Clown loaches don't come out

[Ave]

I brought 7 clown loaches into my tank 3 days ago. Until then there were only 15 tiger barbs. Loaches were getting along with the barbs wery well.
Last night we changed ca 20% of water. GH and PH remained the same. In the morning I saw 6 loaches swimming, during the day they kept disappearing. Now I turned off the lights but they wouldn't come out at all any more...Is this some sort of normal loach behaviour or should I do something?

[Ulan]

You should buy them an alarm clock. They probably overslept.

No, seriously, I wouldn't be worried too much. Can you see the loach pile in the cave?

[ChicoRaton]

Clown loaches are notorious for being really shy. The only reason you saw them at first might be because they were panicking looking for a place to hide in their new environment. Drop in a bottom feeder tablet or a piece of one every other night just before lights out and give them a couple weeks, they'll come around. Promise :-)

[hirschy75]

they are probably just shy, i would try the food thing

[loaches r cool]

They may take a while to get comfortable. Mine dont often come out into the open unless thier getting hungry. But my tank is heavily planted and even though they dont come out it the open, they often forage around through the plants and you can still see them. The oldest of them are about 2 years old now and they will still dart away if you walk by the tank to fast or hold up a camera. But if I sit infront of the tank they will usually come front and center and beg for food.

[KateCB]

My two clowns are great - they come and ask for food, they get involved with the rest of the community, BUT they spend a lot of time in a cave and at around 9pm they simly go into the cave, lay on their sides and go to bed!

have another question though - how do I catch them? I want to move them from a 66 gallon tank to a100 gallon, but the htought of trying to catch them......! Any suggestions gratefully received!

[loaches r cool]

Well, that would depend on your tank really. When I have had to catch them I have placed my extra large net in the tank near one of the normal exit routes they take. Left it in there for an hour so they get used to seing it. Then I take a smaller net and corral them into the larger one. If there being very difficult about the only other way I know is to drop the water level down almost all the way, to like 6 inches, and remove all items out of the tank. Then with the big net and another normal sized net shouldnt be to hard to catch anything.

[TwoTankAmin]

Wait til they go into the cave, throw a net over the entrance and move them cave and all.

[jm1212]

how big is your tank?

do you have any caves for them?

[bluekrissyspike]

the more hiding places there are in your tank, the more likely you are to see them because they'll be happier and feel safe knowing it is easy for them to hide again

[Woofy]

I had five loaches for about 2 weeks, tiny babies bout inch big + . I had hollowed out driftwood, and a rock cave and another cave, and yet i always saw them out and about. They like to chomp on my plants, i would replant and replant and next day plants would be floating again. At first they were shy like for two days they just wedged themselves anywhere and never came out, but after they swam everywhere. Give em time, and happy and they should come out.

[H3D]

I never see my clown loaches till the lights go out. Then they come out to party! :dance:

[tankboy_taylor]

for the first month or so my loaches where real shy but now it seems like they are always out

[Ave]

I'm happy to announce that I have had those clown loaches for two months by now and everyone is well and happy and they are always out and about! Their schedule seems to be different from what people tell here. They are supposed to come out when the lights go out, but mine are out all day. About 6 pm they go hiding and I don't see them at night anymore, in spite of the fact that light are out.
They were reluctant to eat the first 2 weeks but now they are greedy and fight for food. Even come to surface to catch flakes.
And I am happy to see this :)

[dbcb314]

Every clown loach I have had stopped being nocturnal in less than a month. The one I have now is NEVER out at night. In fact, I went home this weekend and I thought maybe he was killed because I couldn't find him at night. Then low and behold, the next morning when I turned the lights on he came right out.

Mine also gooes to the very top to get flakes as well. Just like the other fish.

[12 Volt Man]

let them settle in a bit.

my school beg for food and come right up to the top of the water to eat.

in time, yours should too.

[Rbishop]

Outstanding, Ave. Just shows you how all fishes do not conform to some script or profile.

[12 Volt Man]

always remember that fish do not read all the same fish books as we do :)

[Aaron89]

I brought 7 clown loaches into my tank 3 days ago. Until then there were only 15 tiger barbs. Loaches were getting along with the barbs wery well.
Last night we changed ca 20% of water. GH and PH remained the same. In the morning I saw 6 loaches swimming, during the day they kept disappearing. Now I turned off the lights but they wouldn't come out at all any more...Is this some sort of normal loach behaviour or should I do something?

Buy some plant weight for fish tanks, add some cucumber and they should all surround it and go crazy for it.

The tiger barbs will most probably ignore it but it "should" draw your loaches out, but give it time, maybe go and pop back and slowly approach the tank

[tjr635]

Mine are out day an night, if they are out when i walk by or up to the tank , they wait for me to see what i'm doing, if the hood opens they are lookingan will come to the top to feed. But this is a real trip , when i put in algae tabs , i get my 2 corys 2 clowns an the brochis, eating on the tablet together, But the weird part of this is , my Neon tetras an Cardinals will go in the middle of that an nip at the tablet too. It's a trip to see that many fish taking turns at nipping a tablet. The fire red Gouromis are now noticing this , an i am sure they will follow soon.

[Shane Reynolds]

Besides waiting and enticing with food (which would both likely work), you could try adding three Yoyo loaches. They're not bashful, and when the Clowns see them getting all the good food because they're there as soon as you drop in some flakes, the Clowns will catch on. They will always spook easier than your other fish, but with time, they should be less bashful than they are now.

[loaches r cool]

I'm happy to announce that I have had those clown loaches for two months by now and everyone is well and happy and they are always out and about! Their schedule seems to be different from what people tell here. They are supposed to come out when the lights go out, but mine are out all day. About 6 pm they go hiding and I don't see them at night anymore, in spite of the fact that light are out.
They were reluctant to eat the first 2 weeks but now they are greedy and fight for food. Even come to surface to catch flakes.
And I am happy to see this :)

Sounds good, actually sounds very much like mine. Keep up the good work :).

[lovemybarbs]

My clowns blend with the barbs. Sometimes I think they think they are barbs. :y220d:

[FishyMatty]

I have six that I never see. They all pile into there cave and only come out when the biggest one comes out first but if I walk into the room the freak out. They hate me cause I always have my hands in the tank.