Clown Loach: Complete Care Guide

Clown loach, with its bright colors and fun behavior, is one of the most popular fish.

It adds life to any aquarium and can even make smile people who aren’t usually interested in fishkeeping at all.

It’s very easily available in aquarium stores, but if you want keep them in your aquarium you’ll need a large tank.

In this article I will teach you how to set up an aquarium for loaches and much more.

Origin

The clown loach, originally described as Cobitis macracanthus in 1852, is a tropical species of freshwater fish belonging to the Botiidae family.

Since its discovery, the name of this species has been changed twice, most recently in 2004 to Chromobotia macracanthus.

Clown loach comes from the waters of Sumatra and Borneo.

For most of the year, they live in flowing rivers. At the beginning of the monsoon season, they retreat further upstream and inhabit smaller, plant-rich streams.

This environment is crucial as it supports the beginning of their next generation.

However, in an aquarium setting, they are unable to migrate and spawn, making breeding impossible.

Breeders therefore use hormones to facilitate the breeding of clown loaches.

In recent decades, these fish have been harvested a lot from the wild, but they’re still quite common in their natural environment.

They can live for about 10 years and are usually sold for around $10 each in pet stores. If you purchased in shoals, you might get a discount.

Size

The loach can grow up to 12 inches, which is quite big, so you’ll need a large tank.

When you will buy them in pest store, they will be smaller than they will get in your tank.

In the pest store you will usually get juveniles that are 2 to 3 inches long.

Availability

Clown loaches are easy to find in stores or online, usually priced around $10 each.

Smaller ones may cost less, while larger ones cost more.

Remember, clown loaches need to be in groups of at least five. The bigger the group, the higher the cost.

Appearance and Sex Differences

Clown loach has a long, somewhat flat body with a ridged look.

Its main color is yellow-orange, marked by several wide vertical black stripes.

The first stripe goes through the eye, the second is located just behind the pectoral fins, and the third wraps around the base of the tail, covering both the dorsal and anal fins.

The edges of these black stripes have a slight green shimmer.

There are many natural color variations, and sometimes the pattern changes.

Sometimes, you can see two stripes on one side of the body and three stripes on the other side.

In the wild, there are two types clown loach: one from Sumatra and the other from Borneo. Sumatran loaches have red-orange fins, while Bornean ones have fins with a black tint.

You might see a rare albino variety of loach, which is mostly orange but lacks the usual stripes, appearing white instead.

No matter the type, the pectoral fins, pelvic fins, and caudal fins are red.

People are drawn to this species because of its tiger-striped coloring.

However, you need to know that as they grow up, their orange color fades, and their black stripes become less distinct, sometimes turning gray.

So, remember, they won’t look the same as when you first got them.

Clown loaches are interesting because they don’t have scales. Instead, they produce mucus layer for protection.

They use two pairs of whisker-like barbels on their snout to search for food in the ground.

Also, they have a special system along their body called the lateral line, which helps them feel changes in water pressure and detect predators.

Males can be identified by their deeper tail fins.

Behavior

Remember that clown loaches are schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least five.

Don’t let a store assistant tell you one fish will be fine alone.

If kept alone, they can become aggressive toward other fish.

While they are generally social, they might sometimes attack other fish and can damage freshwater plants.
It’s also important not to pair them with shrimp, as they might eat them.

Clown loaches are very lively and active fish. They may playfully chase each other around the entire tank.

They also have a very specific behavior. Sometimes, they lie on their sides at the bottom, which might look they are dead but this is completely normal behavior for them.

They also have a hierarchy in group.  Typically, younger fish follow the female alpha, imitating her actions and movements.

Care

The tank for these fish should be equipped with not too strong lighting, a precise heater, and an efficient filter. The filter must contain biological media.

Use a thick layer of soft river sand on the bottom, where loaches like to feed.

Add lots of decorations like wood, roots, coconut shells, and broken ceramic pots to give the fish plenty of places to hide. The tank should also have many plants.

It’s crucial to keep the water very clean because loaches can’t handle poor water quality. Change about 30% of the water every week to keep it clean.

Maintaining good water quality is crucial for clown loaches. Besides changing the water regularly, you should also test it because they are sensitive to nitrates.

It’s also a good idea to vacuum the gravel a few times a month to get rid of parasite spores in the tank.

Keep the tank temperature at the upper level of what clown loaches can tolerate.

Tank Requirements

In the wild, these fish live in slow-moving rivers and streams. When it’s monsoon season, they head upstream where there’s tons of plants, floating and submerged.

They like things low-key, dim lighting makes clown loach feel safer from predators.

That’s the vibe you need to recreate in your tank. For the bottom, pebbles and sand are the way to go for that natural look.

But watch out, sharp-edged stones could hurt the loaches’ sensitive whispers.

Dimmer lights or less intense lighting are cool because fish get more active in the dark.

Adding floating plants like hornwort, java moss, riccia fluitans, or water sangles can help with the chill vibes in you fish tank.

