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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Clown Loaches - increasing concern . . .

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19 Jan 2011 22:51 #1 by Jim (Jim Lawlor)
Just wondering if anyone else has had problems with Clown Loaches as community fish.

I've had a few fish (mostly Mollies that admittedly shouldnt have been in the same water) with lumps out of them, and the only fish in the tank big enough to make that sort of mark is the clowns (biggest is only about 4 ins). Also had an L204 with a sizeable lump taken out of his pectoral.

Earlier today I was counting some newish fish (bentosi-type Hyphessobrycons) and they were all there. Half an hour later, one floated around upside down (dead) with a very definite bite-mark gone out of him. Again, no other fish in the tank big enough to inflict that, other that the clowns.

Can they turn bad or have I got a rogue?

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19 Jan 2011 23:56 #2 by houseofmil (Martin Bromell)
I have six of them in my thank never have had a bother with them and smaller fish. Some of them are at least 5 times bigger that the other fish .

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20 Jan 2011 00:01 #3 by joey (joe watson)
i have 6 around 3-4inches never seen any aggression to any other fish only amongst themselves when fighting for dominance/pecking order. maybe finrot which is a sign of something not quite right in the tank, a bacterial infection that could have killed the other one. what size tank is it?

Location: Portlaoise, Midlands

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20 Jan 2011 00:46 #4 by mossy (gavin blanchfield)
hi jim
just a few questions
how many loach are in the tank
how big is the tank
whats ure water parameters
have u made any changes to the tank recently
how much and what are you feeding them

just tryin to get as much info for a better pic of ure setup

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20 Jan 2011 00:51 #5 by derek (Derek Doyle)
although clown loach usually make good community fish they can and do turn nasty at times. they are extremely tough and well armed and can do a lot of damage if they choose. i have seen clown loach decimate angels and the like but also have had groups and individuals that never touched a fin.
at one time a lot of rift cichlid keepers kept them to help with scavenging (before cheap syno hybrids became available) and they would easily hold their own against all comers.
i suggest you run your loaches with larger more robust fish and they should be more sociable.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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20 Jan 2011 01:10 #6 by JohnH (John)
I'm with Derek on this one, I also have had perfectly normal Clown Loaches turn rogue for no apparent reason and kill/eat almost all the tankmates in with them.
Well, almost no reason - I noted that with one group I had they were as peaceful as anything until I started feeding them on frozen bloodworm - they would instantly change, attacking and killing anything within grasp.
No other food brought about this manifestation and my conclusion at the time was that the blood in the bloodworms (it's very akin to mammals' blood I've read) was bringing about the Once the bloodworm was all eaten (and as many of the tankmates as they could catch!) peace would reign again - until the next time.
I stopped feeding bloodworms for obvious reasons, but my theory was partly proven (in my eyes, at least) as the same behaviour never occurred with freeze-dried bloodworms.
I used to think that they didn't have suitable (for biting lumps out of others) mouth parts but I remember well some I had which used to feed from my hand that was until one (for want of a better description) sucked in some flesh on my arm and, although it didn't draw blood, it caused a nasty red mark which lasted for several days after - and it quite hurt too.
Just a couple of memories, but food for thought.
John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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20 Jan 2011 12:42 #7 by derek (Derek Doyle)
thats interesting re the bloodworm john. these loachs also have a switch blade mechanism hidden beneath the eye which can be used in combat or defence and is probably the reason why large fish leave them alone.
the best companions for clown loachs are probably large or medium barbs or the snappy tetras such as serpae or beunos aires and any of the botias or sharks.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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20 Jan 2011 12:57 #8 by Ma (mm mm)
I have yet to see a clown attack another fish but have heard of it many times from experienced keepers as I have again in the above.


It seems very random, I am wondering would it be anything to do with the female male of similar maturity ratio nt or something like that as I am guessing it is the larger males that do the killing as they get closer maturity.

Are they eating the fish or just kiling them Jim?

Mark

Location D.11

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20 Jan 2011 14:24 #9 by Alex (Alex)
Replied by Alex (Alex) on topic Re: Clown Loaches - increasing concern . . .
Yeah my clowns are mostly only really aggressive with themselves however i have noticed my large clown can be aggressive during feeding time. I fed them a potato few weeks ago and he nipped any fish that came near it.

My clowns are fairly big so when i started hand feeding them it was pretty painful so they are very capable on takin chunks out of fish. Now they don't even nip my hand at all which is pretty cool.

Iv heard of discus keepers saying clowns took chunks out their discus.

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20 Jan 2011 18:51 #10 by joey (joe watson)
are ye seeing the pattern here? its feeding high quality food. i have read that alot of botia can be aggressive/protective of good food.
when i feed cucumber or corguette once the clowns start nibbling there are no other fish around it they wait their turn, but i have never seen them go for anything only each other

Location: Portlaoise, Midlands

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20 Jan 2011 23:38 #11 by Jim (Jim Lawlor)
Thanks for all the advice folks. It looks like I have a rogue or two.

I do feed frozen bloodworm, but it doesnt seem to directly relate to the attacks, which mostly happen at night.

They're not eating their victims - most of the mollies seem to have been "mouthed" or tasted, only superficial wounds - but the dead tetra was bitten clean through during the day.

I think its time to move them on - I've an empty tank running so they can go in there for now.

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21 Jan 2011 08:25 #12 by mossy (gavin blanchfield)

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