So i bought a clown loach at petsmart... i know...



But i needed a 3rd!

anyway, i got him on the 6th of october, and it was a fresh batch of fish, and all of them were pretty washed out in color. I figured their diet probably sucks and the water in general probably isnt much better. Nothing a little food and water changes cant fix right?

well, its been a week and he is super active and being social with the other two loaches, but the only red he has developed is on his pectoral fins, the rest of him is still washed out grey/white. even his tail!

is this a permanent thing or should i expect more color to develop?

A week isent really that long, sounds like you have seen some improvement, that's a good sign. I would just sit on it for a while, hopefuly it will color up. It could take months to recover from a bad diet and poor water quality. But its healthy and active, and that's really good.

I also bought two clown loaches this las Saturday. They have spent three days in my 55 gallon planted community tank. This morning I woke up, and they are both sitting on the top of the tank heater and not very active. I moved one to my smaller 16 gallon tank to see if he livens up, and left the other in the 55. What are your thoughts? should I move them both? is it still too soon to tell? Thanks!

Kagochi

My loach took more than a week to stop hiding, but they are all over the place now.

I have been looking at a new clean up crew for the 210g and Petsmart always seem to get some pretty big CL for $10 that are considered "medium" sized. I am like vw and dont really like to mix and match fish but I am to the point now where I just want fish in my tank.

Zerc, so what happened with the fish having the issue with gasping for air at the surface?

What did you do with your new tank you just got?

@ kagochi, Yeah, they take a bit a lot of times to get cozy in a new tank. Also numbers with clown loaches are pretty important. I wouldnet house any with less then 3 total in a tank. And personally I would go for more like 5 or 6. They are very social fish, and seem most active in small groups. I would put them back together and probably get another one or two.

@ zerc, how's your new guy looking now? Coloring up more? Still pretty active? Pics?

My tank seems to have cleared up for the most part. I am still using a double dose of salt. About half of the fish still appear to breathe harder than normal, but it is improving every day.

The new tank is sitting in the garage because i don't have the $ to do anything with it... its a lot bigger than i had dared to guess! I am ordering a replacement top frame for it as the one on it is broken, but the tank isn't scratched. oh.. and its HEAVY.

Its ok though, while I save some cash it gives me time to plan what kind of stuff i want for it. First step is the frame. Saturday I am going to pick up some lace rock in poulsbo for tank deco. After that? ill see what i can find on craigslist for filters and such!

Ill get some pics of my newest CL when i get home today, hes been doing well!

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