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The Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) is a striking and highly popular freshwater fish renowned for its vibrant orange-yellow body adorned with three broad, black, triangular bands. Its elongated, torpedo-shaped body and downturned mouth make it an efficient bottom feeder. Clown Loaches are highly social and intelligent fish, thriving best in groups of five or more. They are known for their playful antics, often exploring every crevice of the aquarium, sifting through substrate, and even 'sleeping' on their sides, which can initially alarm new owners. While small when purchased, they are a long-lived species that can reach an impressive size of 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) in a well-maintained aquarium, necessitating a large tank (100+ gallons for adult groups). They prefer soft, acidic to neutral water with excellent filtration and stable temperatures around 76-86°F (24-30°C). As omnivores, their diet should consist of high-quality sinking pellets, flakes, frozen foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp, and vegetable matter. They are also excellent for controlling nuisance snails. Clown Loaches are generally peaceful and make excellent additions to large community tanks with other similarly sized, non-aggressive fish. However, they are sensitive to poor water quality and prone to ich (white spot disease), so pristine water conditions are crucial for their health.

Grows very large; eats snails.