​​Clown Loaches have beautiful coloring and have the most amusing playful behavior. A active fish that is easy to care for and will bring a lot of life to your tank. It’s no wonder that they are some of the most popular fish in the aquarium trade.

​These fish have laterally long bodies with relatively large heads. The mouth is turned downwards with thick, full lips and four pairs of barbels; with the barbels of the lower jaw being small and difficult to see. On the body, they display a wonderful reddish-orange coloration with three vertical black stripes. The first stripe crosses the entire head and eyes, the middle stripe is located between the head and the dorsal fin, while the posterior stripe covers almost the entire caudal peduncle extending to the anal fin. There may be variations in color according to the fish's provenance, the pelvic fins in fish from Borneo are reddish-orange and black, while the pelvic fins in fish from Sumatra are fully reddish-orange. Regardless of where they come from, their colors are always flashy and strong. Its popular name "Clown Loach" derives from its flashy colors, as well as its behavior like swimming upside down or "playing" dead.

​They are a schooling fish, and they can make sounds while feeding or when they are very excited. They have interesting behaviors to observe, such as the well-known loach dance. They can also rest in a heap, one on top of the other, something quite fun to see.

​They do not have scales on their body, so they are extremely sensitive to products in the water. Likewise, they are susceptible to poor water quality.

​Ideally, the substrate should be of fine sand and without edges, so as not to hurt the Clown Loach barbels.

​Despite being active, these fish like to rest and do so in the strangest ways possible, even upside down.

​Remember never to handle these animals with your bare hands. Although it is a very peaceful fish, they are formidable animals when they need to defend itself or when disturbed. Clown Loach have spikes under their eyes and will use them as a defense mechanism. Although the thorn has no venom, it inflicts a painful wound. Trust us, they hurt. It’s important to be mindful of these spikes when transferring them using an aquarium net, as it’s very common for them to get stuck to the netting. 

​They are amazing fish, with unique behavior for the species. Clown Loaches will bring you a lot of animation, in addition to being an explosion of colors in the aquarium.

​Scientific name: Chromobotia macracanthus

​Common name: Clown Loach

​Order: Cypriniformes — Family: Cobitidae

​Distribution: Asia. Found in Kalimantan Barat (West Kalimantan), Kalimantan Tengah (Central Kalimantan) and Kalimantan Timur (East Kalimantan), provinces of Indonesia including the Kapuas and Kayan. In Sumatra it is found in eastern and southern Jambi, Sumatra Selatan and Lampung provinces including the Batang Hari, Musi and tulang Bawang.

​Behavior: Relatively peaceful

​Adult Size: 8-14”

​Life Expectancy: 20+ years

​pH: 5.0 to 8.0

​Temperature: 75 to 86 F

​Minimum size tank: 40 in X 16 in X 20 in (53 gallons)

​Feeding: Omnivorous

​Reproduction: Oviparous. There are a few reports of the reproduction of this species in captivity and the vast majority found in aquarium stores come from specialized fish farms and are obtained through the induction of hormones. Species requires several years to reach sexual maturity.

​Sexual Dimorphism: Monomorphic species until they reach about 6 cm, from this size they can be sexed. Females tend to be larger and fatter than males, while the latter has a slightly inwardly curved caudal fin similar to a claw, while females are straight.

​Additional Information: They have an interesting behavior in which younger specimens swim side by side with the older ones, imitating their every move. The smaller ones can simulate the larger ones simultaneously with up to three or four fish on each side. The reason for this behavior is unknown, but it may be related to a group staying in contact with each other when rivers fill during periods of flooding, perhaps reducing friction by swimming 'in formation' or having some other communicative function. Interestingly, some observations suggest that the behavior of the alpha fish seems to affect the whole group, although scientific studies on the behavior of Botideos are practically non-existent. Some specimens are naturally bolder or more aggressive than others and the alpha is usually the largest specimen in the group and not infrequently a female.