Fish Question - Has Anyone Had Good Luck with Clown Loaches?

We have had our pair for at least a year, if not longer. We bought two when they were less than an inch long (from petsmart) and they are now huge - at least 3 inches in length. It was my understanding that they are very hearty fish and tough to kill.

Wow! I had 5, and they all lived a few years. I moved recently, and had to give them to a friend. They're still going strong. Obviously, the first thing to check are the water parameters. A friend lost his clown loaches because he forgot to turn his heater back on after a water change, and his loaches all got ich and went to the big pond in the sky. How big is your tank? Did you know clown loaches can grow to about 10 inches?! They really need quite a big of room, and a small tank would be quite constricting for them. If you want one to grow to 5 or 6 inches, you'd want to give them a 6 foot tank! I know they like to live together. So if he was all by himself, he probably felt lonely. They tend to stick together when you have a few, and feel safer that way. Clown loaches also like hiding spaces to feel safe. I am assuming you had sinking pellets for food, although mine would also go up to the surface to feed on the flakes. They love digging snails out of the gravel too! Bloodworms are a favourite as well.

Actually, they grow slowly fortunately, but they grow more like 12 inches,not 5 or 6 lol. It's also recommended for them to be in groups of at least 3. They much prefer that. They are scaleless, as mentioned, and don't tolerate a lot of common medications used or salt for that matter either. So, if you've used either of those recently, it could've burned him or stressed him. I've had some I had for a few years, and others that didn't last very long. It could just be the water where you live as well. I think they thrive better in a slightly acidic ph, let me post a link with general info on them: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=873 Try buying them from somewhere else. Maybe the fish store just has a "bad breeder". Also think about a larger tank for them. They're kinda sensitive to water quality as well, a 10 gallon is a little too small for them, even if it was only a few inches. The water quality can take a dump real quick in a smaller tank, and even a small amount of ammonia or nitrites can kill them off. I just noticed that site above has them on sale, but I don't know what the shipping charge is though....Good luck!!