Loaches Online Forum

Hi all,

We started with three clowns from the LFS which are still going well, then we found three more larger clowns from a not so LFS. The first three are very slow at growing while the last three we got just seem to have growing spurts! and are getting quite large, Q. why is this?, are there two species of clowns?

Just started a 8'x2.5'x3' tank and want to keep the clowns coming, but will be adding them at different times as we come accross them, is there a problem with getting clowns at different sizes/ages at different times? will it effect the social structure of the school?

Thanks in advance

Clown Loaches are subject to a lot of different parasites. Many are still wild caught, and pick up these parasites in their native rivers and streams.

Sometimes, somewhere along the line from river to store they get treated for these parasites, and the Clown Loaches grow pretty fast when they are no longer infested with internal parasites.

Have a look around here at Loaches using the term Skinny or Skinny Disease in your search.

If you have not yet treated your fish for parasites, I would recommend doing so. When I treated mine I went from about 75% death to 85% survival.
(First group of 4, quarantine tank, but no treatment, 3 died. In 2 more batches totaling 6 fish only one died, and that one was the smallest of the group, really too thin to begin with.) The growth rate among the treated fish was noticeably faster.

Treatment was to alternate anti parasite meds with antibiotics, using 2 different anti parasite meds, and 2 rounds of antibiotics.

I would also add that clowns as well as other fish can be stunted if put in small tanks. Nice to hear you have such a nice big tank for them. The former home of the clowns may have been too small.

I have added clowns together of different sizes with no problems. Right now I have 1 small and three medium clowns and they are always together. A clown that was very small has been growing fast and has been pushing for leadership in the tank.