Clown Loach

Botia macracanthus
Family: Cobitidae
Origin: Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo
Adult Size: 6 inches in captivity
Social: Peaceful schooling fish
Lifespan: 15+ years
Tank Level: Mid, Bottom dweller
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallon
Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods
Breeding: Egglayer
Care: Intermediate
pH: 7.2 - 7.5
Hardness: soft
Temperature: 77-86 F (25-30 C)

If you've ever seen a school of clown loaches, it's hard to resist bringing a couple of them home. It's even harder to imagine that this beautiful fish is eaten as food fish in Indonesia and Borneo, where it grows to over a foot in length. Fortunately for the clown loach, among aquarium enthusiasts it's a staple in the community tank rather than on the dining table. Its orange and black striped body, red fins, and active behavior has made it one of the most popular loaches.

Unlike many loaches who are only active at night, the clown loach is very active during the daytime hours. Peaceful with its own and other species, it prefers to have companions with which it will form a school. Water quality is critical for keeping clown loaches healthy. Care should be take to keep water very clean, well aerated, and warm.

Loaches are particularly prone to ick infestations, and should be watched closely whenever new fish or plants are added to the tank. In the unfortunate event that an infection does occur keep in mind that loaches, like catfish, are very sensitive to some medications. Often dosages must be cut in half to be safe. Read product information carefully before treating your loach!

Virtually all non-aggressive fish are suitable as tankmates for clown loaches. Because they prefer to live in schools, it's wise to keep three or more in a group

Clowns will accept a wide variety of dry and live foods, but their preference is for live foods.. especially worms. Even earthworms can be fed to them, as long as you harvest the worms from soil that hasn't been fertilized recently.

Males can be identified by the tail, which is larger and hooks inward rather than pointing straight out from the body. Females are smaller and more slender. There are very few documented cases of clown loaches breeding in captivity. As a result very little information is known about their breeding needs