Loaches Online Forum

I bought some Clowns at a LFS. A chain store actually, they were on sale for $2.99 each. Only thing is they identified them as "Sun Clown Loaches," I have never heard of this variaton before. I bought six of them all around 2" long, thin, yellow with black stripes and big eyes. Unfortunately they all died when the tank I put them in had an amonia spike.

Now to the present I found the same kind of loaches at another chain pet store. This store on called them just Clown Loaches but like the smaller ones I bought in the past these where thin (not round like regular clowns), yellow/black and big eyes. Also the last two I bought two weeks ago have a half stripe on one side and one is almost albino in color. Any ideas on this variation. At first I thought the pale/abino looking one was sick but he eats and is very active and they treated (precaution).

You should be able to see two of them in this vid

http://www.notoo7.com/images/clowningaround.avi

you're so overstocked... do a favor and STOP buying loaches... 10 clowns in 55 gallons is way too much...

Actually half are going into a new tank in the living room, once the conditions in that tank stabilize.

You`ll still be overstocked,clowns can get from 12"-18" as adults. I personally wouldn`t recomment anything less than 100 gal for 5 clowns.

I have a 55 gallon tank and chose not to get clowns at all because of how cramped they would be. There are plenty of smaller loaches similar than clowns that would be a better choice. I have rostrata, yoyos, and striata.

The loaches in the vid are clown loaches. There is no such thing as sun loaches, someone was just trying to make you think you were getting something different with that label on the tank. If they are thin and yellow they probably have parasites. Mikev and EdenAU have both found that after treatment with levimisole their yellow loaches go back to the normal orange shade.

MaryJ, I have never heard of an 18" clown. 12" yes, but 18"? Let me know where you've heard of this, if it is valid.

i have seen a large 18inch clown, but it was very old and it was at some random pet shop around here... someone's pet that they couldn't house anymore. it was at least 20 years old... so it's possible, but they don't think it was with many other loaches. but yeah.. i've only heard 12" and even that takes FOREVER to get to!

poeticpyro wrote:i've only heard 12" and even that takes FOREVER to get to!

This is not the case, if from the start, they are housed in a suitably capacious aquarium with excellent filtration/water quality/maintenance & feeding regimes!

TammyLiz wrote:There is no such thing as sun loaches

"Sun Loach" is the common name for Yasuhikotakia eos, although colouration-wise they look nothing like Clown Loaches.

Emma

TammyLiz wrote:There is no such thing as sun loaches

"Sun Loach" is the common name for Yasuhikotakia eos, although colouration-wise they look nothing like Clown Loaches.

Emma[/quote]

OK thanks for that! Maybe they actually had some of those at notoo7's pet shop in the same tank as the clowns, and they had already sold. It would be nicer to think they weren't trying to fool anyone.

I am familiar with the sun loach, though I havent seen one yet. Thanks to this website I know the difference. These were identified as "Sun Clown Loachs." The ones I have and had came from two local Pet Chains (PetXX and PetXXXXX).
They are Yellow in color with black stripes and one is a light yellow. Also they are NOT sick, I treated them as a precuation for parasites and inch. They are fine and very active. I will try to get some stills if they agree to stay still long enough.

Levamisole was the medication that caused mikevs and Edenau's yellow clowns to turn the normal orange color. Keep in mind that some internal parasites do not respond to anything else.