Lost Loaches

[BlackWolf0503]

When I got home today, they are gone! The tank has a gravel bottom, several large river rocks, a large piece of driftwood attached to a slab of slate and several artificial plants.

I have lifted each rock and the driftwood...no loaches and ten suddenly unhappy neons. The filter is an Emperor 280 and has a closed cover on the tube that goes into the tank so they couldn't have gone up there. Any ideas? No sign of them on the floor, although my dog might have taken care of that but the tank is covered other than a small opening in the back.

I'm just baffled and not looking foreward to taking this tank apart.

The same thing happened to me. My tank is at work. I had just bought my Clown. I knew they borrowed into things. I left for the day being real happy about my new purchase. The next morning I couldn't find him at all. Not in the cave, Not in the tree. I kinda thought it was strange but dismissed it as he was hiding in his own spot. I thought it was weird that I hadn't seen him for 4-5 hours. I started looking for him to make sure he was still alive. I picked up the cave & the tree, not there. I gently ran fingures thru the Gravel, not there either. I went thru the filter, nope. He was no where to be found. I started to get worried & look around the desk that the tank is on, not around the desk. I looked under, around, thru everything-He was no longer in or around or close or far from the tank. I asked the guy I work with if he had seen him Or if he was pulling my leg or what. He did everything i did & then some. NO FISH. I finally came to the realization that some one had stole him. Did I ever buy him? Did I just dream it? We kinda laughed about it but who would steal a clown loach? How would this happen? I then found out what did happen. About 2-3 hours later our Cleaning guy came in & asked me if I was missing a fish. I recited what I did & all. He said that he came in late after we all left to look at my tank & found the Clown Loach on the ground dead. He picked him up & disposed of the body. He just forgot to tell me. We all broke up into laughter after finding the whereabouts of the missing Clownie. I have always had a cover on the tank & He jumped out the small hole left of the filter. Take Care of your Clowies.

 

[bgraber]

Aww.. Poor loach. Mine are all over the tank and have only been in there 3 days now.. They still kind of hide when I come sit down next to the tank, but soon after they come out and resume whatever they're doing. No hiding at all really. however I think they are tearing a few of my plants out of the gravel. I came home tonight and my Cabomba was floating So are the loaches eating this? THe other fish in the tank are rosy tetras and red paradise gouramis. And a clown pleco but I dont think he did it.. Who's the culprit?

 

[pharoh08]

i doubt they are eating them , they are probably trying to hide under them in the roots and tear them up in the process. mine do it but my plants are rotted pretty well. 8) 8) 8)

by the way i just found my clowns main hiding space, they still use it after i found it so im glad i know now

 

[freshmike]

Glad to hear you found them!

 

[FanOFish]

I don't want to worry too much but here's the timeline.

Sunday - bought two small clowns and brought them home...after a few hours they were swimming up and down and being clowns.

Monday - gone, as I mentioned above I took everything out of the tank looking for them...not a sight so I was sure they jumped out and were eaten by the dog.

Tuesday morning - there they were swimming up and down...not a care in the world. Then they disappeard again.

It is now Thursday here and i haven't seen them since my brief sighting on Tuesday morning.

ARE YOU SURE THIS IS NORMAL CLOWN BEHAVIOR

 

[platypus]

Hmmm... two days shouldn't be too much to worry about. Have you been feeding them with the lights off? If not have a go at this - mine are often most active if I feed them right at lights-out time.

I'm sure it will be fine - good luck

 

[FanOFish]

Thanks for the advice Platypus, I will give that a try tonight because I was wondering how they find anything to eat at all. I try to make sure I don't overfead so when I do feed the neons and gouramis are there as the flakes hit the water.

The good news is that there was a sighting this morning for a brief time. It seemed to me that one of them was looking a bit faded. Now one has always been less vivid than the other but today it seemed more so...although it's been some time since I've seen the little buggers

With two clowns and three corys would anyone suggest the sinking pellet type food for them rather than flakes which the top swimmers seem to love?

Thanks

 

[platypus]

My clowns have never eaten flakes - try feeding them frozen bloodworm or a little strip of cucumber weighted down at the bottom of the tank or tucked under a rock or something (remember to wash first if it's not organic). Mine go mad for either of these.

Very pleased you've had a sighting of them! Fading doesn't always mean they are stressed, although it is worth keeping an eye on them in case this is what is causing it. Ha - keeping an eye on them - easier said than done right!