Clown Loach

Clown Loach

Chromobotia Macracanthus

The Clown Loach is arguably the most popular loach species in the aquarium hobby, they are naturally an active and beautiful fish that can attain a commonly misunderstood large size - reaching over a foot in some cases!

Locale: Occurs naturally in Borneo and Sumatra - most commonly in main river systems, until migrating into smaller river systems to spawn during the islands’ wet seasons.

Fun fact: Due to the two main native populations of Clown Loaches (The island of Borneo and the island of Sumatra) having separated approximately 9.5 million years ago, there are actually multiple localities of the Clown Loach, the two main localities being the Borneans and Sumatrans, these two can be distinguished most easily by their pelvic fins, of which is mostly black on Bornean Clown Loaches and mostly orange-red on Sumatran Clown Loaches, however there are other subtle differences.

Care:

Care difficulty - Beginner, hardy schooling fish.

Temperament - Peaceful, schools tight when in large group sizes (e.g. 20+), however 6+ is recommended as minimum school size.

Adult size - Most commonly 20-30cms - but has been recorded upwards of 30cms.

Diet - Carnivorous; primarily feeds on micro fauna in the wild, predating on aquatic molluscs, crustaceans, insects, worms, and other invertebrates, though will occasionally feed on vegetable or plant matter if food is scarce. In the aquaria it is best to feed a mixture of high-protein meaty frozen foods, along with sinking wafers/pellets, to create a varied, healthy diet that replicates their natural diet.

Habitat - In the aquaria Loaches are very unfussy fish when it comes to environment, however recreating the natural environment of any fish is always beneficial, such an environment for the Clown Loach would include a light soft sand or fine gravel as substrate, branching driftwood, with smooth rocks, floating and submerged plants are a great addition also.

Optimal Water Parameters:

Temperature: 24-30°c

pH: 5.5-7.2

GH: 2-8

KH: 1-4

Fish size, sex, exact colour and patterning may vary from photo.