clown loach advice!!

[lilkitty20]

Hi I have two clown loach in a large tank and over the past 4-5weeks if noticed they've started attacking eachother by grabbing the whiskers on their mouths and twisting. The brightest one of them both seems to attack the stomach on the other repeatedly throughout the day. Now the other clown loach just lays on its side in my shipwreck. Both of them seem to turn black/ grey when the are attacking eachother. Any advice on what this could mean? Many thanks.

 

[sbruce75]

Possible solution for aggressive Clown Loaches

Hi I have two clown loach in a large tank and over the past 4-5weeks if noticed they've started attacking eachother by grabbing the whiskers on their mouths and twisting. The brightest one of them both seems to attack the stomach on the other repeatedly throughout the day. Now the other clown loach just lays on its side in my shipwreck. Both of them seem to turn black/ grey when the are attacking eachother. Any advice on what this could mean? Many thanks.

I suggest buying a 3rd Clown Loach. I have 2, but they get along great. It could be because they're male & female. 1 loach has 2 black spots on each side towards the tail. I assume they are mates for life. By buying a 3rd loach, it may keep the 2 you have now from fighting so much. I hope that works for you.

 

[Cynic]

Firstly, large is subjective, how big is your tank?

Hmmm...the mouth wrestling is very common and simply an attempt at determining dominance...attacking the stomach worries me though, that isn't usual and should be watched to see if the two need to be seperated if they begin causing wounds.

Also lying on their sides is actually another common trait of Clown Loaches...of course it's also a common trait of sick fish...make an assessment, if the loach is breathing heavily while on it's side it's stressed, if not it's likely just resting.

 

[Wiggles24]

Lol I have tried removing one of my clowns before thinking it was dead cuz it was on its side, much to my surprise it darted away as soon as the net touched it

 

[lilkitty20]

Thank you so much for your responses. I appreciate them very much as I love my fish to bits and will try all that you've suggested. Thanks x

 

[lilkitty20]

Thanks for the reply x