Loaches Online Forum

Well, I was hoping to report that I had sewellia today. But things didn't work out as I planned. My favorite lfs had some coming in last week. I was on vacation and unable to make it to the store, so I had them hold some for me. The store manager told his supplier how to ship them properly and they came in looking and acting healthy. However, the next day they started dropping like flies even though they looked good, had even eaten, and were in high flow, high O2 conditions. By the time I got there this week, there was only one left. It looked good, and despite my better judgement, I took it home and put it in a small tank I have with few fish, good flow and O2 levels. It survived the first night and seemed to be grazing and behaving normally. Then suddenly, it just turned belly up and died. How frustrating for not only me, but the store manager who was very happy to get these beauties. Even with my short experience with them, I can see why those of you who own them are so crazy about them.
So, I guess its back to crying....

Awww, sorry to hear that, Jim.
Do you know if your lfs got them direct from Vietnam, or did they get them from a wholesaler based somewhere else (e.g. Czech republic)?

Emma

Sorry to hear this.

Sounds awfully similar to my sucker wipeout disease. Fish is fine until the last half-hour of its life, then it slows down, rolls over and dies.

I'm not sure, Emma, but I would think they came through Chicago, so there may have been several opportunities for oxygen deprivation.

That's what I was thinking. And there's also the possibility that they were acclimatised and re-bagged several times during a short space of time if they came for example from Vietnam, over to another supplier, then over to you. The stress of catching, handling, re-bagging etc plus oxygen deprivation may all have contributed.

Emma

Bad luck, Jim.