loach and catfish problems

[bekki_s]

I have 3 clown loaches which i got with the tank, they all get on fine, they live together, eat together and swim together, never a problem.
But recently i've noticed one's got a little wide around the middle and has started to be a bit funny with the other's, all it seem's to want to do is clean and hide in a light house, and if another fish come's close it will chase it al around the tank.
It won't entertain the other's anymore they do try they go upto it all the time and try and swim with it, but it just swim's off or attack's them. Is there something wrong with it?
Also i have 2 catfish, not sure on what they are, it's rare i see them. 1 jam's itself in a castle and never come's out, and i mean really jam's itself in there, if you try getting it out it nips you. The other just lay's in the bottom of the castle, it just poke's it's head out from time to time. Is this normal catfish behaviour?

 

[bassbonediva]

Hiding is definitely normal catfish behavior. That's why I didn't find my 5" featherfin catfish after he died until he was just a skeleton. It was so unusual to actually see him that I didn't think anything of it when I didn't see him for several days. My new featherfin has claimed a driftwood cave thing and I haven't seen him come out since I got him a few days ago.

As for your loach...if she was a dog, I'd say she's displaying nesting behavior and is pregnant. But as loaches are egg layers, maybe she is full of eggs and is looking for a place to lay them so she can protect them. I'm not familiar with loaches, so I'm not sure if they actually protect their eggs.