Confirmed this morning that the reticulated hillstream loach I thought was DOA yesterday, actually was DOA. Definitely didn't survive the night. Even once they've passed, they seem to naturally suction to the bottom pane of glass, just from their bodyshape, I guess. But got a good headlamp light on, a magnifying glass, and he hadn't moved from the spot against the top of the heater, where he was at bedtime, and where the filter output would naturally blow him to.
So I scooped him out, examined him as closely I could while still underwater cupped in my hand, and I did have to grip the tail to lift from the bottom after I'd nudged the body away from the heater, as it suctioned to the glass a bit and needed lifting. But held in hand, closely with magnifying glass, no gill movement or anything, and could see the signs of decomp. Like a fungus/excess slime kind of stuff on the fish, and no movement from anything when I turned him upside down and examined the underside closely for a while. Lifting him out confirmed he was no longer with us.
Bit gutted, honestly! Everyone at the event had fish bagged in the same way, many had much longer drives home, and I left very shortly after the sellers and not far from home. Maybe couldn't handle being in the bag as long as he was. Or when I bought them home, had all fish and shrimp bags in an insulated bag, could have got trapped in a corner or squished somehow. I only temp acclimated them to QT tank for about 30 mins, then plopped and dropped into fresh clean water with live plants and the canister filter that I swapped media with from my established canister filter on the 57g.
Got a headcount on other fish though, all others seem to have made it through the night! Saw all six pygmy cories, snowball and both dragon plecs, other hillstream loach is all over the glass nomming on something, very active- the one fish I couldn't spot was the biggest! The 4 inch or so hoplo! Until I finally used headlamp, and saw his tail waving from inside a pleco cave I'd moved from a main tank to the QT
I can already tell these are going to be fascinating and entertaining fish to keep!
Will try for photos later for help with names and ID'ing him, when he's out and about. He'd also slept in the thick bushy green algae that coats the top of that pleco cave, but apparently he likes the inside too, and fits pretty perfectly!
Betta also made it through the night, was snoozing on decor on the bottom of the tank, but woke up and got a bit active when I disturbed him with the light, but I had to check on them all!
Since I left that DOA RHL in there since yesterday evening til this morning, about to do a water test and likely change 30L with the remaining water conditioner I have, then pop to the nearest fish store (a chain, sorry! LFS are too far away for me to get to today, no car) for some Prime and some tapsafe, likely some other bits and bobs. Like a new dual airpump, one running now is working, but it's a weak output. Might have to accept that cheap airpumps will only have a relatively short lifespan. Not like the ones dad had that ran for donkeys years! Will test some of the water I remove to see how ammonia/nitrates/nitrates look.
Oh, also need a new lightbar that will fit the 240L and/or the 57g- the 57g one packed up a couple of weeks ago, but the 57g is closer to a window, I rigged the smaller nicrew light I had that fits the 22g perfectly and is now on the 22g QT tank, and a lamp, but since I'm going anyway makes sense to get a new light if they have decent, affordable ones. Gotta measure before I go, but W/C and testing on the 22g that had the dead hillstream loach more urgent, so doing that first.
. It's probably better to have more than just enough in the case of this hobby.
all but one are in my 90L now and growing well.
