View Full Version : disapearing clown loaches
i bought four clown loaches over the weekend and when i got home today there was only one i could find. i have searched the tank over, 55 gallon and cant see any sign of them. where the hell have they gone?i cant see any dead fish or anything. help!!!:confused: :sad i really like them. they dont burrow or anything do they. i do have a four inch bblue dempsy but he has shown no inkling of aggression and i know they are too big to fit into its mouth.
OldVamp
01-19-2004, 9:01 PM
i lost a clown loach once, i tore the tank down and still didn't find him. after looking the tank over twice i decided to look inside the plastic blue tubeworms/coral and there he was. he had swam down inside it and gotten stuck at the bottom. i got a coat hanger and pryed him loose and he swam out. i have since taken the plastic tube worms out, don't want a repeat of that incident.:rolleyes:
chefkeith
01-19-2004, 9:45 PM
a bblue dempsy? Is that a Jack Dempsey?
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 2:11 AM
Clown Loaches with a Jack Dempsey. Thats Good one. Why should I believe you? just the thought of it makes me almost cry.
My old roommate once had a Jack Dempsey that could fit 8 feeder goldfish in its mouth. It would spit up half of them tough.
well i didnt think they would be dempsy food. the fish is a blue dempsy and not as aggressive as regulars, ive kept them before, and only 4 inches long.. i have had other fish, 3 cories and five scissor tail rasboras, in the tank for ages and he hasnt even bothered them. he seems hungry every time i put food in the tank. i just got up to get ready for work and checked my tank and now i dont see the last lone clow loach. i guess i need the dummie of the year award. i really did not think thed get eaten, but i guess thats the simplest explanation. **** i really liked those guys. besides they are pretty expenxive for dempsie treats.well live and learn the hard way.
Grassguy
01-20-2004, 7:05 AM
The loaches could be hiding anywhere. I once had three ina 55 witha castle in it. they would hide in the castle all day and only come out to feed after the lights went out. My mom (I lived at home at the the time) got sick of not seeing them, so she took the castle out and hot glued "bars" on all the windows to the castle. they then found a new hiding spot. You could only find them at night, and only the if you surprised them.
well that might explain it. because shorl=tly after i wrote my last bit here the lone loach had come out of hiding. i really dont think by blue dempsy has eaten them. i guess ill move some things aroud after i get home from work today and see if i can find the other three. i hope i do as i did not realize how cool they are. thanks for the advice.
demon_surfer
01-20-2004, 11:51 AM
clown loaches actually do very well with even the most aggressive large cichlids.
they dont attack them. probably a combination of that they are not really food, they dont compete for the same living spaces and the loaches have some wicked spines.
it is definatly not the blue dempsey they are no where near as aggressive as regular dempseys anyway.
have you considered they have jumped out of the tank? look around the room under couches etc. i have found a fish that way. was very depressing =(
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 2:04 PM
If the clowns are alive, your probably going to have an ich outbreak. Its too late now, but You should of quarantined them. (Coppersafe is probably the best med for clowns and ich).
fdiaz78
01-20-2004, 2:26 PM
Originally posted by chefkeith
If the clowns are alive, your probably going to have an ich outbreak. Its too late now, but You should of quarantined them. (Coppersafe is probably the best med for clowns and ich).
Why would he have an outbreak? Can you support this with facts?
dethjam316
01-20-2004, 2:31 PM
you'd probably have an outbreak...
...if the fish was infected. ich doesn't come out of nowhere. it's a disease, and fish don't get it just from being stressed and stressed alone. it's like the old wives' tale that you get sick from the cold. you get sick from a weakened immune system when it comes into contact with a disease. similarly, a fish can get ich when the disease is present and its immune system is weakened by stress.
thanks demon_surfer for the info. i didnt think my dempsy ate them. i have searched around my tank and did not find any dehydrated fish, and i keep my lids closed having lost two great regular jacks to jumping out of the tank. in fact i just found two of the others. they were hiding under a decorative bridge with space under it. im glad. seems mystery is solved. thank you all for the helpful posts. and i will watch out for ich.
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 3:40 PM
Originally posted by fdiaz78
Why would he have an outbreak? Can you support this with facts?
Sure can. Clown Loaches are fish caught from the wild (West Kalimantan in Borneo and Jambi in Sumatra) and exported to all over the world. Nearly all of them harbor internal and/or external parasites when they are caught. If they've never been treated for these parasites, its almost certain you'll get them transfered to your tank, if you don't treat the fish first.
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 3:50 PM
Ich is not a disease. Ich is an external parasite.
LMOUTHBASS
01-20-2004, 3:54 PM
the thing with clown loaches is that they are sensitive to ick more so than other fish but as mentioned above ick attacks a weakened immune system - so therfor loaches get stressed easier weakening their immunity to it
they are wild caught and it's said they often harbor internal parasites - problem is it's not the easiest thing to be sure of -
so your best bet is to q these fish and feed them a medicated food for internal parasites the only one i found was pepco by jungle which is good because it is a small pellet
a lot of ppl also say if it aint broke why fix it? feeding medicated food is more of a preventative measure - i've done it - it eases the quezzy feeling you get when worrying about this :)
the fish store i bought them from claims they treat all their fish. so i will see what happens. thanks again for all the help guys. i love this site.:)
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 4:03 PM
A fish doesn't need a weakened immune system or stress to get ich. That just compounds the problem of dealing with the ich sore, which might get infected.
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 4:06 PM
Thats cool that your lfs says they treat them, but they have to treat them for 2-3 weeks for the treatment to be effective. I don't know many LFS that can claim that.
LMOUTHBASS
01-20-2004, 4:06 PM
healthy fish with a good slime coating can often repel the parasite - stressed fish have a thinner coating making them more ich prone
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 4:09 PM
True.
chefkeith
01-20-2004, 4:25 PM
Another thing is if the Clown Loaches were hiding, there was no way to diagnose any problems. Ich cyst's could of fell off by now, so even if it looks fine, you still might have a problem.
Better be safe than sorry IMO. Get some Coppersafe if you don't already have some, put it on a shelf, and get ready for the worst.
i just ordered some coppersafe from big als online. thanks for the tips.:)