Clown Loach Fighting?

[Justin.Accurate]

Hi ....errr I'm new here so go easy on me

I did a quick search here and couldn't find any discussions on this - but I noticed my two biggest clown loach lip-locking today and generally displaying to each other (swimming side by side with fins up, pushing into each other etc).

I have 4 clown loach ranging from about 2.5" to 5" in a 2.5 foot long tank. I've had them for a little over a year (even though they were not all bought at the same time) and they have always lived happily toegther in a cave.

The thing is I did have 1 big one, 2 medium ones and a little one, but one of the medium ones is now bigger than the big one (if that makes any sense ). My theory is that they are just re-arranging dominance, I know they surely can't be partnering cos i know they have never been bred in captivity.

Anyway - my question is - can they actually do each other any harm? Clown loaches have gill spikes and i'm hoping they never use them against each other... I *was* worried my Synodontis Angelicus might maybe cause me problems, i never expected the peaceful community clown loach to be causing trouble

 

[Graeme]

No real harm will be done. It's just them sorting out the pecking order. It's a good sign to see them acting normal i say!







Graeme.

 

[platypus]

Hi Justin,

I'm new too, so I'm definitely no expert! However I do love my clown loaches, and I've found this website to be really useful and informative and has answered loads of questions I've had about their lovely idiosyncracies. http/www.loaches.com/markings.html

Hope it helps!

 

[gazat]

Hi Justin,

Welcome to the board, glad to see someone else from Coventry. What LFS do you use?

You might need to think about rehousing the clown loaches as they get bigger, as a 2.5 ft tank will not be big enough for them as they get bigger. Any excuse for a bigger tank

Gaza

 

[Justin.Accurate]

thanks for the advice - i found the "fighting" fascinating more than worrying

I tend to go to a couple of LFS in the area - 2 of my clown loach were from the little shop in Allsley (or however you spell it ) and i go to a shop in a village past ryton but for the specialist stuff i travel to shirley aquatics.

I know i may have to expand at some point, but they seem oblivios to the size of the tank and spend 90% of the time huddled in an cave together less than 6" by 6" - it's the "dwarf" SAE (lol why did i believe the man at shirley) that's probably too big for the tank now - he's pusing 6" now and i know they get bigger than that

What did startle me was seeing the 12" clown loaches they had at shirley one time - they were monsters