Clowns and flow

The forum for the very best information on loaches of all types. Come learn from our membership's vast experience!

Moderator: LoachForumModerators

Post Reply
mary.burns3
Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:31 pm
Location: Luton, England

Clowns and flow

Post by mary.burns3 » Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:25 am

Somwtimes I think my tank is opposite to the "species behavour". My 10 clowns dominate the front, where the flow is less as the internal filter +powerhead pumps water from back right to back left , round the side and then across the font, and returns at front right, where the clowns do most of their synchromised swimming ,maybe using the uplift of the water. They are out all day, everyday. They were with platies, who I had long before the clowns and are now old. The clowns became so dominant and boisterous over time, too much for the aging platies, not the young ones. The clowns are now with 10 prescilla tetra, who have a late start to their day, under plants till around 12 noon, swim with the flow at back and return under neath it, dominate the back, stay up late. The lights go off at 6pm and the clowns go to bed between 6.30/7pm. Then the tetra take over all the tank, till late, always still up when I go to bed. The 2 species have found a great way to live together, making the tank active all day and evening. The tetra are grey with silver, easy to see in the gloom, little flashes of silver everywhere.
I'm just curious why some clowns are nocturnal, is it as they become older? I keep reading how clowns love good flow, but mine seem to prefer the lesser flow at front.

User avatar
barbara
Posts: 580
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 5:42 am
Location: Foothills of Central Maine

Post by barbara » Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:37 am

i don't know about flow but as to nocturnal behavior. mine, too, seem to always be sleeping if i come into the darkened room and then turn on a light. of course they often then come right out and start vigorous swimming up front and plying/begging....: ) while mine can sleep a lot during the day as well they have become much more active in the last several months (did they hear me talking about finding them a new home??).

i wonder if the flow were up front if they still would be there? maybe they are people-centric?

i have outflow from a spray bar near the top and front of the tank which is where they do most of their swimming although they do seem to go anywhere in the tank and have taken a liking to the pile of wood that i placed centrally and are spending less time in their PVC tubes which have been the favored sleeping spots always.
slogan for the day: things may not be what they seem.

User avatar
Graeme Robson
Posts: 9096
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 4:34 am
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:

Post by Graeme Robson » Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:45 am

I would suggest that they are still juvenile specimens. Completely normal for them to act this way.


Graeme.

User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:

Post by Emma Turner » Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:40 am

As they mature they will definitely become more nocturnal. We have a huge range of sizes of Clowns in our tank, and the only ones that occasionally come out during the day are a couple of gangs of the smaller ones. One is even so bold that during the day he sometimes rests on his side right at the front glass (I think Cybermeez also has one like this). On the whole, the tank is pretty quiet for most of the day, until the bigger ones all start to venture out at about 9pm. The small ones do seem to try and mimic many things that the larger ones do, and often trail around after them during this time - this is often when I see what I call their "joining up" behaviour, when the little ones appear to almost attach themselves to the sides of larger ones and swim round with them (looks like they are glued together side-by-side at the gills!). The big ones try as they might to 'lose' the little ones, but even if they go round in circles or swim very fast, the little ones look as if they are still glued to them!
I am glad you bought up the subject of nocturnal bahaviour. At the moment I am having trouble sleeping and the other night I just gave up and came downstairs in the dark. A small amount of light enters the room from outside, so I was just able to make out lots of stripes moving about in the tank. I sat there for some time, and a huge amount of Clowns were very active during this time, seemingly foraging about looking for food etc. This must have been about 3 - 4am in the morning, and I would say that the majority of them looked like the bigger fish.
There is also a huge amount of flow in our tank from all angles. There are spraybar returns from 3 large external filters, plus 2 large powerheads. All our loaches seem to very much enjoy this, even the little ones!

Emma
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image

User avatar
barbara
Posts: 580
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 5:42 am
Location: Foothills of Central Maine

Post by barbara » Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:42 pm

that is so interesting. it never occurred to me that age was a factor. mine do seem active in the twilight or dawn hours but are absent during the deepest part of the night. of course a light turned on in the room brings them out usually. when mine were younger they were much more in their tubes all day long. all but one of them. the smallest seems to come out whenever i would come into the room. i wondered about this behavior and if one of a pack of them is given a role or takes one on....
slogan for the day: things may not be what they seem.

User avatar
Emma Turner
Posts: 8901
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:07 pm
Location: Peterborough, UK
Contact:

Post by Emma Turner » Sat Jan 07, 2006 4:41 am

It certainly is very interesting that you have noticed this behaviour too Barbara. Steve & I have often joked about how it seems that the bigger fish have all ganged up and 'told' this little guy that he has to be look-out for them, and so he stays out and at the front a lot! :lol:
Emma
Image
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Image

User avatar
barbara
Posts: 580
Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 5:42 am
Location: Foothills of Central Maine

Post by barbara » Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:56 am

haha!! that's it exactly!! tiny fish of the group does the work. : ) let us know little fellow and then we'll get out of harm's way.
slogan for the day: things may not be what they seem.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 96 guests