Loaches Online Forum

I have had the following for over 6 months together in a 120 gal. without a problem.
6 clowns
6 border loaches
1 red tailed shark
1 angel fish
2 bushnose plecos
3 cory cats

This morning all my clowns have nips in all there fins except one of the larger ones only has one small nip. All the other clowns have the tips nipped off every fin. The shark has the caudel fins nipped. All the fish other look fine. Could one of the larger clows done all this damage? Is this common?
Thanks

Clowns don't nip fins. I'm not sure what the problem is.

What is the water change regimen?
What are the water parameters?

Have you watched your shark's behavior lately? I recently noticed my Rainbow Shark acting very pushy lately.

Edit: My apologies, I missed where you said your shark is nipped too; I doubt he'd be nipping himself!

Keith, i'm not sure on clowns not nipping bud, iv'e got 8 adult B darios that have started the nipping antic yet they've lived happily together for quite awhile until a month or so ago.
but it seems the largest are the ones getting the nipped fins with the slightly smaller being the aggressors, at first i thought it was one of the other botia's doing it but actually watched the darios doing it to one another.

mick

Mick- I've only seen Clowns nip or click at the body and head, not at the fins. I guess it is possible though. I've just never seen fin damage from it. They can get pretty loud when doing it, that's for sure.

I recently added 4 young Clowns to my 250 gallon tank with the existing shoal of large Clowns and a few weeks after the bigger fish showed signs of what looked like the start of fin rot but when I sat and watched the small Clowns were nipping at the bigger fishes tails no other fins just tails

Its the first time I have ever seen this behaviour.

For some reason....I'm thinking male Botia kubotai's. These chaps can harris un-welcomed guests to no end (lower level hide outs, that is).

mickthefish wrote:iv'e got 8 adult B darios that have started the nipping antic yet they've lived happily together for quite awhile until a month or so ago. but it seems the largest are the ones getting the nipped fins with the slightly smaller being the aggressors, at first i thought it was one of the other botia's doing it but actually watched the darios doing it to one another.

Aha! Another reported case of B. dario nippiness, I knew it couldn't just be me who'd witness that.

nowey, how big is the red tailed black shark? They can become very territorial of the bottom area of the tank, and so that would be my guess - maybe he got a couple of nips back from the clowns for his trouble.

Emma

my b. histrionica nipped at my rainbow.. Seemed like they were just doing it for fun though. They don't do it to any fish.