Clown loaches are freshwater fish that occupy the lower part of the aquarium. They are active fish and are known to be excellent snail eaters.
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What is the life expectancy of a Clown Loach?
A loach clown can live between 10 and 20 years. By way of comparison, the clown loaches at Basel Zoo are kept in a large aquarium (over 2,500 liters), and the oldest ones are about 20 years old. They are of course in optimal conditions to live that long, the average being around 16 years.
How do clown loaches live?
It is true that clown loaches like to eat the invertebrates in the tank, Melanoid and Planorboid snails, as well as Ampullaria and shrimps such as caridina, but it is not advisable to buy a clown loache just to get rid of the excess snails.
Because clown loaches are sociable fishes, which prefer to live in a group, so ideally you should buy 5 or 6 individuals, because they become big and need a lot of space to be comfortable, because they are playful and very stirring clowns, which easily scare away more shy species: Discus, Scalarias, or Gouramis for example!
Is my clown loaches dead?
Their attitudes are surprising: clumsy swimmers, they jump from plant to plant and rest on their pectoral and caudal fins, resting on a stone or a leaf or even lying on their side, as if dead! Except that it is not dead, it is resting!
This position alarms new clown owners before they realize that there is nothing wrong with it and that the fish start moving again as soon as you approach the aquarium. They are also often seen crowded together in a shelter or in a corner of the tank! or swimming upside down on their backs to catch the food floating on the surface
Under the influence of fear or excitement these Cobids can emit clacking sounds, which can be heard very well even a few meters away from the aquarium! These clacking sounds are very loud and are often related to the distribution of meals or to reactions of defense of territory or simulated attack.
What disease can clown loaches die from?
Clown loaches have a reputation for being fragile fish and susceptible to disease. They easily catch white spots (Hichtyophthirius multifiliis) which must be treated quickly so as not to contaminate the other inhabitants of the tank. It is usually enough to increase the temperature by 2 or 3 degrees for the fish to heal by themselves.
If they live in a tank with parameters that suit them well, their resistance is great. They are weakened when environmental conditions deteriorate, when tank maintenance and water changes are neglected or when the aquarium is overcrowded.
Beware, they are also very sensitive to medication! If you have to treat them in a whole tank, you should use half of the prescribed doses because their skin easily absorbs all the chemicals.
It is wiser to treat sick fish in a specific tank to avoid poisoning the clown loaches in the community aquarium. Sometimes we see clown loaches whose skin has been burned by the chlorine in the tap water and they have turned white.
