dilutic clown loach

[The-Wolf]

I have just purchased this stunning fellow
he is around 4.5" and doing well in my botia tank.



I'll try and get some better pics soon.

for those that don't know dilutic is a term that refers to
fish/animals where the normal oranges/reds become washed out
sometimes to the point of being almost white.

[The-Wolf]

not one coment!
this forum isn't very cliquey at all is it.

well for anyone that is interested here are two more shots.
click thumbnails

[Baz Bluck]

I have a couple of very very light coloured loaches around the same size as yours from your description. I noticed from your pictures that your clown has light patches, again this is very similar to mine. I wish I knew how to work the camera to send some photos. Dont be offended but the shot of the single loach interests me as it is very snub nosed isnt it.

[mikev]

Wolf,

Strangely enough the unusual loach I wrote you about yesterday has the same face shape (in addition to that other thing).

Anything peculiar about this guy behavior? How do the other clowns take him?

(Mine is by far the shyest clown I've seen yet, and *in the store tank* he stayed away from the rest. Even the sales guy commented "this one is a loner").

Did we stumble on a subspecies?

[jerry_tyler]

Nice loach. Looks like hes trying to find a home

[Spankenstyne]

Nice pics & a great looking clown. They're just so substantial as they grow, it's impressive.

[Mark in Vancouver]

not one coment!
this forum isn't very cliquey at all is it.

[The-Wolf]

Wolf,

Strangely enough the unusual loach I wrote you about yesterday has the same face shape (in addition to that other thing).

Anything peculiar about this guy behavior? How do the other clowns take him?

(Mine is by far the shyest clown I've seen yet, and *in the store tank* he stayed away from the rest. Even the sales guy commented "this one is a loner").

Did we stumble on a subspecies?

he does seem very shy, rarely groups with my other clowns, and then only for a short time.
I was hoping that an expert here would guide me about the head shape
as it is clearly different from the others, as for subspecies
it is doubtfull but not impossible.

[Martin Thoene]

Wolf, the difference in head shape is probably just genetic. I've seen whole batches of streamlined forehead Clowns and another batch with domed foreheads. We're not all the same shape and size right?

Martin.

[mikev]

Wolf, the difference in head shape is probably just genetic. I've seen whole batches of streamlined forehead Clowns and another batch with domed foreheads. We're not all the same shape and size right?

Does not really apply.

We know that WE are one species, but even then major genetic variations may be of use to, for example, study prehistoric migrations.

We don't even know for sure if clowns are one species; did you try to breed the domed kind with the streamlined?
Or, less unlikely, this may indicate a regional variation within the same species, this would be of interest already.

Given that we are not exactly in a position to do clown breeding experiments or decypher their genetic code, their behavior is possibly the best indicator we have; this is why I asked Wolf about how his other loaches treat the new one. While we don't know if the new loach is another (sub-)species or not, they might.

Unfortunately, one incident of rejection does not prove that this is really another kind; it may be that they view different colors as sickness, and loaches _seem_ to reject the sick ones.

[mikev]

TheWolf,

I'm beginning to seriously dislike my new one. This son-of-female-dogfish is still sitting inside the bogwood, with the head sticking out, and when I try to feed him he would take only what floats next to him.

If I leave the room, he makes quick runs around the tank and goes back. No chance for pics, and no chance to even examine him for ich...

[Azmeaiel]

so how do you tell a 'dilutic' from a sick/stressed one.

[Tery]

I also want to know the answer to Az's question. Is there a way to tell other than food & time to acclimate? Mikev - you've seriously upset me, I REALLY want to be a different species than some of the idiots out there.

[mikev]

I also want to know the answer to Az's question. Is there a way to tell other than food & time to acclimate?

Probably not. I don't have any stats on unusual clown color, but I have a bit on khulis. I bought several with weak/faded colors to see what happens, and the breakdown is:
* 2 quickly died (within three days).
* 2 recovered to become normal Myers.
* 1 went into a serious morph to emerge (after several months) as a candidate for a new species. This was really scary for a while: a fish that looks like it is about to die from some massive infection and at the same time behaving totally normally. We call him Leper....

Mikev - you've seriously upset me, I REALLY want to be a different species than some of the idiots out there.

My apologies...

[Jim Powers]

Sorry The Wolf that you didn't get answered right away. This is a great bunch of people, for the most part, and is certainly not cliqueish. Sometimes posts just get lost in the shuffle.
Anyway, in looking at your pics I'm not seeing anything that I have not seen in local fish stores.
It seems that there are some variations in clown color.
If you look at the species index there are some pics of color variation between Sumatran and Boreo fish.
And, as Martin said, we are not all the same shape and size. So are clowns. That doesn't mean there are more than one species of Clown. Neither does different bahaviour. Most loach keepers can tell you that there is variation in behaviour and temperment among individuals of the same species. The botinae, in particular, are notorius for this.