Clown Loaches - Cheeky

squashedfrog77

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More of a fish behavioural question this than a problem, after an evening watching my three clowns (2 to 2 1/2 inches long), Ive just been in awe of how much they can get away with around the other tank members, who tend to get more territorial if other species try anything of the kind.

They have so far stolen food out of my dwarf gouramis mouth, appear to have tried to lie on one of my danios, tried repeatedly to "shoal" with my Beta only to end up bumping into him continously. Last night one repeatedly slapped my plec around the face with its tail whilst digging a tunnel under the bogwood and I sat amazed as the three of them burrowed underneath him, actually almost bodily moving him to one side when he sat resting on some pellets I'd put down for them. He's around four times their size! I swear at one point one looked like he was stratching himself against the plec.

The weird thing is that not only do the others not react to the loaches, its almost like they are invisable. On the rare occasions the loaches appear to get on nerves, the other fish simply shift gently away from them. Heirarchy does exist in the tank and we have plenty of hiding places and room, the loaches themselves are not territorial, if anything, I think they are just sodding clumsy and a bit daft. Why hasnt it resulted in a nipping?
 
:rofl: lol!

You have some really cool clown loach! Some can be really skittish so you are lucky! I know someone who has a group of 20 in a large tank and they swim up and down the glass repeatedly and when food goes in they go crazy! They arn't nipping a clown loaches are not known to nip, I dont think...
 
:rofl: lol!

You have some really cool clown loach! Some can be really skittish so you are lucky! I know someone who has a group of 20 in a large tank and they swim up and down the glass repeatedly and when food goes in they go crazy! They arn't nipping a clown loaches are not known to nip, I dont think...


Hi they are pretty special. I sometimes wonder if they are a bit erm..too "special" if you know what I mean :blush: They spend a lot of time out in the open which I was suprised about as I was told they are quite shy. They appear to have no fear. I am a bit concerned that they might be a little over confident in their dealings with the other members of the tank (quick breakdown plec - 5 inch, dwarf gourami male and female, betta, 10 zebra danios 125 lt tank had stocked for 6 months will be moving plec out to 2nd larger tank when he gets too big).

The loaches have colonised the underneath of a large peice of bogwood, building several tunnels in and out so perhaps its that they believe they have the largest territory, and everyone else is just in the way Im not sure. Are clowns territorial?

Essentially they dont appear to have any understanding of the concept of personal space and bounce and nudge around the larger, more dominant fish like laborador pups. There has been absolutely no reaction from the other fish yet, but do other fish tend to attack clowns or are clowns just regarded as non threatening, hence the ignoring or them?
 

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