When selecting aquatic plants, opt for species that root deeply, as clown loaches have a tendency to dig up the substrate. Skip grass or delicate plants.

Adult clown loaches can be destructive to live plants, often nibbling on roots and creating holes in leaves.

If you want to have a beautiful plant aquarium, do not choose clown loaches.

Roots, rocks, and caves in the tank give fish cool hiding spots. Loaches get stressed if they don’t have enough hideaways.

Oh, and leave some space for swimming, too.

Keep the tank temperature as warm as you can, around 85 degrees Fahrenheit is primo.

Clown loaches handle higher temperatures better and get sick less often. Keep the pH within the neutral range, ideally between 6 and 7.5.

Invest in high-quality heaters and filters capable of handling the waste produced by these fish.

Since they need a big tank, 75 gallons or more, get a filter that can handle that much water.

Keep in mind that if you’re planning to keep a group of adult clown loaches, you’ll need a significantly larger tank.

For a group of five loaches, I would recommend a tank of at least 150 gallons or bigger.

It’s important to remember that these fish will grow larger as they mature.

Diseases

Regularly monitoring water parameters and maintaining a clean tank is essential to keep your clown loach healthy.

By providing them with appropriate conditions, you can avoid the following diseases.

Gill Flukes

The disease is caused by parasites that attack the gills or skin.

It is usually related to poor water conditions.

Pay particular attention to scratching behavior, swollen gills, or a cloudy appearance.

Treatment is based on the use of appropriate parasite preparations.

If necessary, secondary infections should also be treated.

Ich (White Spot Disease)

White spot disease is a common issue among aquarium fish.

It’s caused by tiny external parasites that create white spots on the fish’s body and gills.

One of the first signs of this disease is when fish start rubbing against objects in the aquarium. As it progresses, you’ll notice white dots appearing on the fish.

Luckily, white spot disease is easily treated with the right medications.

Velvet Disease

This infection can be deadly for your fish.

Watch out for signs like lethargy, weight loss, difficulty breathing, or a rusty coating on the skin. These are symptoms that should concern you.

To treat velvet disease, you’ll need to add aquarium salt and copper sulfate to the tank, increase the water temperature, and dim the lighting.

Fin Rot

It is usually associated with a bacterial infection caused by poor water quality.

Discoloration or rotting of the fins should attract your attention.

Monitor water parameters carefully and use appropriate antibiotics prescribed by your vet.

Skinny Disease

It is caused by intestinal parasites that lead to weight loss. In this case you will not see any typical symptoms as your fish will behave normally.

However, if you observe weight loss alongside typical behavior, seeking treatment is advisable.

You can use preparations such as Spirohexol, Sterazin or Flagyl under the control of a veterinarian.

Tank Mates

In the natural habitat of loaches, we can find other fish like Tiger Barbs, Spotted Eel-Loach, Barred Rainbowfish, and Asian Arowana.

Peaceful aquarium fish make great companions in a community tank.

Some examples include cherry barbs, tiger barbs, neon tetras, black widow tetras, and rainbowfish.

They can also coexist peacefully with South American cichlids such as angelfish, discus fish, bolivian rams, and other cichlids from South America.

Other bottom-dwelling fish like plecos, kuhli loaches, otocinclus cats, and bristlenose plecos can also be kept in the same aquarium.

However, keep in mind that there might be occasional disputes over hiding spots or food.

In general, as long as there’s enough space in the tank, they should get along well with other bottom dwellers.

Avoid keeping them with invertebrates like shrimp or snails, as loaches may see them as snacks.

They tend to eat small snails whole, while they may crack open larger ones to eat the insides.

Diet

Clown loaches eat a variety of foods, like frozen and dried live foods.

In their natural habitat, loaches primarily feast on snails and tiny invertebrates. In addition, they also feeds on algae and decaying plant matter.

Loaches are generally not picky eaters and will consume a variety of foods. It’s beneficial to offer them a diverse diet, including sinking granules, wafers, and even flakes.

For a special treat, loaches particularly enjoy bloodworms, California blackworms, small shrimp, and freeze-dried tubifex.

However, it’s best to offer these delicacies only once or twice a week.

They absolutely love eating snails. We can start breeding snails especially for them as live food for loaches.
You can also buy snails in online stores.

Blanched vegetables like zucchini, sweet potatoes, or carrots can also be added to their diet, providing additional nutrition and variety.

Loaches will gladly munch on these veggie treats.

They’re most active at dusk, so that’s the best time to feed them.

Breeding

Unfortunately, clown loaches don’t breed in fish tank naturally because they can’t migrate to spawn.

The only way to make them breed is by using hormones.

In Asia, breeders add hormones to the water to make the fish spawn.

In conclusion

If you are able to provide a large enough aquarium for loaches, this is the fish for you.

It is not difficult to keep, but you need to have some knowledge to avoid unpleasant surprises.

If you are not able to provide the loaches with enough space, it will be better to choose other species such as zebra loaches or yoyo loaches.