Dana Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 I've six of these guys for about 3 weeks. All going well until about a week ago when I noticed one was paler than the other 5, and his stripes are getting more and more grey by the day. They're only about 4cm and I know they can take a while to colour up, but this is getting worse. It's skittish aswell which is new. He's swimming and eating, but the others have now started chasing him away from food. He's putting in alot of effort to chase it though. Fed flake, blood worms, shrimp pellets and they like Bob's algae wafers aswell as munching on his cucumber. Any ideas? Can't see any other physical ailments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 hard to tell, could be stress, could be a lone female among males (dunno how to tell though), could be internal parasites (although that should give you signs in the form of poor condition etc....) maybe he has lost a scrap and the others are still trying to work out where he stand in the pecking order. lotsa maybes, hard to give definitive answer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris b Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 They will be sorting out the hierarchy most likely, mine are always at it. If one isn't getting food try feeding at both ends so the boss gets distracted and try provide more hiding places. just in case check your water conditions. I presume its a cycled tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 Posting things like tank size, water parameters (temp/pH/GH/KH etc), decor, tankmates, etc etc etc will be helpful, and pics of the fish if possible would help with a diagnosis too. Could be anything from parasites to "greying out", which is perfectly normal behaviour, maybe google it to get some pics to see if thats what yours is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted September 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 Cheers. AR980, 215 ltrs, 99W x 47D x 60H cm PH 7.4-7.6 Ammonia 0ppm No2 0ppm No3 0ppm Steady 26 degrees 4 dwarf gourami, 6 clown loach, 4 ghost cats, 1 bristlenose. I feed at both ends, and you are right, the dominant do separate to one end. The pale one is eating, just very very skittish, more so than expected. The greying out does match the description, especially when young, but the behavior is what is making me nervous. Decor is rock with 5 decent caves, lots of plants. 10% water changes twice per week. Been running 6 weeks. Quick pic below. Changed all three light tubes last week which is helping with the brown algae The plants are a mix as I'm experimenting. Not very well LOL. They need some attention, but are growing and striking roots. WP_000575 (2) by danaj2009, on Flickr This is what the other five look like, the pale guy wont come out much for a photo. IMG_1086 (2) by danaj2009, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Is it quite skinny? Maybe google clown loach skinny disease (basicslly just worms) and see if it matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris b Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Thats all ok then. I run my loach tank at 29 degrees i find them much more active in the higher end of temp range (be careful what your other fish can handle though). Clown loaches can grow to 12 inch's and will need a larger tank as they grow but they do take AGES!! as David R said a pic of the actual fish would help check out loaches online all you ever need to no about loaches is on there my money is still on there hierarchy though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Agree with Chris, 26C is ok but a little on the cool side for clowns, 28-30C is ideal so long as you have enough flow/oxygen and your other fish can handle it. And I'll also second that your current tank will be too small for the clowns before you even realise it, they really do need something 4'+ in length at the absolute minimum even when small as they are very active fish. Six weeks isn't a very old tank, yes it should be well thru the cycling period by then, but is still nowhere near "mature" or "established" as is usually recommended for more delicate fish like CLs, so keep an eye on the water if you notice anything else unusual with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 All good advice. Will slowly raise the temp of the tank. I'm sure off of these things will be resolved with a few tweaks as yes, you are right, it is not an established tank. In regards to the loaches, I listened to the LFS, but knew they would grow too large for this tank over a long period. Another excuse to get a bigger tank further down the track LOL. Perhaps I get this one ticking long first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted October 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 Well what do you know... Increased the temp, gave more variation in food.....and I can't tell which loach was greying out. All fat with strong black stripes. They are now chasing coming out of the caves and greeting me each morning for food. I'm very surprised at how quickly it's resolved itself. Must have been the pecking order thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Laura Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 Yay :happy2: Glad to hear they are all happy. My loaches did the same (Although I only had four :facepalm: ), so I got four more and upped the temp and they sorted it all out remarkably quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris b Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 that's excellent glad we could help :happy1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Must have been the pecking order thing? Nibbling order? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 even with great water temps and condition, your clown loach will 'grey out' from time to time. It could be a method of communication. perhaps being submissive/dominant or something behavioural. many fish change colour during courtship and interaction with one another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 that's excellent glad we could help :happy1: you all WERE a big help :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 even with great water temps and condition, your clown loach will 'grey out' from time to time. It could be a method of communication. perhaps being submissive/dominant or something behavioural. many fish change colour during courtship and interaction with one another. Blimey....so more complicated than men then :sml1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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