Poor pale baby loach HELP!

[poeticpyro]

I don't think my loaches (clowns) are sick, one has been "riding" current lately (flips upside down and lets the current push it around and then does it ALL over again...) odd... but it eats and it's nice and colorful. however i do have one loach (2" maybe) and instead of the beautiful color he's pale and i'm wondering if it's just because he's new or if he's sick. he doesn't seem to eat a lot like the other three but he does swim normally and piss me off when he sleeps on his side, is this pale-ness normal, or should i worry? they don't really like brine shrimp, and the blood worms don't usually get eaten unless they're hungry enough... they like these pellet things that i found, they carry them all over the tank and click like no other. what should i do????? the paleness is bugging me...
****PICTURES OF THE LOACH I'M TALKING ABOUT ARE ON THE POST "ODDBALL CLOWN PICTURES"*****

thanks.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Paleness isn't by itself a sign of distress, but what do you mean about the current pushing the loach around? That sounds less good.

I'm also surprised that bloodworms and brine shrimp are going uneaten. How much are you feeding these guys? It's all a little odd.

[poeticpyro]

i'm feeding them three times a day, small amounts. they eat and tonight they shredded the blood worms, could it be that they just weren't craving them? the one who likes getting pushed around the current has done that all the time, it's the way the loach is... he/she really enjoys it... makes a game out of it. i've had that one for a year now and it's ALWAYS done it. just an oddball fish. the one who's the most pale is the smallest and newest, he/she is skinny, but no where close to having the skinny disease. could it just be that this one (had it for almost a month) is still getting used to the surroundings and is still learning to shoal with the other three who are bigger and much fatter than the pale one? ALL WATER PERAMS are PERFECT!

[Emma Turner]

You may well be worrying about nothing with regards to the colour. When they are kept in a big enough group, you get to see lots of different shapes, sizes, colours, patterns etc.
Are the differences you are seeing anything like these?:







These are all healthy fish, which I've had for years, and collectd from various different sources. These sort of colour differences are likely to be due to regional variations.

Emma

[poeticpyro]

thanks so so much...

yeah, i guess it's just a regional color. because the pale one is always out and swimming and clicking. one has been flipping upside down and hanging out near the current, been freaking me out more lately, but it has been doing it for a while... any ideas?

[mikev]

While most of the color variations are likely to be totally safe (regional variations, older clowns that lost the orange, individual colors), one clown that I have had a color problem that was cured by anti-parasite meds. I wrote about him before, but here goes again:

Our #4 clown, about 2.5", had lemon yellow color and no orange, and maintained the color for several months. After being treated with anti-parasite meds about two months ago, he started showing some orange (and rapidly fattened too). As of this week, he looks pretty ordinary, and I cannot tell him apart from #3 (same size, same stripes, same orange, same big stomach...).

(In a way, sad, because his original colors were really attractive...but it is better to have a healthy fish.....)

I'm not saying this represents a common occurance, but if I see another no-orange small clown, I'll be very tempted to get it and see what the treatment does.

[EdenAU]

While most of the color variations are likely to be totally safe (regional variations, older clowns that lost the orange, individual colors), one clown that I have had a color problem that was cured by anti-parasite meds. I wrote about him before, but here goes again:

Our #4 clown, about 2.5", had lemon yellow color and no orange, and maintained the color for several months. After being treated with anti-parasite meds about two months ago, he started showing some orange (and rapidly fattened too). As of this week, he looks pretty ordinary, and I cannot tell him apart from #3 (same size, same stripes, same orange, same big stomach...).

(In a way, sad, because his original colors were really attractive...but it is better to have a healthy fish.....)

I'm not saying this represents a common occurance, but if I see another no-orange small clown, I'll be very tempted to get it and see what the treatment does.

Interesting you mention that mikev (I hadn't seen your original thread, btw)...
My "little guy" who was emaciated (pics at the end of chefkeith's emaciated clown loach thread) was a very "yellow" colour - I treated him (and everyone else in the tank) with levamisole & not only is he heaps fatter, he's also turning more orange
Strangely, I hadn't noticed that particular difference until I read about yours though

[mikev]

Wow! Really nice to a see a confirmation.

I guess we can safely say now that yellow is suspect.

Would be interesting to know if your clown becomes "normal orange" later -- the color change in mine took full two months.