Loaches Online Forum

I haven't opened a thread in while so here it goes....

My clown loach pond.

The emersed plants....



And an underwater video of the fish I just managed to get with my phone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6bSROSu-yg

Your clowns look great, Loach. I was watching a video on sexing clowns awhile ago. I had a general idea of how to distinguish males and females but got a better understanding after the video. In your last photo the large clown up front is FAT. Hard to tell if it’s male or female. You would think the rotund body would make it female but yet the orange strip on the dorsal fin indicates a male. Anyway.....Beautiful clowns!

I love the pond idea. The plants look so lush.

Hey Fran. Thanks.

The large clown is a female. The shape of the belly is due to her being egg bound. Males are long and slender. That female only started developing the big pouch about a year ago. She's the only one like that in the group but she's also the oldest. I have an old thread here from 2013 somewhere when i rescued her and at the time she was way larger than my group of 1 year old ones, about 5-6 inches at the time, so I reckon she is minimum over 9-10 years old right now, probably older, and visibly ripe....but they don't breed in captivity...

There is a second female which is not visible on these pictures. She's from my first group of 5 I bought in 2012 as babies, so relatively younger than the above female by probably 3 to 5 years. She's grown to roughly the same size though but still doesn't carry any eggs. All females get very wide in girth regardless .I notice the difference even in the first couple of years as the male ones just stay elongated and the females from the same age grow wider and bigger.

Very cool!
Forgive me as I’ve just started posting here a few months ago, but this is an actual outside pond? It’s awesome looking and I’m jealous! Especially since it is currently 7 F.

Hi Basil. Thanks.
The pond is inside

I very much enjoyed the video and pictures. You have quite a spectacle with lots of activity and it is quite different to most Clown Loach shows I have seen which makes it special.

Thanks for your nice comments Redshark,very much appreciated. I am happy for my clowns which I love to bits.

I think I forgot to post a follow up video. It is similar, just a bit closer look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zei6bA4 ... 05w03c010c

So beautiful.

Wonderful indoor pond, LL! Your loaches look so healthy & vibrant...as they have for a long time!

Good show!

Thanks Nancy.