Clown Loaches Care

The Clown Loach is a well-liked fish in tropical aquariums since it is pretty & not difficult to keep. Its scientific name is Botia macracanthus & it is therefore often known as Botia fish. When you buy a loach it will usually require at least a 100 liter / twenty gallon aquarium to do well. A fully grown Clown Loach will require a 540 liter / 125 gallon aquarium or larger.

Wild Clown Loaches inhabit densely grown waters in Indonesia & will therefore appreciate a planted aquarium or an aquarium with lots of rocks & caves which the Clown Loach can hide among. Adult Clown Loaches like to nibble on plants & you ought to therefore ideally pick hard & speedy growing plants like Java Fern & Anubias. Juvenile Clown Loaches can usually be kept with all types of plants as long as they appreciate the same water conditions as the fish.

The Clown Loach loves to squeeze it self in to caves, rocky formations & other small places that can barely fit it. To put it simple: the more decorations the better. The aquarium must be decorated when you bring your Clown Loach home from the fish store, since it is most likely stressed from the long journey from Indonesia. A majority of the Clown Loaches available in the aquarium trade is caught in the waters of Sumatra & Borneo. In case you place your Clown Loach in a barren aquarium, it won't have a chance to recuperate. It will in lieu become increasingly stressed. Stressed Clown Loaches are susceptible to a parasite called Ich (White Spot Disease).

Don't be afraid in case you notice that your Clown Loach has squeezed itself behind a piece of aquarium equipment, chances are that it is not at all stuck, it likes to feel safe. The Clown Loach is also found of digging itself in to small places. It is therefore important to make use of a substrate without any sharp edges in the aquarium. In the substrate your can place a variety of different things for your Clown Loach to explore & hide among. You do not must limit your self to plants & rocks; PVC pipes, flower pots, roots & ceramic & plastic aquarium ornaments will even be highly appreciated. It is important that the decorations have no sharp edges, since the Clown Loach will like to squeeze itself in to the smallest places feasible. In case you place floating plants in the water they will dim the light & make your Clown Loach less shy & more active in the coursework of the day.

Vigorous filtration is necessary since Clown Loaches are sensitive to poor water conditions. A combination of mechanical, chemical & biological filtration is recommended. Modify 25 percent of the water at least one time a week. Smaller & more frequent water changes are even better. Even a slight disturbance in the water quality can harm you Clown Loach & in a community aquarium the Clown Loach is usually the first fish that falls ill or die when the water quality drops. Since your will find the live Clown Loaches in streams & rivers, the aquarium ought to ideally also have strong water circulation.