Invisible or disappearing fish!

[Habeas corpus]

I just got 2 clown loaches the other day from my LFS and put them into my tank with 3 dwarf puffers, 3 otos, and two barbs. They were very active the first day and second.

However, the third day I could not find them. I have my 30g tank set up with rocks and art plants with a good hiding place on both sides, but the loaches both just disappeared. I could not find them anywhere in my tank. I was even so worried, I check behind my tank and all on the gruond to see if they took the big suicide plunge. I went so far as to give my cat the evil eye, think maybe she had a little snack while I was away at work. But no fish!! I even moved the rocks to make sure they weren't hiding crammed behind a rock and the glass back wall.

Then last night, my wife comes runing upstairs and yells, "they're back!!" Sure enough I came down and there they both were dancing around in the tank.

Either, 1) hey somehow buried themselves in the medium sized rock gravel or 2) they time warped into the future and back again. I'd like to think my fish aren't time travelling, so has anyone had similar experiences with their clown loaches?

 

[madasafish]

In my experience, fish and inverts are excellent time travellers/warpers. This scenario has played itself out in my apartment many, many times. About 95% of the time, the fish or inverts are there when I check back later!

 

[Blackpearl]

fish and inverts are excellent time travellers/warpers.

8O Are you sure your fish aren't spies from the outer world 8O

 

[Devilishturtles]

In my experience, fish and inverts are excellent time travellers/warpers

I spent about 40 minutes trying to find my third clown loach the other day, but gave up. They hide alot, atleast mine do, and disappear quite often.

 

[Cherry Barb]

My Skunk Botias do the same thing. I wonder where they keep their little time travel suits.

 

[grimlock3000]

Recently, I had a Guppy disappear. It never came back, and I could not find the body... It was a pretty big Guppy too! *insert X-Files music*

 

[Devilishturtles]

Recently, I had a Guppy disappear. It never came back, and I could not find the body...

This happened a while back to me...with not one...but THREE green swordtails. I never found a single carcass. Ah well, I think the cats had lunch

 

[poikilotherm]

My fish also seem to travel further in spacetime when they disappear. I'm still waiting for my baby Royal Panaque to reappear (AWOL 1 year).

Decomposition can happen pretty quickly in warm water. Sometimes I can't even find their skeleton- er, I mean time machine!

 

[krap101]

i strung some java moss to somedriftwoof and my skunks always hid inbetween there. and when i sometimes took the driftwood out id find em on the ground flopping around . just dont feed em for a couple days and they'll come out. i almost gaurentee it.

 

[shawmutt]

*Cues Twilight Zone theme

I had a catfish I named Houdini just for this. He actually survived not one, but two total tank drainings! He would disappear, I would drain the tank, refill the tank (I was moving the tank, not being sadistic to the fish ). He would reappear for a few hours and then disappear until the next tank move.

 

[puffergirl]

Yeah I've got a orange finned botia pulling a houdini now, can't find him! My badis badis does the same thing, sometimes for days then just shows up agian out of the blue for some chow!

My clown loaches are just as bad but since they are growing pretty fast as soon as they smell food they are right in my face!