Kuhli loach unhappy in new tank?

[Playfulloach]

I moved on kuhli loach over yesterday to new setup( thirty half filled)..Old gravel, mostly their old water and old sponge filter so no new tank syndrome. I meant to move all three and couldn't catch them/ they are hiding in my plants and making themselves sparse because everytime I'm there I try to catch them. Also my creeping jenny and sword are in.

The kuhli loach I moved seems to be swimming around frantically. Like pacing around the edges of the tankwalls. So I'm like NOW what's wrong. I put in two gal of fresh water...My solution for mystery problems. Is this because the kuhli loach is now scared and lonely?.

[mikev]

Probably, nothing is wrong.

This is a normal kuhli's reaction when acclimating to new tank, this may go on for a few days. They would do the same on a large water change and occasionally on simply a change in atmospheric pressure.

Check the water parameters just in case, and let it settle down.

[Emma Turner]

Yes, provided that the water is fine, this is a normal reaction we term as 'The Loachy Dance' (see Glossary: http://www.loaches.com/working-glossary).

Here are a couple of old pics of mine with this happening en-masse with a couple of batches of newly imported kuhlis:





But try and move the others in with this lone fish as soon as is possible.

Emma

[mikev]

Uggh, please don't do this to me.... I see at least two kuhlis on the photo I'd grab in instant if I only could....

[Playfulloach]

Well at least I know then. I'm getting the feeling loaches are very sensitive to being moved,if they flake out like that. The other two are still giving me the slip and now I'll have to float them in the new tank since I've added new water water. I have only to dip the net in the water and they burrow under the plants roots. Furthermore, they hide much more because I guess they now associate me only with trying to catch them..I hope I don't have to pull out plants to get them.

Surprised they are that smart since their brain must be the size of a pinhead considering their heads are about the size of a neon tetras.

[mikev]

Small != Stupid

[Mark in Vancouver]

Hold on now. Small-brained and mostly running on instinct, perhaps, but it makes perfect sense. Water shouldn't have boundaries for fish, but aquariums do. There's no mystery in the fish's primary objective to suss out the space of the tank.

Watching groups of loaches new to a tank do this together is fantastic, and it's one of the most obvious examples of their generally social nature.

[Playfulloach]

Ok...I took out my plants and caught the other two loaches.
It was eaiser then I thought since it's one big mess of roots and I just lifted the bundle out..Did spill some water on my desk.

I put the two loaches in a one gal tank for a few minutes floating in the thirty gal. Then when I released them, the single loach that was pacing imediately stopped and calmed down/.

I hope to get more kuhli loaches again fairly soon and if they were having problems with oxygen, hopefully the larger tank surface will help.

[Playfulloach]

And if they keep dying off...the entire surviving group will find themselves on craiglist finding a new home and I will get bristlenose plecos instead.

I like the loaches, but it's just taking too much time toruble-shooting with their mysterious ailments and all and I need to get back to serious working soon.