BN Pleco goes astray...into the filter!

[Autumnsky]

So tonight I was surprised to find my Albino Bristle Nose Pleco IN my filter.

It is a little clear/smoked color acrylic 15S filter hanging out on the tank til I find somewhere else for it, to keep it cycled.

My young guy is appx. 3" and there was a filter pad in the overflow to quiet it and add surface for BB when it was on my other tank I broke down.

The BN was in the intake section, the clearest part (and clean too lol) and seemed content.

Of course I got him out and plopped back into the tank. Rinsed my filter and put it back on the tank. I removed the over flow bulk filter pad from the over flow part and plopped it into the top of the 110 filter, in hopes of removing the possible entrance point.

SO!!! What should I do? It has a prefilter on it so I can't imaging the BN got up the intake that way. I read here somewhere someone else had a fish which would sneak up into the filter, although I think theirs jumped in there.

I am worried for the little BN safety. If he misses the correct slot he might get onto the floor and dry up before I noticed him!

Anyone have one of these escape artists?

 

[Mcor]

I have the same problem. Only I didn't know it until last night. I cleaned my filter and found my little BNP dead on top of the sponge. He'd swum up the outflow in my situation.

 

[Autumnsky]

I have the same problem. Only I didn't know it until last night. I cleaned my filter and found my little BNP dead on top of the sponge. He'd swum up the outflow in my situation.

OOOhhhhh I am so sorry. It is sad to lose a fish.

I have had a number of my Dwarf Cherry shrimp found like that.

Tonight my guy was actually still in the tank, I am thankful for that, worried for his future too.

 

[Mcor]

All I can say is do a head count as often as you can. Mine must have been missing for a few days as I had 6 of them and it was hard to keep track. I'm hoping sooner or later they will be too big to fit up there but I'm cautious of trying to cover them up as I fear it'll back up my filter.