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The Clown Loach
 Wow, clown loaches. Where to begin... This was the one that got me back into fish keeping. I had always wanted a marine clownfish, and the clown loach seemed to be the best freshwater alternative. Originally, I had considered tiger barbs, but I was turned off by their nasty disposition. My first clown loach went into the ten gallon, my very first tank. He was barely 2 inches. Instantly he became my favorite fish. Always active, always schooling with the other tetras. Within a few weeks I could practically handfeed him. He went into my 55 gallon when it was up and ready. He was soon joined by three others, two 1 inchers, and a big guy maxing out at 2.5 inches. The big guy skulked in a driftwood cave for nearly 2 weeks before going back on food, but once he was eating, there was no stopping him. I had two cases of ich, thanks to my love of clown loaches. First struck a week after I bought the first loach in the ten gallon. Salt and heat eradicated the infestation after an intense 2 weeks. Casualty: one white cloud that couldn't take the heat. Salt and heat stopped the ich in the 55 gallon, and everyone made it, including a sensitive black ghost knife. Clowns are highly prone to ich and other parasitic disorders. Unfortunately, this includes internal or intestinal parasites, which ultimately claimed my two little guys. With clowns, IP is manifested through the "skinny" disease where your clown looks deathly emaciated. Other than parasites, I've found clown loaches to be relatively hardy. They are rabid eaters and learn to recognize their feeder. Every time I cleaned the gravel, my first loach would swim up and down my arm and into my hand. When you lose one you're attached to, it's almost like losing a dog. Small clown loaches can live in a ten gallon for some months. They are best in a large tank where they can school in a pack and swim around. They use all areas of the tank, from the top to the bottom corners, swimming furiously back and forth in groups. Please provide some form of caves so they can hide away. Strangely enough, once you introduce a cave or two or three, you'll usually be seeing your clowns a lot more. The added security makes them more comfortable in your tank. Clowns sometimes change the color of their black stripes. This is called "graying out" and is believed to be a dominance thing. My big guy did this the first day before going into hiding. My first loach was the leader of the pack, and when he died, every one of the clowns went into hiding for weeks. A faulty Whisper heater killed my loach. I saw the loach nibbling over the black mesh paint a day before I realize the paint was stripping off and polluting the tank. The night before he died, his barbels were extended and his throat was red as if something was caught. A discus gave the two little guys IP. The sole survivor, the 2.5 incher, took to shredding my angelfish's fins and pestering the ghost knife, so I gave him to a fish store. And that ends my story with clown loaches. Maybe one day I'll try them again. But this time, the 55 gallon will be a loach-only tank, and I'll never use a Whisper heater. September 2006 Update I am happy to say I have a pair of frisky clown loaches again.
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