Taking care of clown loaches has the potential to be incredibly satisfying. These fish are so pretty that many people want to add them to their freshwater aquariums for aesthetic purposes alone.
You’ll find that these fish are popular for more reasons than just looking nice, though. Aside from adding color to the fish tank, clown loaches are also very easy to take care of.
They can tolerate a variety of different temperatures and pH balance levels. Overall, they’re great community tank fish that will make sense for many aquarium types.
If you bought clown loaches recently, then you might be concerned if all of the loaches appear to be hiding. When clown loaches start hiding, is this an indication that they’re stressed or scared of something?
Continue reading to learn everything that you need to know about clown loaches hiding in the fish tank. It’ll ensure that you understand what is likely going on.
Clown Loaches Do Enjoy Hiding
Hiding is actually very normal behavior for clown loaches. They like to hide and will sometimes hide together in small spots.
It can be pretty funny to watch the clown loaches try to cram into a tiny hiding spot. Since clown loaches are meant to be kept in groups, they often jockey for position and hide together in little caves or other spots.
You should also know that these fish love aquatic plants. They often like to hide among the live plants that you’re keeping in the aquarium.
Since clown loaches always hang out at the bottom of the tank, they’re going to utilize plants to hide pretty often. This isn’t necessarily a sign that something is wrong so long as they’re also doing other things.
Other normal clown loach behaviors include swimming in circles around the tank. A group of clown loaches will play “follow the leader” and circle the fish tank around the edges.
You likely don’t need to worry about your fish hiding. However, there could be situations where it will be a sign of something negative.
Getting Comfortable with the Tank
It could be that your clown loaches are still pretty new to the fish tank. These fish might take a little bit of time to get used to their new environment.
You might notice that the fish will be a bit shy at first. It’s normal for clown loaches to hide, but the hiding might seem excessive in the first week.
Eventually, the fish should become far more comfortable with being in the fish tank. Just give them time to see if they adjust.
It might be prudent to check the water parameters to see if they’re in the right range. You want everything to be good for the fish so that they can feel comfortable and thrive under your care.
Are the fish coming out to eat when it’s feeding time? If so, you likely don’t have anything to worry about.
Hiding From Bully Fish
Since clown loaches are great community tank fish, some make the mistake of putting them in fish tanks with fish that will bully them. Clown loaches are so peaceful that they will sometimes get bullied by aggressive fish.
Even if the clown loaches are slightly bigger than the aggressive fish in question, they might still get bullied. This is why it’s imperative to look up compatibility before putting fish in the same aquarium.
Failing to do so will put your fish in danger. Clown loaches get along nicely with a variety of different fish, but there are some bully fish that will cause them problems.
If a clown loach is so nervous that it won’t come out of hiding, then you might need to check the compatibility of all of the fish in the community aquarium.
This will help you to ensure that you didn’t make a mistake. If all seems well with the other fish in the tank, then the hiding might be normal behavior that you’re misidentifying as a problem.
Clown Loach Hiding Places
Clown loaches will utilize various different hiding spots in a fish tank. As mentioned earlier, they enjoy hiding among aquatic plants that you place in the aquarium.
They’ll also hide in little caves or decorations sometimes. Assuming that you put small caves in the tank for decorative purposes, clown loaches might choose to utilize them as hiding spots.
It’s said that clown loaches feel more comfortable in fish tanks when they have more hiding spots to choose from. Thus, you shouldn’t try to discourage hiding.
Hiding is simply normal for these fish. It makes them feel safe.
Clown Loach Hides All the Time
What if the clown loach hides all the time? Well, you can look into problems with the fish tank.
It could be that something is wrong that is keeping the clown loach from being happy. The water parameters could be off or you could have a bully fish in the tank.
Another consideration is whether the tank is large enough. These fish need to be kept in spacious tanks.
A 75-gallon fish tank is supposed to be the minimum for clown loaches. They also won’t like being placed in overcrowded fish tanks with way too many fish.
Remember that clown loaches are meant to be kept in small groups. A single clown loach might feel very vulnerable and choose to hide.
Conversely, a single clown loach might get more aggressive and try to chase other fish. It can be hard to say what will happen, but these fish are meant to be kept in groups of five to nine.
How to Get Clown Loaches Out of Hiding
Try feeding the clown loach to see if it comes out to eat the food. If it doesn’t, then you might need to worry a bit.
Normally, clown loaches will hide, but they’ll come out of hiding to eat. So long as the fish is eating, you’re not going to need to worry.
If the tank is in good condition and the water is clean, then the fish should come out of hiding sometimes. It might need more time to become comfortable in the fish tank.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.