Loaches Online Forum

Hi,

I have 6 clown loaches in my tank, they are all very active, eating well and seem healthy. However, over the past few days I've noticed 2 of them rubbing their sides against the top of one of the pieces of wood I have in my tank. They swim towards the wood at high speed and then turn on their sides as they reach the wood so it scrapes them.

Is this "normal" clown behaviour or is it a sign of infection such as Ich?

In the same tank I also have 3 tetra's, 3 dwarf gourami, 2 bristle nose catfish (each only 6 weeks old), 1 pleco and 1 knifefish.

The clowns have been in the tank for about 3 weeks now and seem happy other than this behaviour. They often hangout and snooze on top of this piece of wood together during the day, although 1 of the biggest loaches is very shy and spends most of the time hiding.

70 gallon tank, Ph 6.6, 0 ammonia/nitrite, very low nitrates, canister filter.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hawk.

That's called "flashing" when loaches scratch their skin against objects. It's indicative of some kind of irritation in the skin, but it's probably not Ich if there are no other symptoms - and if only two of your fish are doing it.
6.6 pH seems a little low to me, and maybe you can modify your system so that the water is more neutral, less acidic.
Loaches have very small scales and delicate skin, but also a fairly thick slime coat. The slime coat might not be able to develop properly in water that's as acidic as that.

Just a guess.

I use a buffer, so my Clowns (and vaorious other loach species) live in water that has a steady pH of 6.5. So, I don't think 6.6 is too acidic.

Mark is right about the irritation though. I'd keep a close eye on them. They could have a low grade ich infestation or parasites in the gills. If they don't stop flashing in a day or two, get worse, develop other symptoms (like rapid breathing) or you begin to notice more fish are being affected, I'd consider treating the whole tank for parasites.

You probably already know this, but if you quarantine your new fish for a few weeks before adding them to the main tank, these sorts of things are easier to treat and all your existing fish stay healthy.

This has also going on with my loaches but i know for a fact that it isn't a parasite or anything horrible. When my loaches do it they seem happy and not irrated by anything. To add a note i have treated for Ich and parasites and they still do it so thats what i'm assuming and yes i keep my tank in good ph condition. In my opinion, they could just be playing to keep them selves entertained as mine have been doing it for a long time. But if you still have concerns then don't lissen to what i have to say, every fish has it's own personality ya know

I have a piece of slate that some of my clowns scratch/flash on. I have about 20 pieces of slate and this is the only piece they flash on. I think it might have something to do with a strong cross current in the water that blows up behind into their scales or gills. It's an irratation for the fish, but the scratching doesn't mean it's parasitic.

If it's just the piece of wood they are flashing off of, then I wouldn't be overly concerned. When they start flashing on every object in the tank, including the gravel, that's when you need to worry and get the meds/salt out.

Since your clowns have only been in the tank for 3 weeks, keep a real close eye on them for ich.

I have 2 Yoyo loaches and one Clown loach and they've been doing this since I transferred them to a new larger aquarium. They're all active and eating fine and I see no spots of ich. Only my loaches are doing this and other fish are fine. Could it be the change from gravel to the sand substrate?

It sounds to me as if their new water is a bit itchy - like wearing a pair of wool trousers.

It could be from fine sand dust stirred up in the water column irritating the loaches. Do you see any cloudiness? Lots of water changes near the substrate may help.

For a second I thought all of us have gone mad answering an old thread

Could it be the change from gravel to the sand substrate?

My guess is that you have removed beneficial bacteria by removing the old substrate and the water quality is now not that good until the new substrate matures.

I'd increase the water changes substantially for at least a couple of weeks.

Very sharp of you - this is a mummy threat indeed. From 2006

this is a mummy threat indeed. From 2006

Sometimes new people don't know to start a new thread after searching a topic. It's very often spam but I usually look without clicking on any link.

I'd think loaches.com was too small a target for most spammers but it happens a lot these days.

I felt Tikobird was genuine in asking questions without iffy links. I appreciate they did a search for a fairly ordinary topic here, even it's very old.

My two Yoyos have it too. I looked online. It's probably gill flukes. I used it yesterday but they're not looking good. They go crazy rubbing against everything. They're just not acting right. This morning they were hiding which they've never done. My other fish are fine. I think loaches are prone to gill flukes. I used
Hikari Usa AHK73254 Prazipro for Aquarium
I see it recommended everywhere online.