# My Clown Loach is Dying!! :(



## kal123456 (Aug 8, 2009)

Hello to all!

From the very start, when i bought my two clown loaches, they started behaving weirdly. First of all, they dont seem to eat snails, in fact, they dont eat anything, and they have been like this for almost one month already. They swim or actually float head down, like they are dead, and they just lie down on the sand and kind of sway from side to side, like they are dead. 
I havent noticed any other tankmates bullying them, but i hope this can be cured!!

Please answer as soon as possible!!


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

i thinks thats how they act....mine would always do the same thing. sometimes they would lay on their sides and actually look dead.


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## kal123456 (Aug 8, 2009)

hmmm
thats weird
reallly weird, cause two of them actually died yesterday


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## japan4racing (Feb 18, 2009)

that sucks....whats your water tests show? i actually went and looked up some info after i posted that to make sure i wasnt telling you a lie and its true they will lay upside down as well as sideways and head down. there is a ton of things that could have killed them and the results of a water test will tell you the whole story.


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## kal123456 (Aug 8, 2009)

Yup, i looked it up on youtube, and i saw a whole bunch of videos called "clown loaches playing dead". They really do look dead!! The ones that died actually died, like, their body was rotting, so....  yup
i checked the water, and the amonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels are are at 0. I dont know what caused their deaths, but i have only one loach left, so i think i will be bying more soon to give it some company.
Thanks for replying!!

just if u are intersted to see how loaches rest, which freaks me out, lol, check out this link, or just go to youtube and type "clown loaches playing dead"

YouTube - clown loaches playing dead


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## hig4s (Mar 28, 2009)

Strange, my clown loach just died.. Water was Amonia 0, nitrate just off 0, nitrite 0, PH7.0, temp 76f, I don't have hardness test kit. 

He had been fine, all my other fish are fine.


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## kal123456 (Aug 8, 2009)

i know its really weird, same happened with me
what are your tank mates, and maybe the clown loach go bullied or something like that?
clown loaches are really really really sensitive to water changes, and they act like they are dead when they are resting
check out the website i put on below, maybe he was just resting?
mine wasn't, it actually died,, they died, two of them... 
how old are your clown loaches?
mine were less that 1 year, kinda young actually, they grow to about 7 or 8 inches, really big!

Good luck with the rest of your fish! :Fish_bubble:


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## brian2570 (Sep 14, 2011)

Hello all! As a proud new owner of the amzing fish, I have gone through a hell of a time trying to start keeping them. I have spent so much time browsing the forums in search for advice throughout the way, so I thought I'd put in a little info for anyone else who may happen to come across the same situation.

First off, it is a strong fact that these fish can simply not handle even slightly poor water conditions. Find the one metal your conditioner isn't covering, that could be doing it. If you're filling from the tap, use the coldest possible setting to avoid more metals. These fish are so sensitive to alkilinity (sp?), and pH. 

Do not medicate or have medications in the water with these fish. That will kill them, especially if they are under any sort of stress.

Remove excessive hiding spaces upon their entrance. They are very shy, and they will hide away and stress out more and more from the home change. I found that with a large amount of room to hide, they wouldn't ever come out until night, only to flash and they would not eat. After water changes and a removal of the hiding places (still one small cave occupied by my pleco), the loaches were out all the time because they kind of had to be, and quickly became very playful and friendly schooling with my corys... And eating! (Very important sign of vitality in them)

And most importantly: if the situation is "my clown loaches KEEP dying", I feel its safe to say you are continuing to buy from the same place. Actually take the time to carefully observe your new loach. If it dies, go buy from another place. 

Good luck and thank you for the read!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Clown Loaches can get up to 12" long and should only be in tanks that are least 100g. Much more info is needed about your tank and your setup. 

I doubt that a high gh or kh (alkalinity) is killing your fish. Most fish will acclimate to what your water has. 

Did you drip acclimate your fish?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Agree with Ben,we need to have more info on the tank setup and the water care schedule.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

And with zero readings across the board, I would say the tank isn't cycled yet.


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