Near Disaster!! (An interesting Day today)

[Mamba]

Well, earlier today I was doing my weekly water changes etc. I gave the U3 Filter a complete clean out as I have to every couple of weeks and I decided to do the same with the BF2200 powerhead. Instead of doing the manifold design I stuck to keeping the filter separate and using just one filter chamber as they come with three. I was just about to make a modification to the assembly to make it easier to remove the filter when I saw that the filter was pretty well gummed up. As I went to remove the filter sponge I caught sight of the tail of a fish deep inside between the sponge and the plastic outer covering.

Giving how well jammed it was in I thought, damn it's a dead fish, possibly one of the Tiger barbs I had in there as some were small. However, as I gently pulled at the end of the tail the tail was wrong so I thought, hell i've lost one of my Robusta. Then ..... it moved!!

I put my finger in to push the filter away from the body of the Loach waiting for the inevitable prick from the barbs but it dropped straight out and into a half bucket of extremely manky tank water i'd been using to clean out the filters! So, i had to go and get my net, put it over another bucket PDQ and pour it into the net. Thankfully I got it in way before I got to the sludge at the bottom!!

I put it straight into the tank obviously. That was some hours ago. It looked very peaved but at least it was able to swim to cover!!

It must have been a hell of an experience for the Robusta!! I know it didn't do my heart much good!! I don't see any dead fish several hours later so I hope it is recovering. Well, at least it's very well named!! Very Robust indeed!!
Nuts too obviously, tenacious at managing somehow to get so far down into the filter too but dumb too for even attempting it!! I think I have found my alter ego in the Loach world!

[starsplitter7]

That is so good to hear. I found an eel that had lived in a filter about 3 weeks. Luckily he was no worse for wear.

[DainBramage1991]

One of my golden zebras spent many of his younger months living in the lift tube of a corner filter. After rescuing a curious cory and an idiotic pleco from the same lift tube, I decided to fix the problem by putting a "fish saver" elbow on it.

I'm glad your robusta was okay.

[starsplitter7]

A "fish saver" elbow -- what a clever idea!

[Mamba]

I was worried I must admit as there weren't many of these loaches got in and I was told it'd be very unlikely these were going to be got in again so I really didn't want one to play Kamikaze on me!

Lord knows how long it was there, hopefully not long, perhaps I spooked it when I was mving the powerhead.

I toyed with te idea of a wave maker to give a bit of extra current in my tank but have definitely gone off the idea seeing how adventurous these guys can be!!

[DainBramage1991]

Loaches tend to be quite curious, often to their own detriment. Anywhere that they can go, they will - including onto the floor, into fans, inside lift tubes, in filters, or anywhere else they can fit. Tight fitting lids and well-screened filter/pump inlets are a must.

As for the "fish saver elbow", that's the actual name of the product. I bought a pair of them (they're made for undergravel filters, so they come in a pack of 2) at my LFS for very little money and haven't had to rescue any curious fish from the lift tube since.

[Mamba]

Well, i happened again yesterday, another Kamikaze Robusta!!

I got home from work and went to feed my fish. I went to the open jam jar I had left beside the Loach tank as I put the food in tank water and distribute it using that. What do i find? a loach in the jam jar that literally only had a drop or two of water in it!! Now, to be fair i've noticed that, especially in the evening the loaches seem to gather and do a sort of circular dance in this corner of the tank, at the front of the aquarium. This one had managed to shoot past a small gap between the condensation tray and tank. It must have only just been big enough to squeeze itself past (at high speed).
I don't know how long it was in that jam jar but I put it back in immediately and it did swim away, albeit rather slowly (for these loaches).

I got up this morning and can't see it floating so hopefully, it will be fine, fingers crossed.

[mattyd]

If you can, maybe drop your water level down a few cms. 5-8 cm lower would be good.

Alternatively, I use coarse filter foam that I cut to perfectly match the shape of the corners of tanks with cutouts for the filter pipework. If you make the cutouts for the pipework really small, then the foam should squeeze around the pipe and stay in place.

Your other option would be to get some perspex or glass, and cut them to shape and attach them into the corners of the tank. These will then be a more permanent fixture, and the removable lids will overlap them. This should definitely prevent excaping loaches.

I've had probably half a dozen loaches of different types go for 'walks' over the years. Most of them were found too late. One of them wasn't found until a VERY long time (I'm surprised I never noticed a smell). I moved the lounge, and there was a dried up fish under neath it.... I never noticed it missing because I have quite a few loaches that hide in the logs and hideouts, so much so that you can't count all of them at once regardless how hard you try.

Matt

[Mamba]

I think I will do as you suggest, it's only a matter of time before I do loose one this way, cheers for the suggestion. I got lucky twice in a row, won't be so lucky next time I reckon. I'll lower the water level too as it is a bit high.

Curiosity kills the loach as well as the cat!!

And I know what you mean, i've only got about 13 of the Robusta and now 6 Hillstream loaches and I never count more than 6 out at any one time. Most do hide out and appear one place and then the other a millisecond later, they move like lightning bolts!!