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Thread: My Clown Loaches fight again each other

  1. #1
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    My Clown Loaches fight against each other

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    Hi everyone,

    I learn that clown loach will never do well if keep single so i bought a pair of them. At first they are doing well in my 40x25x28 tank but after 1 week they start to fight against each other whenever their eyes meet and will chase after one another. Does anyone has the same problem? I'm thinking of getting 1 more clown loach, will that slove the fighting problem or will make it worse? Can any expert(s) in clown loach give some advice on my loach fight? Thanks alot.
    Last edited by patpl1977; 12th May 2008 at 01:33.

  2. #2
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    Loaches are very sociable fish. Preferably they should be kept in groups (8 or so) but often in home aquaria people don't tanks big enough to house them. Are you sure that they are "fighting", because they are and can be very playful fish. Often swimming around together or commonly being seen "dancing". When clown loaches fight they usually erect a spine just below their eye socket which they use to scrap with one another (you can't miss it if its erect). When they are "dancing" they swim together, all over the tank and often swim directly upward then dive back down. To help distinguish if they are fighting/dancing you need to recognise their behaviour, then tell us what they do.

    I have two clown loach in my tank, they are often darting around the tank together in aplayfull manor. Sometimes they can be at the other end of the tank and catch a sight of the other and dart over to them. Do yours swim at it really fast, never easing off chasing each other, or do they swim short distances, almost twitching when they swim (if that makes sense?). Mine chase each other, play, tussel. Its all part of their social activities, no harm ever comes from it.

    Another thing to concider is how is your decour set about in your tank, all fish are terrotorial to an extent. Change around the set-up of your tank and see if this helps.

    What other companions are in the tank? You may find adding other fish may help. I found my clown loaches get on extremely well with flying foxes (siamese algae eaters), or failing that. keeping maybe 3-4 clown loaches...even adding a different species of loach entirely? They should all get along.

    Theres nothing more i can add really untill you can explain how they interact and what they do?
    Verminator

    Aquatic fanatic and keen learner of aquascaping

    The canvas is what you make it...

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  4. #4
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    Hi Verminator,
    I can't differentiate if they are dancing or fighting. They will bite at each other mouth to mouth, sometime on the body or at the tail but there isn't any obvious injury on them. For the spine under the eye you mention, i couldn't see any erected. Will young Clown Loach has the spine as mine are only about 1.5" in size from head to tail. I have 2 driftwoods in the tank lean on each other that form a dark hiding place in between. The other companions are 2x Dwarf Gourami and 2x Peppered Corydoras.

    Hi Quixotic,
    Thanks for the website.

  5. #5
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    Well if there lip-locking then it sounds like its more quarrelsome than being playfull. Try creating hiding places on either side of the tank if you havnt already done so, they may take a side of the tank each.

    Seeing as they're more of a schooling fish it may be worthwhile adding 2-3 more so they can interact more. You may find that making them keep an eye on more than 1 fish they will forget about quarreling. I've never seen clown loaches fight with one another myself so i can't understand it or truely tell you how to stop it. I can only offer ideas.
    Verminator

    Aquatic fanatic and keen learner of aquascaping

    The canvas is what you make it...

  6. #6
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    My experience with Clown Loach is that they will even fight within the group to establish the Alpha Male. So if the 2 Loaches you have are about the same size, then their fighting can be quite frequent because they will challenge each other every now and then. Try adding one much bigger size Clown Loach into the tank and the rest will usually stop fighting...
    Last edited by Merviso; 15th May 2008 at 21:00.

    Warmest Regards from Merviso aka Merv Soh
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  7. #7
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    That may be why mine do not fight then. One is half the size of the other

    "Alpha Male" - that role is usually taken by a larger female amongst clown loach i do believe.
    Verminator

    Aquatic fanatic and keen learner of aquascaping

    The canvas is what you make it...

  8. #8
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    Hi Merviso, thanks for the suggestion, i will go shopping for bigger size clown loaches and hope this will solve the problem.

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