Very Shy Clown Loach

[squashedfrog77]

I have recently introduced two small (2.5 inches) Clown Loaches into my tank of ten zebra danios. I have provided plenty of hiding places, which they take full advantage of.

One is braver than the other and will come out to explore in the evenings, his colours have resumed their dark stripes, so I think he is less stressed than his friend. The other however, still looks rather washed out after four days and on the rare occasions that he does follow the other loach out, he shoots back in cover at the slightest movement.

The danios dont bother too much (after an initial sulk shoaling at the other side of the tank on the first day) but I am worried that the loaches shyness means that, come feeding time, my greedy little sods of danios pick the flake (and occasional bloodworm) clean, so by the time they emerge, there is nothing left for the loaches.

I feed once a day (around 6pm) and have yet to switch to two feeds a day as I worried my danios might bloody well pop.

Any ideas?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you need to feed some sinking pellet type food for the loaches. flake won't ever reach them

 

[kenny fish fanatic]

they starved,get some sinking pellets into them and cucumber,stick a fork in it to keep it down mine love it,,kenny

 

[nudzy]

If you have got room get a few more, they like to be in groups and this will make them braver.

and yes as said, sinking food is a must for bottom dwellers

 

[Kizz]

M clown loaches are the exact same and i've had mine for around 6 months now. Do the cucumber thing but investin sinking pellets or algae wafers i always do my feed just before i go to bed i scatter them around the tank then turn the lights off . Great to sit and watch them munching and rooting around in the dark and that way i know they are being fed

 

[B13]

My Siamese Flying Fox is the shyest fish on the face of the planet, I swear!!

So to make sure it gets fed (the danios all pile into the bottom feeder pellet, inspite of the fact their mouths are in the wrong place and they have to stand on their heads!) I use a long pair of tweezers to drop a sinking wafer infront of it's home. All I ever see of my SFF close up is a little face peeking timidly out!!



When I sit down on the other side of the room, he/she comes out and rootles around, but the slightest thing sends it scurrying! Interestingly, I used to have two SFF and this particular one got bullied mercilessly, so I took the more aggressive one back. So I must have a meek fish!!

 

[loachman]

Try feeding after lights out. The danios will be much slower to feed and the loaches will be a bit bolder.

 

[matchstickman47]

use a decoy to distract the danios lol trow in two pellets throw the first in at one end of the tank and the other near the loaches

 

[dcarmor927]

My clowns go right after the flakes...i dont feed flakes anymore tho as i dont have any fish that want em...

How big is your tank? clowns get big and like to be in groups of 5+

 

[squashedfrog77]

Have been trying to take some photos but everyone moves too fast!

I have dropped some 2 algae wafers in, and the braver of the two appears to have his face stuck to one of them whenever he comes out. Wafers still there as of this morning but well nibbled. I will also try the cucumber as well, before bed tonight. its snowing pretty heavy over here so roads so wont be able to get to the fish shop until the weekend, but are there any pellets you reccommend?

 

[england]

what i do is use a peice of solid tubing and place it in the tank placing the sinking pellets inside, you will find they will get down to the floor, aim it under rocks and bogwood

 

[squashedfrog77]

my tank is 125 lt - i have ten zebra danio, two clown loach and a leapard pleco (who is 2.5 inches) so far. Later on would be very tempted by the dwarf gourami and - if possible, a male and female fighting fish (but the jury is out on those last two).

This essentially is a starter tank for us, we didnt want to invest in the mega money corner unit we have seen until we knew that we could keep the little guys well. I know I can expect the pleco and loaches to get much bigger, but when they do, we would be looking at a new tank any way.

 

[squashedfrog77]

Ok guys, looking good. We have two bits of cucumber in there, two algae wafers and I have popped another wafer behind the bogwood, (which I have discovered is shy chaps hiding place) so here's hoping.

Apparently after dark he (or possibly she) comes out, and the two loaches stay so close together it almost looks like they are dancing. I actually went to bed rather late last night because I stayed up watching them so much.

So ... if this is my new hobby, is this what happens? Am I going to be hiding on the sofa with the lights down just watching them with a glass of wine? Coz Im liking the new hobby if it is!!!

Thanks so much for your help.

See you soon when I have the next mental!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

So ... if this is my new hobby, is this what happens? Am I going to be hiding on the sofa with the lights down just watching them with a glass of wine? Coz Im liking the new hobby if it is!!!

yup!

just you wait if you ever get a marine tank, all the little creepy crawlies that keep the tank healthy come out at night, you sit there with the lights off and a red torch watching them all!!

 

[littleclown]

Ok guys, looking good. We have two bits of cucumber in there, two algae wafers and I have popped another wafer behind the bogwood, (which I have discovered is shy chaps hiding place) so here's hoping.

Apparently after dark he (or possibly she) comes out, and the two loaches stay so close together it almost looks like they are dancing. I actually went to bed rather late last night because I stayed up watching them so much.

So ... if this is my new hobby, is this what happens? Am I going to be hiding on the sofa with the lights down just watching them with a glass of wine? Coz Im liking the new hobby if it is!!!

Thanks so much for your help.

See you soon when I have the next mental!

Hi we have had two clowns for a while (similar size) and they started of a little like you have described, but after changing their house (big dark hole under bog wood) for other reasons, they now have a slightly more open house and have become much more active, i have spent many a night in the dark with wine and the telly is never on!!!
couple of tips that seem to have worked for us:
They love blood worm and brine shrimp, tend to use the frozen blocks (had a good tip off a local place the other day - use the frozen brine shrimp with garlic sold for marine as good to help prevent white spot) Really like live brine shrimp but heard there are a few bad batches around to keeping to frozen for timebeing.
Prawns go down a treat and they get really excited!!!
Also cucumber, carrot etc although these are mainly for the bristle noses the clowns do also seem to munch.
Have various pallets that sink and again these are a mixture for the clowns and the bristle noses.
Flakes go in first to distract the other little fatties and then put in the clown/sinking food - our fish eat better than we do!
I also talk to them and this seems to have made quite a difference as they now come out and say hello instead of hiding with every movement in the room?? not sure what the professionals think but it works for ours!!!
Its quite normal for them to display strange behaviour - after a good feed i often find ours either asleep upside down or on their sides, which is really very funny.
We have just recently got then two more friends who are quite a bit smaller but they all seem to be doing fine and the big ones really showed the babes the ropes when they were introduced.
I will also say ours tend to get a bit over excited when they are hungry (look like they are scrapping) so we have had to work quite hard on getting the feeding balance right for the whole tank!

Good luck and enjoy, i hope some of the above has been useful.