Botia macracantha
By Andrea Watts - Clown loaches are my favourite aquarium fish. They are colourful, active and have an agreeable nature. These attributes make them an ideal addition to most fresh water aquaria. This article reflects my experiences with clown loaches with particular emphasis on the various patterns that I have encountered. Hope you enjoy my account of these very personable little fish.
Common Name: Clown loach
Scientific name:
Botia
macracantha
Size (cm)
M/F: Up to
30cm both sexes
(rarely seen in
aquarium examples)
Habitat:
They
originate from large
still and
slow-flowing rivers
in Borneo, Sumatra
and the Sundra
Islands. The fin
colour will
determine their
origin; all the ones
I have seen are from
Borneo. The rivers
have a sand
substrate, and are
quite thickly
vegetated and
littered with fallen
branches. Hence the
tank should reflect
this arrangement.
Temperature
Range: 24C
- 27C (Avoid “raw”
water at all costs).
Min. Tank
Requirements:
To get the best out
of these guys, I
would recommend a
tank of at least
250L. As they do
best in groups, the
larger the tank the
better.
Food:
Omnivorous, not
fussy at all. They
love pellets
(especially shrimp
based), flake, blood
worm and most
vegetables.
Breeding:
Not viable in the
home aquarium.
Background
It has been
suggested that the
name “clown” loach
is derived from
their striking
colour and playful
antics. They mostly
originate from
Borneo and Sumatra,
where they live in
flowing and still
waters. Due to the
geographical
isolation of these
two populations,
certain colour
differences are a
result of
bio-diversity. These
variations will be
discussed later.
Kalimantan also has
a population of
clown loaches
although they are
not as common in the
aquarium trade.
The general
colouration,
exhibited by these
beautiful fish, is
bright orange.
Arguably, they are
the most colourful
and best natured
loaches available to
aquarists.
The body
is usually marked
with 3 broad,
wedge-shaped bands
of black. The red
and black colour on
the tail and fins
are environmentally
determined. Variable
colour and markings
will be discussed
later. Clowns grow
to a maximum length
of about 30 cm (or 1
foot in old terms).
It is rare to see
specimens attain
this size in
aquariums and full
grown wild specimens
are becoming scarce.
The body is somewhat
elongated, laterally
compressed with an
arched spine and
relatively flat
belly line. The
down-turned mouth
supports four pairs
of small barbels
that are situated on
the lower jaw. The
“lips” are thick and
fleshy, thus soft
substrate should be
used in the
aquarium.
Generally speaking they are hardy and long-lived, although they are intolerant of “raw” water. I have kept them in many different water conditions, ranging from quite soft to very hard water. Regular partial water changes are conducive to keeping happy, healthy fish.
Clowns are gregarious by nature i.e. they prefer the company of other clowns. Groups of at least 3 or more is essential to maintaining the well-being of clown loaches. As mentioned in the above overview, they prefer an environment that provides adequate hiding places. They rest upon logs and substrate, quite often in such a manner that it causes alarm for their owner. Many a time I have sprung up from a chair to tap the glass, only to see the offender spring back to life and swim off. This “resting” position is typical of the species. They are known to school with other fish of similar colour and markings; for example tiger barbs. My Distichodus sexfasciatus schools with them all day! “Whiskering” of other fish is common but it appears to have nuisance value only. They spend most of the day schooling together and foraging through the substrate.
Clown loaches enjoy a wide variety of foods. Being mostly carnivorous, they seem to prefer high protein commercial pellets, but relish blood worms. I tend not to add live worms to the tank for fear of introducing parasites. Vegetables are also a welcome dietary addition. I regularly supplement feeding with partially cooked pumpkin, broccoli, zucchini and peas. Fresh lettuce is also greedily accepted. The territorial “clicking” noises exhibited as they feed are quite audible to the human ear. Their particular fondness for snails makes them an ideal biological control alternative to chemical pesticides.
Variations in colour
and pattern
As has been
discussed already,
basic colouration
for this species is
orange with black
bands. The amount
and positon of red
in the finnage is
determined by
origin. These
variations are often
only detectable when
fish from different
locations are placed
side by side for
comparison.
