Loaches Online Forum

I have one of these guys in my group of clowns. He is a little bit slower than the normal clowns, but is very healthy. When i found him at the pet store, i could not resist, plus i bought him for only $4 . I asked the guy if this was a mutation or if it was stunted. He didnt know. So is this a naturally occuring thing in the wild or are they stunted?

I'd lean more on deformed. Same thing as short-bodied bichirs.

Can you manage a photo? It would help.

actually some pics on this site, heres the links
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/ph ... 2.jpg/view
there is another one, but i could not find it

clownloachfan wrote:actually some pics on this site, heres the links
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/ph ... 2.jpg/view
there is another one, but i could not find it

That clown is actually deformed to me. Its body shape does not look like it could handle even the currents required by the loaches.

actually, they swim quite fine, sut a little wobbly and slower than normal ones

clownloachfan wrote:actually, they swim quite fine, sut a little wobbly and slower than normal ones

One thing a normal bodied loach wouldn't have problems with.

haha, true. Remember those toys? Weeble wobbles or whatever. "weebles wobble but they dont fall down"

As can be seen from the credits, that is one of my pictures of a short-bodied clown loach that a customer bought into us for rehoming. Instead of speculating how it might have swam, it would have been nice to have been asked. As it happens, this fish swam and behaved like any other clown loach. It had no difficulties whatsoever and mixed as though it was exactly the same as the others. After that picture was taken, we moved those clowns to a 6ft sump tank, which is where I observed it's behaviour for some time. It was in no way slow.

Emma