Tiny Clown Loaches

[Sailor]

I was at a LFS 3 weeks ago and saw the smallest clown loaches I have ever seen. They were in a mixed planted tank. There were 15 or so of them. I went back last week and most of them were gone. I said to the clerk that I didn't think anyone would buy them that small, he said they hadn't been, that they had been eaten. So I bought the last 5 of them. They ranged from 1/2 an inch to 3/4 of an inch long. I wanted to save them. I bought a breeders net and hung it off my big tank. I floated them and slowly dripped water from my front tank for 5 hrs to get them used to the water. They have been the breeders net now for a week. They have grown a bit and seem to be doing great. My kits have not shown much more than passing interest in them. I am feeding them finely crushed up NLS growth and flake. Eventually I want to release them into the tank with my kits.

Here are a few pics of the little guys.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o205/sailor25yr/100_0045.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o205/sailor25yr/100_0044.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o205/sailor25yr/100_0043.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o205/sailor25yr/100_0041.jpg

Sailor

[Corbin]

awwww there so cute. to bad they get ugly when they grow up or atleast i tihnk they do

[WaterPond]

i dont like the look of clowns when they get old either. They are really nice lookin though.

What is your ammonia and nitrite, their gills look awful red... maybe its just me, or maybe it is just because they are young.

Good rescue..... I rescue alot of fish aswell. makes you feel good. :rolleyes:

[Melody]

They are very sweet - good for you for snagging them. I like them when they're older too actually, I think they're a very striking fish from the time they're little until they're over a foot long.

The gill color is their natural coloring - the cover is just thin when they're young so its more apparent. Some of the Limias are like that - almost gave me a heart-attack when I first saw them. I figured they were at death's door by the looks of the gills. You can watch for swelling just in case, but it looks natural to me, just popped out by the flash. If you look closely, you can see that it matches the color on their 'snout'.

Thanks for sharing the pic's. I hope you'll keep us updated as they grow.

Mr. Corbin, you like Weather Loaches but you think Clowns get ugly? :laugh:

[Corbin]

yep, lol, i like the eel shape better. eels kick a**.

[Sailor]

ammonia and nitrites both at 0 ppm nitrates at 15 ppm

Sailor

[mykiss]

WOW!!! they are the smallest ones I have ever seen! lol

[CACAdmin]

They're so cute!:smile: I love them at all sizes but have never seen any so very tiny. It's one fish I wish I I had the room to keep.

[Fugu]

my LFS has some babys too.Around 1/2 in aswell.But there still $30 EACH!