where'd all them there loaches off to?

[Mr.Orange]

hello all

i've been on a quest to look for some clowns for quite a while now, ever since, well, i don't remember now... but the problem is, none of the pet stores seem to have any in stock; from the little fish store run by a friendly asian family to petco and petsmart

i live right in the middle of orange county, so have any locals experienced the same trouble? any stores that carry them? my aquarium isn't the same without them, and any help would be appreciated please and thank you

[tariesindanrie]

Hey there-

I'm a little surprised that you're having trouble finding clowns in such a large metro area. Have you talked to whomever purchases/stocks the fish in your LFS?

I have to drive 50 miles to the nearest PetSmart here, and they nearly always have clowns. It's other loach varieties that I have trouble getting


Kate

[Mark in Vancouver]

Loaches are becoming more readily available thanks to the in-tank maturing process that some exporters are up to in SE Asia, but this seasonal lack of loaches is not uncommon. The greatest variety of Botiid species seem to be available around/after Xmas - probably due to collection from the wild following spawning.

It may just be the time of year.

[greenbaron]

Loaches are becoming more readily available thanks to the in-tank maturing process that some exporters are up to in SE Asia, ...

All clowns are collected still, isn't that true? Is there a good source of info somewhere about how this is done typically, and also, what is this maturing process you speak of? I am just curious, I have no intentions of getting into the business ! I just like to know how things are done, and in this case what sort of treatment these fish get prior to being procured by pet stores and chains for our buying pleasure... also, as long as these guys have been collected, is there any reason to think they are going the way of many orchids, parrots, and other such exotic things that we humans have coveted into [near] extinction in the wild? Maybe this isn't the best venue for this discussion, but maybe someone here knows a source of info on this stuff

[Gary Stanton]

hello all

i've been on a quest to look for some clowns for quite a while now, ever since, well, i don't remember now... but the problem is, none of the pet stores seem to have any in stock; from the little fish store run by a friendly asian family to petco and petsmart

i live right in the middle of orange county, so have any locals experienced the same trouble? any stores that carry them? my aquarium isn't the same without them, and any help would be appreciated please and thank you

Here are two links to clowns for sale online. I ordered all fifteen of mine online and still have all of them after thirty months. Good luck.

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pag ... tm#loaches

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pcatid=873