Lost weather loach

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xander

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Messages
330
Location
Mpls MN
So I got 3 small weather loaches for my 55 gallon goldfish tank a few months ago. As soon as they acclimated I only ever saw one at a time. The substrate is soft sand so I assumed two were always buried. Well after a while I assumed they jumped out or died so I got 2 medium weather loaches. After a few days I would only see one of them. This is after I completely secured the lid. No jumpers so it must be in there. During some maintenance I ran fingers through all the sand. No show. I did notice a dead fish smell. After disturbing the substrate and resetting some fake plants and ornaments I noticed the small loach going nuts on a fake aquarium ornament bonsai tree. Well that's where it was. Had to break it open to get it out. Dead. I'm thinking the two little ones where in there and the big was attracted to the smell and got stuck. Only way in this thing was from the the bottom through the substrate. I only wish I would have checked that tree sooner. Just didn't realize any possible entry until it was far too late. So no more ornaments like that and will get one more loach to complete the trio.
 
I purchased a used tank and the guy included a lot of decor, including a large, hollow piece. When I was rinsing it off a little Neon Tetra dropped out of it. :( Since I was wanting to eventually get Tetras for my tank, I decided to not put this piece in there when I was setting up the tank.

Granted, I have a few other hollow decor pieces in the tank right now, and w/ my Clown Loach in there I had worried about having an incident like yours. Of course I have gravel substrate, but I don't think that would stop him from creeping inside anything and getting trapped.

I appreciate you posting this btw. Hopefully it will remind other Loach owners to look in the least likely spots when their fish go MIA.

Sorry about your fishes. :(
 
Only way in this thing was from the the bottom through the substrate. I only wish I would have checked that tree sooner. Just didn't realize any possible entry until it was far too late. So no more ornaments like that and will get one more loach to complete the trio.

I've had that happen where I found the loach under a piece of decor where the only way in was through the substrate. I don't believe they got stuck - I think they went there to die. I mean, dojos are at home in the sand, and if it dug it's way in there's no reason why it couldn't dig it's way out.

I had a loach missing for months before it miraculously resurfaced one day. It's been out ever since. I swore it was sucked out during a water change. I wouldn't give up on the ones that are missing, even though you may have thoroughly looked for them.
 
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