Loaches Online Forum

I have been setting up new tank for 7 fish (rainbow shark, 2 clowns, 2 y0-yos, algae eater, burmese border loach). I am concerned how to get them into new tank safely...I have this large rock/cave thing in the tank they are in now, that they all hide in...had it almost completely out of water and not one came out. How can I do this transfer safely?...this rock/cave is not going to be part of new tank.

I have this same problem with a piece of driftwood that has holes drilled in it. my loaches hide in there. One time I was cleaning the tank and I didn't know I had a hitchhiker. I put the wood on the ground and when I looked down there was a loach flopping on the floor. (the loach made it thank god.) I have to shake the fish loose from the wood (lightly of course) good luck

I know of at least one person who move the unit; rock (or wood) and all....but since your not transferring the item, I guess that wouldn't work.

what about putting it into the new tank temporarily...letting them get used to the new environs? This might be an even easy way to NOT have to deal with catching them. They will just transfer over with the cave/log thing.

haha good luck with this, my zebras regualrly do this and we too have removed their cave and wondered where they were only to find they were still in the cave but luckily in pockets of water. We were trying to get my clown loach out, and the cave out of water had 1 clown loach and 2 zebra loach stuck in it, they all survived though but some of the nooks and crannys are so small. I would consider transferring the item even temporairly as ours would not leave the cave for more than a few seconds, whereas now, weeks down the line we can grab the cave when we see that they're all out. Maybe in time your loach will be brave enough to come out and then you could whip cave back out

Bribe them out with food.

I've also been able to have my old loaches swim into a bucket for some worms. Then I'd just lift the bucket full of loaches and life was easy.

Trying to move them in any way except placing the cave into the new tank temporarily will stress them out. We must be patient with our pets. They obviously find this cave beneficial to them, or they wouldn't stay there. Perhaps you could reconsider not including it in their new environment? Or will you be giving them a brand new one?

I've found that once my fish are contented, I don't like to mess too much with their source of contentment.

-- Dojosmama

I really don't want to transfer the cave to new tank...for one thing, it is too big. In their current tank, this piece is essentially all there is...I have worried about someday a fish dying in there and well, having the problem of getting it out. Plus, I have set up new tank with plants and driftwood..giving them multiple places in tank to hide, but making it easier for me to get to a fish if I need to. I suppose I am indeed a giant king kong to them. Do you think if I put airstone in as I am lifting it that may chase them out, or just stress them out more?

I would be really tempted to transfer them to the new tank in the log, but not actually place it on the bottom. If you do it when the lights are out, and if you can leave it propped up somehow, I bet they would all move out shortly. My loaches don't really like hiding places up high in the tank and usually pop out of their rock when I'm moving it around and go hide elsewhere until I'm done.

I know food bribing won't work...I plan to lift the rock quickly placing it into a bucket that has some of their aquarium water in it, if they did not seem out by this process, transfer cave to new tank-hold it over, hoping they will in short time swim out as suggested (thanks)...I really don't want that rock in the new tank as there is not a place for it, and it has this brown algae I'd rather not spread to new tank. Eventually they would have to swim out of it, right?

I never see my kuhlis, but I recently did a fast for the fish of about a day and a half. Those kuhlis (and all the other inhabitants) were out almost immediately once the algae wafer and shrimp pellets were in the water. My first feeding frenzy....and a perfect time to remove their cave (to clean underneath. ew).
Maybe try a long fast. I know food is usually not enough to tempt them out, but once they're REALLY hungry, they should poke their faces out.

I got them out! the 3 largest came out when rock was being pulled from water (well way out of water already)...2 more came out in transporting bucket to next tank...then final 2 came out with some tilting and tapping as the rock was over the new tank. They have been doing a lot of loachy dancing but also enjoying riding the new current. They seem to be hiding less too (except when they see me)...now they have a lot of different places to go spread out in tank .

Glad they're out safely.

Better watch it -- they're going to get spoiled! Or, are they, already?

-- Dojosmama

Well, they probably don't feel like their spoiled, but I do try