Clown Loach

Secret Weapons and Clicking Sounds:

Under their eye, they hide two razor-sharp subocular spines. Like a switchblade, when threatened (or when you try to catch them with a net) they unsheathe these blades that can painfully sting the aquarist or get fatally tangled in nets. In addition to the spines, they are noisy fish: they produce a loud "Click" or snapping sound, similar to snapping fingers, by rubbing their pharyngeal plates when they are excited during meals or fighting (sparring) to establish the hierarchy.

The Snail and Space Deception:

It is common practice to buy a Clown Loach to solve a pest snail problem in your 100-liter (25-gallon) aquarium. This is a terrible idea. The Loach will indeed devour the snails, but in 2 or 3 years it will grow 30 cm (12 inches) long. And since it MUST live in groups of at least 5-6 specimens, you will end up with heavyweights that cannot turn around in the tank. To properly house a school of adults, a dedicated and oversized tank is needed, a minimum of 2 meters (6.5 feet) long (about 800 liters / 200 gallons). Leave snail control to killer snails (*Clea helena*) or dwarf pufferfish.

The Curse of Ich (White Spot Disease):

Being essentially "naked" (without real hard scales), Clown Loaches are hyper-vulnerable to epidermal parasites. Any cold shock (often during transport or water changes) will provoke a massive infestation of *Ichthyophthirius* (White Spot disease). However, being scaleless, they react very badly to common copper-based medicines. The only prevention method is to keep the tank stably very warm (28-30°C / 82-86°F).

Giant Hiding Places (PVC Pipes):

The school will elect a shared refuge in which to sleep wedged on top of each other. They require large smooth caves (large grey PVC pipes hidden under rocks are excellent) where they can mass together at night.