clown loach gone dark

[Feyna]

Hello! I have an older clown loach (maybe 7 yrs or so). Recently, he has "gone dark". His fins look spotty, but not with ich. Just, faded. Most of his body is dark most of the time, and he spends a lot of the day in a corner or under his rock cave.

A couple months ago my smaller loaches died. Right now, he has an angelfish for company. These fish have been in this tank for a long time, so they are used to each other.

The tank is 30 gal, about 3 feet long. HOT Magnum filter, plus an air curtain. Parameters have been pretty steady, though I'm getting a bit more algae then I've seen in a while. He eats fine, will swim around sometimes, but otherwise, just sort of hangs around.

Is he sick, or perhaps lonely?

Thanks.

[soul-hugger]

I'm not a particular expert on Clowns, but in the meantime before others come along, I can tell you what I do know. I think your Clown Loach is lonely. Loaches are highly social creatures, and without these complex social interactions, his personality could change drastically. An Angel Cichlid is better than nothing, but still is no substitue for other Clown Loaches.

Many Aquarium Fish are not given enough credit for being colour changers. Clowns are one fish who are able to change their colour rapidly, drastically, and without apparent reason sometimes to us. But I do know they often change colour when they interact with eachother, and now he has no one to interact with.

I also would like to suggest a larger tank. The smallest recommended size for an adult Clown such a yours is 75 Gallons, and the minimum size group you should have is 5 Clown Loaches. You could start by looking into getting a larger tank within your means. Then I would suggest to buy and quarantine at least four more Clowns.

If you can take a picture, we could look at it to rule out any diseaes, but I suspect losing his friends would be enough to change his tone.

Good Luck
soul-hugger

[Feyna]

At this current point in time, I can only do the 30 for him. The whole set up was given to me, in fact, and I wish I had room for a bigger tank. Believe me, I want one! For him, and because something bigger would be so much fun. But I'm living with the future in laws, and it's slightly cramped space right now.

I've tried getting him some buddies, but they kept dying after the quarantine period, where we'd try to integrate them to the tank. The last ones died in the quarantine tank, with "peeling skin" being the main symptom. We still can't figure out what happened, other than a) pet store water was too clean b) the hour drive weakened them so that the transfer was a shock and c) we might have phosphates in the water as well. I did all I knew to keep them going, but my knowledge is still quite limited when it comes to delicate clowns. I was heartbroken that so many died. :C

I'm hoping to improve his situation sooner rather than later, but I can only do so much right now.

Would some dither fish help at least a little, if he's lonely?

[starsplitter7]

Some small dithers would help. It makes them feel more secure.

How did you set up your quarantine tank? Was the filter cycled? I have lost a lot of clowns trying to quarantine and acclimate them, so I can relate to your worries. I would look for people who have clowns and are trying to dump them. Maybe you can get larger tank with the clowns.

[Feyna]

The quaratine was set up weeks before, with old filter material, and with smaller fish at first to further cycle it. We also tried acclimating by drip, and we also also tried acclimating them in a smaller tank that had a couple fish in it, so it was more fully cycled.

We just don't currently have room for a larger tank, but that doesn't mean I won't keep an eye out.

[Feyna]

I can't seem to get any good clear pictures. but his head also looks like it has spots on it. Not tiny ich spots, but more like... well, sort of like water stains on glass. a smattering of larger, white faded spots that could be cottony growths, or could be him bumping up against objects. his top fin is a little faded and has some white on it, as do his front bottom fins.

[soul-hugger]

Hello again...

I can certainly sympathise about not being able to get a larger tank. If the issue is space and not so much water volume, you might want to think about something taller with more water volume. Most fish do prefer footprint over height, but even this would be an improvement. It's hard living under someone else's roof when you have to respect their wishes and not your own or your fishes'. <a poem, I say! >

Clown Loaches are definitely sensitive. This is why I am second-guessing myself wanting to get some in the near future. I just read a post a little while back, and someone was concerned about their Clown turning dark. It turned out to be an allergy to the carbon in the filter, and once this was replaced, the Clown started to do better. You could probably still find thi spost on this same page, as it was only a week ago or so... and there's a picture so you can compare with yours.

Clown Loaches also have a very thick "slime coat" over their tiny scales. They seem to release it when they are stressed, and it has even been known to chemically alter and kill other fish, especially when they are in bags together. One hour is not so vast a time for your loaches to be in bags. As long as they aren't exposed to extreme temps, hard jostling, bright lights, or other such stressors, they should be fine for this length. Perhaps next time before you buy some, you can test some water at the store. The closer you are able to bring your own water parameters to the store's the more likely they are to survive. If you have no tests, you can bring a sample to the store of your own water and they will test it along with a sample of theirs.

Bye for Now..,
soul-hugger