Weird cave in my aquarium?

[Lung Fish]

I put a dragon goby in my 45 gallon FW last night ( i moved him out of the 55 because he wasn't getting enough food) and now this... (check the pic) IDK if it was him or one of the other fish.... The tank currently has:2 green spotted puffers,1 silver dollar tetra,1 ocellated squeaker catfish,1 BN pleco,1 male betta,1 yoyo loach,1 banjo cat,2 corydoras cats,1 peppered loach,1 half banded loach,and 2 tadpoles.(i have a big filter so there is no risk of overstocking).


Lung Fish-

 

[bambam1]

It looks like a plant to me lol

 

[J.Mcpeak]

It might not be overstocked but I think you may have some stocking issues.

Loaches and Cory are normally shoaling species, my almorhae definitely needed a group. I think dollars are shoaling species too.

I think green spot puffers are single species only. When they get bigger they will eat all livestock. They want 30-55g each eventually using a brackish mix of water.

 

[Fishfur]

Interesting excavation.. is anything living in it ? And I do think you'll find those puffers are going to be a problem soon enough. Very aggressive and predatory fish, virtually always kept singly, because they eat companions. If they are very young now, maybe you've been fortunate, but you can't count on that lasting.

And it's also very true, cory catfish really need company of their own species. A minimum of 3, and six is a lot better. Having them alone is really very unkind, it's not what they like at all. Many loaches are also shoaling species but not all of them. I'd have to check if the ones you have are the ones who need friends.. if so, the same numbers probably apply to them as the cory cats. Tetras in general also do best in groups of six or more.

It pays to do some research on the fish you see that you like. Just picking one or two because you like the way they look may be rather unkind to fish that evolved to be with many companions of their own species. It can be quite stressful for them and that shortens lives.

Edit... your Yoyo should be ok on his own, given he has tank mates of other species. But the peppered loach, do you know how big he's going to get ? Six inches.. and he should not be alone. Four is the minimum recommended to keep, they shouldn't be singles. Both these species also need a soft,sandy substrate. Especially the peppered loach, as they sift sand through the gils to extract the little critters living in it.

They should be given live food as often as possible, or at least frozen foods. They also prefer to bury themselves entirely much of the time, and I think the goby probably does that too.. I'd have to check again, it's been awhile since I looked up any gobies. But if the substrate is too coarse, fish like the peppered loach either can't bury or will damage themselves trying to get buried, they use a spine on the fin to help them dig in. They also have an adaptation in their guts so they can get oxygen from air. Pretty remarkable what fish have evolved to survive drought conditions.

 

[Lung Fish]

Interesting excavation.. is anything living in it ? And I do think you'll find those puffers are going to be a problem soon enough. Very aggressive and predatory fish, virtually always kept singly, because they eat companions. If they are very young now, maybe you've been fortunate, but you can't count on that lasting.

And it's also very true, cory catfish really need company of their own species. A minimum of 3, and six is a lot better. Having them alone is really very unkind, it's not what they like at all. Many loaches are also shoaling species but not all of them. I'd have to check if the ones you have are the ones who need friends.. if so, the same numbers probably apply to them as the cory cats. Tetras in general also do best in groups of six or more.

It pays to do some research on the fish you see that you like. Just picking one or two because you like the way they look may be rather unkind to fish that evolved to be with many companions of their own species. It can be quite stressful for them and that shortens lives.

Edit... your Yoyo should be ok on his own, given he has tank mates of other species. But the peppered loach, do you know how big he's going to get ? Six inches.. and he should not be alone. Four is the minimum recommended to keep, they shouldn't be singles. Both these species also need a soft,sandy substrate. Especially the peppered loach, as they sift sand through the gils to extract the little critters living in it.

They should be given live food as often as possible, or at least frozen foods. They also prefer to bury themselves entirely much of the time, and I think the goby probably does that too.. I'd have to check again, it's been awhile since I looked up any gobies. But if the substrate is too coarse, fish like the peppered loach either can't bury or will damage themselves trying to get buried, they use a spine on the fin to help them dig in. They also have an adaptation in their guts so they can get oxygen from air. Pretty remarkable what fish have evolved to survive drought conditions.

About some of those schooling fish,the tetra and peppered loach were the ONLY ones of their kind at the store,and the cories... the green i have had for YEARS,and the peppered i bought as a companion,and as for the puffers,they have never even bumped into one of their tankmates.

 

[Fishfur]

Perhaps you have been lucky with the puffers. It's true that some fish don't behave the way they are expected to.. they are living things and living things can vary.

The fact the fish you got were the only ones in the store isn't really a good reason to keep them by themselves for years afterward. I understand that it can be exciting to see a fish you think is attractive or interesting and want to take it home.

But these days it is so easy to find information on most fish species, I don't think there is very much excuse for not at least trying to find out what the fish prefers.

Forty years ago when I was in high school, I kept fish. I had a kuhli loach, among others. Only one, poor thing. He lived for 11 years, but now I know the reason I never ever saw him was because he was alone. He hid, because he was afraid and uneasy. If I had known they are fish that require a number of companions to show off their normal behaviours, I would have have a group. But back then, no computers, no internet, and it was pretty hard to find info on any but the most common of fish. So I had some excuse for not knowing better. Today I would never keep a kuhli alone, or without many hiding spots to use.

No one can prevent you keeping the fish you wish to keep, but don't expect people to think it's ok to keep schooling or shoaling species alone just because you're doing it.

 

[horsedogfish]

cories will dig caves, though usually they are in the back of the tank where the provide good cover.


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[J.Mcpeak]

I think almorhae are a shoaling species, I kept them for six or so years eventually giving away a shoal of about 8 specimens. Most loaches shoal.

I got 3 to begin with which was ok but (I learned from my clown loach more is better) so I added 6 which was great then a further 6, really the difference in behaviour was incredible, I saw much more activity when the numbers were increased and that improved the second time.

I'm sure that just like clown loaches the B Almorhae form a complex social structure and need good numbers of their own kind to achieve this.

Everywhere seems to suggest they are a shoaling fish.


From experience Cory do not dig caves in the way that a goby may. They sift a lot and that could be misconstrued as digging. They hide in caves but I've not witnessed them actually excavating a burrow. If they sense food in a crevice they will make a good effort to get at it.

 

[Lung Fish]

So,what fish do you think did it?,the morning i saw the cave,i saw a Dragon Goby tail sticking out...

 

[J.Mcpeak]

That's the culprit most likely

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Speak to this person, I'm sure they keep these fish. I vaguely remember a conversation concerning one of these before, I may be wrong?

 

[Fishinfreak]

What filter is it? And I take it the goby was dead? Or was it just hiding in there. Also, i believe both the GSPs and the goby require brackish water as they get bigger

 

[NigelK8485]

And it was mentioned earlier, silver dollars get 6-10 inches and should be kept in groups of 5 or more.


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