Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: Fiona on January 12, 2016, 07:47:14 AM
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Our inherited clown loach (http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/fish/clown-loach.html) clicks sometimes when it's eating, anybody know how or why the do so? The smaller ones don't click as far as I know.
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I've never witnessed this myself but wondered if it might be caused by grinding their pharyngeal teeth.
As Clown Loaches are a fish I'm interested in, and would love to keep if only I had the space for a large enough tank, I did a bit of Googling and confirmed my suspicion.
I found the following:
Clown loaches can make clicking sounds when they are happy, being territorial (used as a type of weapon/warning) or mating. This sound is produced by the grinding of their pharyngeal teeth.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown_loach
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:cheers:
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:rotfl:
That's brilliant. I could watch and listen to that for hours.
I want some but my tank isn't big enough :(
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My dwarf chain loaches click when I feed them sinking tablets. I have read that loaches emit a jet of water to break up large bits of food, and that's what the clicking noise is. Mine click when they find the tablet not while they are eating.
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all my clown loaches click when i feed them cucumber its my understanding they click when there happy :D
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Would love a shoal of those guys but don't they get huge? I've a 240 litre tank and been advised that's not big enough.
2 red bristle nose.
6 Siamese algea eaters.
8 Odessa bards.
8 harlequin rasboras
Pencil fish.
Emerald eye rasboras
1 spotted hoppalo catfish
Yamoto shrimps.
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Yes, they do get huge, and they do need a shoal. Seriously Fish recommends a tank with a footprint of at least 180cm (6 feet) x 60cm (2 feet).
And I see it is your first post Jimbo, welcome to the forum :wave:
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I saw a photo of a Clown Loach recently and the guy holding it needed two hand to lift it,, I'd guess it was getting on for about 3lb !
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Google "Marge clown loach". She was a celebrity in the loach world and gives some idea of how big they grow, if allowed to, in an aquarium.
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We wont be able to keep ours when they get bigger, I was aware of that when I bought them but they're guaranteed a rehome when they get too big. I got them as company for the one eyed clown loach we inherited, who is just over 10 years old and about 8 inches long. He's been fed on tropical fish flakes all his life until we got him. He's skinny and washed out colour wise and he's the only one that clicks, although they all get the same diet.
BTW I noticed one of the younger clown loach tugging away at one of the sea shells I'd put in the tank for decorative purposes. He yanked it a good 3 inches along the tank, flipping it quite a few times and it was deliberate too, he kept sticking his nose inside the cavity. I filled the shells with live bloodworm and stuck them back in. He dived straight on them but there was no clicking.
One eyed Jack clicks over any food we put in, we dont use flakes though.
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Hiya!
Today i found out that my 3 clown loaches were clicking whilst eating JMC catfish pellets!
i will rehome them when they get bigger... if i can catch them :rotfl:
Luckily they grow very slow!
Apache6467
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i will rehome them when they get bigger... if i can catch them :rotfl:
Luckily they grow very slow!
How long have you had them?
By all accounts, from what I've read, they should grow very quickly in the first year or so and reach 4-6 inches. After this they grow more slowly.
I'd love to keep Clown Loach as they are one of my favourites, but I just don't have the room to home them.
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Our babies have already doubled in size and are about 4inches long. The old boy we inherited hasnt got any bigger but he looks plumper and his black stripes are now black and not the grey they were when we got him, his fins are more orange too. I'm hoping with the good mixed diet he gets now his pale lemon stripes will turn as orange as the smaller fish. 10 years of poor diet is hard to remedy though I guess.