah he gobbles up the eggs all for himself basically. it almost seems like sometimes he chases the angels around when its almost time to lay eggs to get some of them. its crazy! yeah maybe he is being a hog. he's completely chilled out today, just him and the yo-yo's laying inside the driftwood together. its interesting though, i figured i'd post this cuz alot of people hear about how friendly and nice clowns can be, and for the most part they are. but i think this is just more fuel for the fire to get clowns in groups. unfortunately, i got him at a time when i wasn't as experienced as i am now. maybe as time goes on and if space becomes available in the tank i'll one day get more clowns, but for now i can really only keep it to him being the only one or else i'll REALLY overload the tank. thanks for all the info guys it helped alot!

 

[420Loach]

yeah, at 5" there wouldnt be that much room for more clowns hehe. if he only freaks out when the angels are laying eggs, then he probably loves eating the eggs they give.(once my yoyos found the catch of apple snaill eggs, it was nothing but carnage and clicking hehe)

 

[Miss Marigold]

I was interested in this discussion so I looked up Clown Loaches in my handbook of tropical aquarium fishes by dr's Herbert R. Axelrod (what a name!!!) and Leonard P. Schultz.

It states that Clown Loaches get up to one foot in length, and are "a peaceful species when small, but not suitable in the community aquarium when large."

So according to the book, your Clown Loach is (not might be) just getting too big; it's not a matter of moving, company, tank size, or sexual hormones. You just have a big Loach. *PEACE!*

 

[420Loach]

Miss Marigold, have do you have any books written specifically for clown loaches? ive been trying to find one here, but no luck as of yet...

 

[Miss Marigold]

Nope, none just for clown loaches, sorry...I get all of my info from huge (it's around 3 1/2 inches thick) fish book by Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod and his buddy. It's a very good book, though, and has tons of info on almost every kind of tropical fish you can think of...anything from guppies to even electric eels.

 

[Miss Marigold]

Herbert R. Axelrod! I just CAN'T get over that NAME!!!!