Loaches Online Forum

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/ ... 1149353780

Was looking around on aquabid and saw this guy. I'm wondering, whats with the body shape? Could there be such a thing as an obese clown? I just have never seen anything like it. Have you?

Clown loaches always arrive from one tank situation or another these days. That would be a metabolically challenged fish. Horrible overfeeding has occurred, IMO. I find the image really quite disturbing. What people do to other animals!

He almost looks like those "short bodied" clown loaches (I remember reading something about them somewhere)...
Definitely looks different, anyways.

I wouldn't say that Clown is actually obese. To me it looks more stunted, like it has been kept in a small aquarium for far too long. It has filled out height-wise and girth-wise but not been allowed to grow length-wise. Totally uneccessary and easy avoidable in my opinion. This sort of stunting can be partially corrected by housing the fish in the sort of spacious aquarium that it deserves.

Emma

I am just too curious. I asked the seller a question. I am actually going to be in Philadelphia this weekend, but I don't have a tank for a clown right now. The best I have is my 55 gallon tank with gouramis, barbs and botias, not fully stocked at their current size but will be once they grow out. We'll see if I get an answer.

"May I ask what the dimensions are of the tank you've been keeping him in? Has he had other loach companions, and how long you've had him? I happen to be making a trip to Philadelphia this weekend."

Looks about time for some "Philadelphia Freedom" for this Clown. It does look pretty chunky. As the saying goes, based on the current bid, "I'd buy that for a dollar".

Martin.

You know what? I haven't gotten a reply yet from the guy, but when I got on to check for one, I did a search for his other auctions. In another auction he explained the tank situation this clown has been kept in. A 90 gallon tank with three discus, and 5 chocolate zebra plecos (L316). The discus are beautiful, but I guess the clown got overfed trying to keep them chunky enough. I couldn't imagine that he would be stunted in a 90 gallon tank. I hope he replies to tell me how old the clown is.

Does anyone here feed beefheart to their clowns? I have heard that it can be too fattening, and this guy says he feeds it. I'm wondering if that could be a contributing factor.

Are you saying you think I should bid on him, Martin? Or are you meaning just anyone? I really don't think I have the ideal tank situation for him.

TammyLiz wrote:I couldn't imagine that he would be stunted in a 90 gallon tank. I hope he replies to tell me how old the clown is.

You don't know how long the seller had him for; the clown might have spent most of his life in 20g and then a few months in 90g.

Having said this, he does not appear unhealthy or obese. If I were in Philadelphia, I'd try to go and take a look. With the auction being "pickup only" there may be no bids. (But are you prepared to get him company? -- you really will need a few more to keep him happy, which probably implies a new tank....).

There is one bid, since the first day of the auction, but the bidder has a 0/0 rating, meaning has not yet made a single purchase on aquabid. Often, these bidders are bogus and non-paying. I don't know why people do it. Sometimes it is even the seller, or a friend of the seller, bidding to try to get things going.

Sadly, I can't do a setup for clowns this week, and I hesitate to force my hand by getting him and putting him into my 55. It is just too convenient that I'll be there this weekend, though. I'm always tempted to get more more more fish! Expecially loaches. But I try to be reasonable. We're not talking a little sid to add to an existing tank, or something that I'd be able to stuff in a corner somewhere. Uhm, I can't say that I'm not tempted, though.

That is one fat loach. IMHO, some healthy loaches have voracious appetites. There can be many reasons from lack of competition for food with smaller loaches and other fish to the diet. I would not assume that the fish was mistreated or subjected to life in a small tank. Personally, I think that a cloun loach would not grow at all in a small tank. Also, that loach looks more than 6 inches to me.
Just my 2cents

Vancmann wrote:Personally, I think that a cloun loach would not grow at all in a small tank.

Err.....yes they do. And they become stunted because of it. It is a myth that fish only 'grow to the size of a tank'. They may grow at a slower rate, but they still outgrow them, and become stunted. Working in the trade, I've sadly seen this on numerous occasions (where unscrupulous shops have sold fish for inappropriately sized tanks and the owners were not made aware), and it is very sad to see. Easily avoidable.

Emma

I agree that many fish outgrow their tanks, I have seen this with some Plecos and angels. I did not know that a clown loach would grow that tall and fat in a small tank being a sensetive fish to water quality. Unlike many fish, clown loach's appetite are influenced by their environment and water quality but if you have seen clown loaches do this, I sit here more educated on the subject.

Small tanks don't always have bad water quality though! Some people maintain them very well, but are often blind to the fact that some fish species such as Clown Loaches come from flowing rivers and grow very large. Only a few months back we re-homed several Clowns which had been kept in a 2ft tank for 10 years - they had filled out in girth and height, but not in length and had no real room to swim about in. The result was stunted fish with very steeply sloping heads.

Emma

Did you get any pictures of them, Emma?

No, I'm afraid not. But if we ever re-home any more like that, then I'll make sure I do, as it seems it would be quite helpful for people to see what I mean. A couple of years ago we re-homed a couple of Clowns from similar circumstances to our own tank at home. Since then, given the right conditions, they have gradually returned to a much more 'normal' shape. But these were fairly small fish in the first place (maybe 3"), and I'm not sure if larger stunted specimens would react in the same way.

Emma