Loach in filter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[papa_bear_21]

So, we were doing a tank maintenance, and cleaning the filters with a good scrub. I had been noticing the AC 30 running slow, and wanted to tear it apart, and clean the impellor. During the process, I was holding the parts in a bucket with tank water, to clean the media in. I cleaned the 30, got it back up and running, and then began to tear down the ac50. As I took apart the intake tube, it went into the bucket (which was clean, and full with fresh tank water), my 6 year old tells me he saw a fish in there. We took it as he was seeing things, until I look down, and there it is. Our baby Khuli loach, which I guess managed to get sucked up into the intake tube, luckily he got caught by the second screener tube (the AC50 uses 2 sections of pipe that have the slits in them to strain out bigger debris). So, we catch him, and put him back in the tank. Needless to say, the new AC50 sponge filter is now cut in half, and used as a pre-filter to keep fish out of the intakes...

Is this normal, or was it just a fluke? He is still alive, but in hiding, as we recently moved the tank to a new location in the house, and it stressed the fish something bad...

Thanks for the help,

Bear

 

[plecoperson]

Betcha he will be fine-most of us have had a critter or two in the filter, living happily for who-knows-how long.

Good work by your 6 year old!

 

[papa_bear_21]

I think he was trying to help get back some privledges in regards to the tank...he's not allowed near it unless one of us is with him...we had to buy another glass cat, one of them met an unfortunate fate after being caught in a plastic breeder cage and sat on the table next to the tank. We are not sure if it was on purpose or not, or if he even knew the fish was in there, but the destruction on the tank was a bit over the top. But thats a different thread...

He was praised for telling us about it, and for letting us know. He may have done a few things wrong, but thats no reason to not praise the good things...

 

[Ferret_Friend]

All the more reason to praise the good things. Hopefully it'll teach him a few things.

 

[papa_bear_21]

especially since the khuli's are his "worms"...he picked them out

 

[Sidi]

Teach him well, get him interested, and it may become a lifelong career or hobby. So many people had horrible introductions to aquariums, bad advice and absolute disasters for tanks. If he really cares thats another generation for the hobby.

I'm sorry for the bad incident...children and pets are often a very bad combination. As he ages he will probably be well past any problems, so don't distrust him forever...but...there's always a but...

 

[LandGhoti]

When my yoyo loach was a baby, he used to swim up into my filter (Penguin 125) and eat the debris off the cartridge in there (what I like to call "dumpster diving"). Not quite the same as being trapped in the filter intake, but your baby kuhli was probably motivated by adventure too. Plus, loaches are just stinkers anyway and like to explore where they shouldn't. Glad the kuhli is OK. The hiding is another loachie characteristic.

 

[papa_bear_21]

When my yoyo loach was a baby, he used to swim up into my filter (Penguin 125) and eat the debris off the cartridge in there (what I like to call "dumpster diving"). Not quite the same as being trapped in the filter intake, but your baby kuhli was probably motivated by adventure too. Plus, loaches are just stinkers anyway and like to explore where they shouldn't. Glad the kuhli is OK. The hiding is another loachie characteristic.

We're not sure if he was being adventurous, or if he just got too close, but luckily he was alive. We put the sponge filters on the ends to prevent future adventures for them...The khuli's hide more than the dojo's do...the dojo's tend to be active all the time, like my plec's are when they are comfy in the tank (they are hiding more now, as we just moved everyone...)

Teach him well, get him interested, and it may become a lifelong career or hobby. So many people had horrible introductions to aquariums, bad advice and absolute disasters for tanks. If he really cares thats another generation for the hobby.

I'm sorry for the bad incident...children and pets are often a very bad combination. As he ages he will probably be well past any problems, so don't distrust him forever...but...there's always a but...

It wont be a permanant thing, just until we can get a lid on top of the tank (hopefully this payday a sheet of scrylic will be purchased). We are doing our best to explain to all of the kids, that the fish are delicate, and need to be treated gentle. We let the older ones help with feeding a little bit, and help with other little things, the younger 2 are a bit young yet. We try to include everyone in the hobby as we can...

 

[Alshain]

Every time I clean my filter I have to fish out 5 to 15 young swordtail.