Loaches Online Forum

Beastie is my alpha clown loach, who appears to prefer life without clowns. After 2 weeks holiday with the angels, he was missing last night and this morning. He is very outgoing and busy all day , so something had to be wrong. He was stuck inside an ornament, so he was taken to kitchen to slowly cut bits away from him. It took nearly an hour, as it was so close to his body, and you had to hold him still to cut another bit away.

Was he phased by this?.... No !!!....great colour, very active again, eaten a late breakfast, definately in his "I can do anything mode" as he swims over, under, inbetween tankmates, dominating the front. I'm still wondering if he should join the others again in the long term, but even after todays traumatic events, he juat appears happier being the only clown in this tank. He is extraordinary!!! Mary

This happened to my one of my clowns once as well. I don't remember if it was the "alpha" clown or not.

He got stuck inside an ornament and I had to break it with pliers to get him out.

It was no doubt a very traumatic experience but the clown was back to his normal self within a day. It might have been more stressful for me than for the clown!

I ended up siliconing some of the openings on my "stump" ornament, as the loaches were getting in there, and wouldn't come out easily. I was worried, so I made sure they couldn't get in there anymore. They found new, safe hiding spaces.

I have noticed that my loach cave is now too small for them all to fit into, so I will have to expand it.