Sumatran loaches have relatively intense colouration. The colour contrasts are crisper than those seen in the “duller” fish from Borneo. The most obvious difference between these geographically separated populations is detected in the pelvic fins. Clown loaches from Borneo exhibit a basal and central black area, with a reddish orange leading ray. Sumatran fish have a solid reddish orange fin without any black. Other noted differences include less colouration of the dorsal and anal fin leading edges and a lack of stripe continuation into the caudal peduncle of Sumatran fish. Fish sourced from Kalimantan are similar to those from Sumatra, however the red colouration is more intense. The subtle colour variation between Sumatran and Kalimantan aches could be attributed to habitat. Sumatran loaches live in murky, turbid waters, whereas those from Kalimantan prefer the brown, tannic waters of tributaries. Perhaps the dissolved organic matter of the black water environment helps accentuate the reddish/orange colours in the fish. All fish that I have seen available in Australia appear to be from Borneo stock *edit: I just found a Sumatran!*
The patterns that arise within the black banding on the these loaches are fascinating. I am collecting as many different types that money and source allows me. Interestingly, these spots, shapes and stripes can “shift”. By this I mean that they can vary the intensity of black in the boundaries and actually slightly change/move the shape of the markings. Fish often grey out” when fighting over leadership or food. There seem to be 7 basic designs, with variations amongst each group. The following are examples that I currently have in my aquaria:
1. “normal” pattern standard 3 stripes
2. 4 stripe (includes broken stripes and saddle combinations)
3. “jigsaw”
4. second stripe “saddle”/ broken stripe
5. third stripe “saddle”/broken stripe
6. spotted
7. joined stripe
The Trade
of Clown Loaches
Clown loaches are
harvested from the
wild for food and
aquarium trade.
Approximately 20
million fish are
exported annually.
Due to their
popularity, many
small (preferably 2
- 8cm) loaches are
captured every year
and dispersed world
wide. Interestingly,
Indonesia has posed
a ban on the export
of fish larger than
10cm. This policy is
hoped to protect
breeding adults and
make captive
breeding by external
groups more
difficult. Larger
specimens are
considered to be
unsuitable for
aquarium life (due
to their carnivorous
nature and
adaptability
difficulties) hence
large breeding
populations are
generally left
intact. Young fish
are only caught
during the high
water seasons whilst
they are abundant
and highly
concentrated in one
area. This makes
trapping easier and
the economics of
such programs are
therefore viable
during this time.
Juveniles adapt
easily to prepared
foods and captivity.
Collection procedures differ slightly between Borneo and Sumatra. In Sumatra, clowns are caught by using perforated bamboo poles stuck into the river bank substratum. This allows loaches of a preferred size to enter the cavities of the bamboo poles. The poles are set at a pre-determined distance apart, where they are later collected by boat. The contents are emptied directly into the bottom of the boat that is filled with water. The loaches are then taken back to a holding facility where they are sorted according to size and sold to a wholesaler.
In Borneo, a slightly different collection method is implemented. Bamboo poles are bundled and tied together then sunk with stones. Rope is used to attach the trap to stakes that are driven into the river bed. When the trap is retrieved from the river, any loaches that have taken refuge inside the bamboo configuration are shaken into a collection vessel. This shaking action is more detrimental to the well-being of the loaches than the method adopted in Sumatra.
Most fish caught in Kalimantan are used for food and few numbers are exported for aquarium trade.
Although the clown loach trade has heavily exploited numbers in the wild, relatively large populations still exist. This is mainly due to the efforts of the individual governments to control numbers that are caught and the fickle nature of the market.
Although some fisheries in Thailand have capitalised on the artificial breeding of these fish, generally this practice is not viable at this point in time. Before the pressure is taken off wild populations, huge technical advances in the field of aquaculture must be reached. Hopefully this is in the “not too distant future”. It would be disastrous to lose this fish from the wild. Environmental disasters (natural and human induced) continually threaten the clown loach in the wild. We don’t need fisheries mismanagement also contributing to their demise.
Credits for this
article include
Loaches Online
and
Raffles Museum of
Biodiversity
Research
We Recommend This Clown Loach Article From Our Partner Site
Read an alternate clown loach profile