Patience pays off with a clown loach

[bslindgren]

I have been away for a while - too much other stuff going on and really nothing new to write about. But with the onset of colder weather, sitting in front of the computer is an option again. So I thought I'd share a tale of how patient one has to be with fish sometimes.
When I set up my 110 gal tank a little over a year ago I bought a new clown loach to join the four I had already. I let it settle in the tank for a week or two before I added the others. The new loach was about 5 inches, and fairly thin, but not skinny. I wrote about it as a "shy" clown loach, because it just would not come out even at feeding. The only time I could lure it out was when I left a piece of zucchini in the tank. Months went by, and it was looking as thin as ever, to the point of getting me worried, but not so bad that I figured I needed additional medication. Then after about 4-5 months, it started staying out more, and it became more and more visible.
It's now been 16 months, and it is nice and plump, doing the loachy dance every morning. It's the largest loach in the tank at about 6 inches plus, but not the dominant one. I figure it might be a female as it is noticeably deeper in body profile than my slightly smaller clown loach, which incidentally tends to be the bully in the group.
Anyway, patience and persistence with high quality food paid off, which shows that some fish need time to adjust. Perhaps this is particularly true with larger fish, but I am pleased that this one is now well adjusted and a favourite inhabitant of the tank.

[yellowsub9]

I purchased 2 clowns around 5" last year - they were kind of slim and real pale, i was concerned about them not eating but after awhile they got relaxed and started eating. i gave them NLS, Dainichi and shrimp -they are now filled out and very active. These 2 are always fighting but no one gets hurt. Anf of course fresh water changes helped out also.

[ConnieTam]

This is what I can give to my valuable clown loaches.