Noctural or 9-5 Loaches?

[in_the_zone]

I've been reading that because Clown Loaches are noctural in the wild that they are not recommended as companions for Discus. I've observed mine at night and they sleep. When I turn off their main lights, they tuck themselves in and when I turn off the room lights, they go to beddy-bye. I have to wake the little sleepy heads up in the morning slowly and then they stay up all day. I'd like to tell all the discus keepers that nay-say our wonderful loaches that they won't bother the pretty fish at night.

[NancyD]

Some loaches are more crepuscular (dawn & twilight active) than really nocturnal although they can often adjust to a more diurnal schedule. Its more a case of still water vs fast flow that makes clowns & discus incompatable as both like warmer temps too.
Some people keep them together but it's not ideal for either.

[helen nightingale]

my loaches are very much evening fish. often you will not see them at all in the mornings.

NancyD is right though

[newshound]

mine are very active in the morning hours

[andre]

Mine go to sleep with dark despite the moon light.

[Doc]

Mine are most active in the morning and evenings. There is some activity throughout the day but usually it is just the B.almorhae and the Clowns and B.histrionica just have little spurts every so often. The smaller Clown Loach tend to be more outgoing unless they are all hungry (which seems to be whenever I walk near the tank).

[loachcoach]

My loaches remind me a bit of my cat during the day. Short bursts of activity followed by long periods of inactivity. They perk up quite a bit in the late afternoon and evening hours and they all band together in a "super shoal" of clown, striata and angelicus loaches doing the "uppy-down dance."

[silvermoon]

I feed mine in the morning, so they are always awake before the lights even come on in the morning (~7AM) and stay awake for around 2 hours busily vacuuming up fallen food.

Mine have a penchant for afternoon naps. They are usually tucked in to a cave when I get home from work around 5PM. On weekends they will come out for brief periods during the day.

Later in the evening they are typically doing the loachy dance, especially right before I turn the lights out at 10 pm. I don't have a moon/blue light so no idea if they stay awake, but I assume they do.