Loaches Online Forum

Hello all, I am new to this site. Looking forward to explore this site.

I am currently looking for oddball Clown loaches to buy, so if you guys know any, let me know. Thank you!

There was a time a few years ago when Clown Loaches bred with hormones were available to my retailer and he got some in. Many of the fish had unusual markings but they also had misshapen heads and did not look good. He did not get them in again.

However, there are often wild caught fish with unusual patterns. The most unusual of those I have seen include photos of one with four black stripes. I have also seen photos of a fish in which the stripes were white.

I'm not particularly attracted to these fish with unusual stripes as having owned my six normally-patterned fish for the last 24 years I know they are all very different in looks and personality anyway.

The markings or patterns have nothing to do with hormones.

Yes some of them are oversized probably dued to hormones. Now in this new world, nothing is natural anymore lol

I did heard a lot of wildcaught come in skinny. Then they fatten it up

What I am telling you is that the shipment of Clown Loaches that were bred with hormones had a vastly higher incidence of non-standard marking patterns than the usual shipments of wild-caught fish.

In addition, their heads were blunt-shaped as though they had been squashed inwards from the forward extremity (i.e. as though they had been hit by a bus).

Hi
A word about the situation today: good breeders (at least one in Europe) achieve better results regarding affinity to ichtio and emaciation as well as health-problems in general. Better means that these specimen have no problems at all if properly held and fed. Not so the wild caught.
Odd pattern and deformations: some years ago that was really a problem, I was upset when the first came in. Today you cant' tell bred and caught specimen apart.
Cheers Charles

First impressions last. However its good to learn that things have improved. Thanks Charles.