I never could figure out this vanishing act...

[Icewall42]

I've kept fish (mainly loaches) for quite a while. I'd liek to think of myself as an expert, but I know I'm not, even though I also helped take care of a private fish store for 5 years.

But there's something I just never could figure out. I've gone from a 55 gallon to a 90 gallon back down to a 30 gallon (unfortunate circumstances) but very often, when I put in new fish (and this even happens with established fish) they will jsut up and disappear. No bodies, no remains. I've never found fish bodies on the floor, the undergravel filter caps have always been well covered, none of my ornaments allow for fish getting stuck (I'd smell that if it happened) and all the fish I've ever had have been loaches. The disappearing fish tend to be small, usually about 1-2 inches, and I've even had some Schistera loaches for a year before they too disappeared. I regularly cleaned the filter, and god knows how many times I've had to move tanks, but have never found remains of any of these fish. I thought that moving to a smaller tank would prevent such disappearances, but they still occur.

Does anyone at all know what's going on? These are the fish I usually have:

3 Clown loaches (8-9", 6-7", and 1-2")
3 Botia Modestas (full grown)
2 Skunk loaches (1 1/2 - 2 /1/2")
1 Botia Histrionica (3")
1 Botia Longiventralis (3-4")
1 Botia Striata (2 - 2 1/2")
1 Khuli Loach (on the small side)

The big clowns are 10 and 5-6 years old, the rest (except for the little clown and smaller skunk) are about 4-6 years old.

I can't begin to guess anymore what's going on. I don't think the big clowns are eating anyone, sicne they tend to ignore everyone and fight with each other. Any ideas??

[shari2]

I actually had this happen, but only with one loach (so far). My first loach just disappeared one day. I even broke down the tank and sifted the substrate. He was just gone.

Definitely a mystery at your house.

[adampetherick]

A 9" clown in a 30 Gal?

[Icewall42]

I just wish the vanishing would stop since loaches are so expensive!

Anyways, yes, all these fish are in a 30 gallon. I'm horribly ashamed of it, but it was all I could manage after moving them from Alaska to Philadelphia on the airplane when I had to go to college. I'm working on getting a 55 gallon for them at the moment, ASAP.

[mikev]

Disapperings do happen, there are dark forces out there, always ready to play a joke on you.... Dark forces are more powerful if you have a cat around.

But sometimes the dark forces seem to work in the opposite direction. I got four fishes on Saturday. I know there were: there were in the tank, and I caught them myself, counting 1-2-3-4. The seller counted them too. Then I acclimated and released them into the tank, counting 1-2-3-4.

One hour ago, it turned out that there are five. 1-2-3-4-5. Counted three times already. Not possible.

Maybe it is the time to give up on fishkeeping....

[Icewall42]

lol I had a similar occurence happen. A couple, actually. On one occasion, I was cleaning out the plant tank (we had a fish store in our hours for a while, and the plant tank had live planst, snails, and come madly breeding guppies) and this thing shot up our of the water at my face. Turns out it was a massive horseface loach that had been lurking unseen in the gravel for years. I tried transplanting him into my tank at the time, but he didn't live

Another occasion ended better. I introduced a Botia Histrionica and a Botia Dario into my big (90-100 gallon) tank at the time, and 2 days later they both vanished. Both fish were decent size, 1 1/2 - 2", and so I scoured the tank for them. The Botia Dario was thoroughly gone, never found him again. But the Botia Histrionica reappeared a week or so later and I still have him to this day.

So strange! I wondered about giving up on fish myself, except that my biggest clowns are so old.

[newshound]

okay all of your fish are in a 30 gallon...
joking right?
full grown modesta's and skunks with a khuli
talk about blowing the one inch per gallon rule
if the missing loaches have been small then they have been lunch.
again I really can't see the post as serious.

[Icewall42]

Unfortunately, it is. If I knew where the cable for this digital camera was, I'd prove it. But then, I'm not at all proud of the environment for these fish (though they don't seem to mind).

More shameful is that they've been in this tank for over a year because I haven't had more space for a bigger tank until now. These fish are hardy as heck, putting up with what they had to.

[Vancmann]

Maybe they went elsewhere, insearch for a bigger tank. Did you check the neighbours?

A while back, one of my small loach dissapeared and I later found his bones in a very small hole on my drift wood.

I am sorry but I cant help visualizing the loaches be cramped up. If you havent yet, try a craigslist search for your local area on a 55g tank if you are planning to get one. You prpbably do lots of Partial water changes to prevent the contaminants from building up?!

[Icewall42]

I actually just cleaned them now, and I've been trying to do so as often as I can. I've been scouring Craigslist, and found a 55 setup that I might go ahead and buy, but I'm being very ambitious in watching a 125 gallon setup on ebay... question is just how to transport it (it's in my area) and if the doorman to this apartment building is going to give me a funny look, and if the the 5th floor of this building will hold that much weight :/

Edit: I should have probably checked the neighbors, though most of my disappearances happened when these fish were in the 90-100 gallon. I've honestly been trying to go bigger! But I'm limited by a broke college student budget. Trust me, I love my fish to death and try to do the best I can for them. If anyone lives near Philly and wants to give up a larger tank setup, do let me know

[mistergreen]

my burmese disappeared for 3 days and then one day showed up again happy as a fiddle.

it's almost like they go into hibernation mode.