demurefemme
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi everyone!
I'm quite freaked out right now as I write this, and I hope that someone *anyone* has some advice...
For the last few days, every time I've seen my clown loach, he's been in the same place, his favorite place, in a hole in a piece of bogwood that I have in my tank. This didn't really seem all that strange, as he is almost always lodged into that bogwood somehow.
Tonight, however, when I went to take the bogwood out to clean, my poor loach wouldn't budge. Usually the minute I begin to agitate the bogwood to get it out of the tank to gravel vac, he plops right out of it. Sometimes I'll have to dip it in and out of the water once or twice, but I've never had him stay in it through that.
I've been fiddling with the piece of bogwood for over ten minutes now. I've dipped it in and out of the water a few times, but I'm afraid that if I keep doing this, he'll asphyxiate. I've tried GENTLY (oh, so gently, gingerly, softly, as lightly as i can) tugging on his tail to try and get him out (only the very end of his tail is sticking out), but this just makes him squirm further into the crevice.
Now that I'm watching him more intently, he seems to be trying to free himself to no avail. He'll move forward and back, forward and back. I feel so guilty, because over the last few days, I had noticed his tail flipping a bit, but since he's always burrowing himself into that bogwood, I didn't give it more than a passing thought.
At this point I'm convinced that he's not staying in that bogwood of his own volition. I'm terrified that he'll starve if he doesn't come out, and I'm terrified that if I keep trying to get him out, that I'll end up killing him.
What should I do?! Has anyone experienced something like this before? I've had the bogwood longer than I've had him (well over 3 years now), and this has never happened before! If I leave him alone, will he get smaller due to lack of food and be able to free himself? If he keeps struggling will he injure himself? Can I safely pull at him to try and get him out? It breaks my heart to think that he might be scared and stuck!!!
Thanks a million in advance!
~anya
I'm quite freaked out right now as I write this, and I hope that someone *anyone* has some advice...
For the last few days, every time I've seen my clown loach, he's been in the same place, his favorite place, in a hole in a piece of bogwood that I have in my tank. This didn't really seem all that strange, as he is almost always lodged into that bogwood somehow.
Tonight, however, when I went to take the bogwood out to clean, my poor loach wouldn't budge. Usually the minute I begin to agitate the bogwood to get it out of the tank to gravel vac, he plops right out of it. Sometimes I'll have to dip it in and out of the water once or twice, but I've never had him stay in it through that.
I've been fiddling with the piece of bogwood for over ten minutes now. I've dipped it in and out of the water a few times, but I'm afraid that if I keep doing this, he'll asphyxiate. I've tried GENTLY (oh, so gently, gingerly, softly, as lightly as i can) tugging on his tail to try and get him out (only the very end of his tail is sticking out), but this just makes him squirm further into the crevice.
Now that I'm watching him more intently, he seems to be trying to free himself to no avail. He'll move forward and back, forward and back. I feel so guilty, because over the last few days, I had noticed his tail flipping a bit, but since he's always burrowing himself into that bogwood, I didn't give it more than a passing thought.
At this point I'm convinced that he's not staying in that bogwood of his own volition. I'm terrified that he'll starve if he doesn't come out, and I'm terrified that if I keep trying to get him out, that I'll end up killing him.
What should I do?! Has anyone experienced something like this before? I've had the bogwood longer than I've had him (well over 3 years now), and this has never happened before! If I leave him alone, will he get smaller due to lack of food and be able to free himself? If he keeps struggling will he injure himself? Can I safely pull at him to try and get him out? It breaks my heart to think that he might be scared and stuck!!!
Thanks a million in advance!
~anya