Essay On Clown Loach

Clown loach fish are only found in Indonesia (specifically on Borneo and Sumatra). They live in murky backwater rivers where the water may be moving swiftly or standing still. The waters are densely vegetated and there is plenty of food for the feisty bottom-feeding clown loaches. They are on omnivorous and often enjoy eating crustaceans in the area or nibble on plants in the water. Borneo and Sumatra both straddle the equator so the temperature is quite high for most of the year. The temperature of the waters that the clown loach live in hovers around 74-85 degrees Fahrenheit (23-29 degrees Celsius). They live in large groups and densely populate the river beds. It is in the clown loaches nature to hide and they love hiding in spaces that they can barely fit into or dig themselves into the river bed with only their head sticking out.

How can you use this basic information in designing a comfortable aquarium for clown loaches to live in?

First and foremost, the clowns love to have places to hide
They are very sensitive to the water quality and they become sick much more easily than most other aquarium fish. Their natural waters have a pH that tends to be acidic (pH = 5-7) and water hardness between 7 and 12. After achieving those properties in your tank and keeping the water temperature between about 74-85F (23-28C) your clown loaches should be pretty happy.

Don't forget that clown loaches get lonely really easily and when they're lonely they get stressed, their growth may stunt, their colours may fade (don't confuse this is with the 'graying out' of their colours with age) and they may die young. So, always keep your clowns in a group of at least 5 and they should be as happy as peas in a pod.

The process of analyzing a fishes natural habitat and then trying to mimic it in an aquarium is known as biotyping. It is an idea that is recommended by many