Clown loach

Appearance

Information about the maximum size of the clown loach varies, with some estimates ranging from 12 to 16 inches , and with typical adult sizes ranging from 7 to 10 inches . The fish's body is long and laterally compressed, with an arched dorsal surface and a flat ventral surface. Its head is relatively large and its mouth faces downward with thick, fleshy lips, and four pairs of barbels. The barbels on the lower jaw are small and difficult to see. Clown loaches can make a clicking sound when they are happy or mating.

The body is whitish-orange to reddish-orange, with three thick, black, triangular, vertical bands. The anterior band runs from the top of the head and through the eye, the medial band lies between the head and the dorsal fin, and wraps around to the ventral surface, and the posterior band covers almost all of the caudal peduncle and extends to the anal fin. There is some regional color variation within the species; the pelvic fins on fish from Borneo are reddish orange and black, while the pelvic fins on fish from Sumatra are entirely reddish orange.

The fish is sexually dimorphic, with females being slightly plumper than males. In addition, the tips of the tail on the male curve inwards slightly, whereas the females have straight tips.

The fish has a movable spine that lies in a groove below the eye, which may be extended as a defense mechanism. The spine may cause a painful wound, but is not venomous. It also may be used as a predation tool as it is set close to the mouth.

Naming

The fish was first described as ''Cobitis macracanthus'' by Pieter Bleeker in 1852. In 1989, its scientific name was changed to ''Botia macracanthus''. In 2004, Dr. Maurice Kottelat divided the ''Botia'' genus, containing 47 different species, into seven separate genera, resulting in the clown loach being placed in a genus of its own, ''Chromobotia''.

The genus ''Chromobotia'' derives its name from the Greek word ''chromo'', meaning "colour", and the regional Asian word ''botia'', meaning "warrior" or "soldier"; the specific epithet ''Macracanthus'' is derived from the Greek word ''macros'', meaning "large" and the Latin word ''acanthus'', meaning "thorny", referring to the large spine below each of the fish's eyes. The common name, "clown loach" comes from the fish's bright colors and stripes as well as from its habit of 'entertaining' aquarium owners with strange habits, such as swimming upside down, or 'playing dead.'

Distribution

Clown loaches are native to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. Clear stream environments provide the optimal habitat for clown loaches, but biannual monsoon flooding forces the fish to move into flooded flood plains, or murky or blackwater rivers or lakes, for 7–8 months of the year, and clown loaches are commonly found in the flood plains of hilly areas. Breeding adults migrate to smaller waterways to spawn annually.

In its native habitat, the fish is found in water with a temperature range of 77 to 86 °F , a pH between 5.0 and 8.0, and water hardness between 5 and 12 dH.

Behavior

Information about the maximum size of the clown loach varies, with some estimates ranging from 12 to 16 inches , and with typical adult sizes ranging from 7 to 10 inches . The fish's body is long and laterally compressed, with an arched dorsal surface and a flat ventral surface. Its head is relatively large and its mouth faces downward with thick, fleshy lips, and four pairs of barbels. The barbels on the lower jaw are small and difficult to see. Clown loaches can make a clicking sound when they are happy or mating.

The body is whitish-orange to reddish-orange, with three thick, black, triangular, vertical bands. The anterior band runs from the top of the head and through the eye, the medial band lies between the head and the dorsal fin, and wraps around to the ventral surface, and the posterior band covers almost all of the caudal peduncle and extends to the anal fin. There is some regional color variation within the species; the pelvic fins on fish from Borneo are reddish orange and black, while the pelvic fins on fish from Sumatra are entirely reddish orange.

The fish is sexually dimorphic, with females being slightly plumper than males. In addition, the tips of the tail on the male curve inwards slightly, whereas the females have straight tips.

The fish has a movable spine that lies in a groove below the eye, which may be extended as a defense mechanism. The spine may cause a painful wound, but is not venomous. It also may be used as a predation tool as it is set close to the mouth.

Habitat

Clown loaches are native to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. Clear stream environments provide the optimal habitat for clown loaches, but biannual monsoon flooding forces the fish to move into flooded flood plains, or murky or blackwater rivers or lakes, for 7–8 months of the year, and clown loaches are commonly found in the flood plains of hilly areas. Breeding adults migrate to smaller waterways to spawn annually.

In its native habitat, the fish is found in water with a temperature range of 77 to 86 °F , a pH between 5.0 and 8.0, and water hardness between 5 and 12 dH.