Loaches Online Forum

Im quite worried and not really sure what to do! My dominant clowns found a new hiding place and the other day was worried id lost him as couldnt find him anywhere! Turns out hes in a turret of a little castel!!!??? Weird as the usualy spot is the nice big cave in the bogwood.
Hes been out since but not much, now today i havnt seen him all day, and am missing the other too. I picked up the castel to check as its been a long time since they had been out, not even for blood worm! And there BOTH in the turret!! Its only small and very tight, also there both vertical, the only way they can get out is one going backwards at a time possibly but it looks far too tight for them to get out. their both still alive but theres not much movent.
How do i go extracting them from this mess? How much longer should i wait??
I think the castel has to go!!

Usually if they can get in, they can get out. But once they are out, I would definitely remove the offending object so that they can't get back in and cause any damage to themselves. I'd suggest laying it down so that they can swim out backwards and out through the (presumably) large hollow gap at the base. The worst thing you can do is to keep moving it or shaking it etc as the fish will become very stressed. Observe them when you feed them later today and once you are sure they are out, remove the ornament.

Good luck,

Emma

Thanks, i need luck!! They still havnt come out yet but hopefully they will be out later on tonight. Its 19.28 here and without fail they are always out late evening so nows the telling time.
Its a shame to remove the castel so ive come up with a ingeniouse idear of filling the turrets with aquarium sealer, harmless to fish and the ornaments.
Ill have a good look when/if they do come out as im very worried they have hurt themselves.

There still in the castel!! What the hell do i do now?? Its on its side so i can see the tails and keep a eye but i dont know how to get them out. Theyve never hidden for so long!

Try dropping bloodworms. They may come out for good food.

Ive already tried this several time to no avail. Thanks anyway. I can see me being up all night! Its been too long for them already.

Well they werent stuck as about 1.00am one came out and then tried to get back in with the other!! Little sods!!! I was so worried. Im not sure if i should seal up the hole just incase they do get stuck as its really really tight and do worry, them 2 seem to spen a LOT of time in there. They do have ICh at the mo so maybe thats why they have disapeard as usually there out all times of the day.
If i seal the turret whats the best thing to use? Or is it best just get something not so tight?

Personally I'd remove that ornament from the tank altogether, as (providing you cure the whitespot) your clowns are only going to get bigger and the problem will get worse. You could try building some natural-looking caves out of pieces of bogwood and bits of inert rocks/slate from your local aquatics store.

Emma

The thing is they already have another 4 caves to chose from, 2 nice bogwood ones, one slate/rock one and one resin cave one, they chose the castel lol!!! The white spots nearly cleared up, they only moved into the castel the ither week, before the bog wood was a fav. They are odd little criters.
Just got to wait when thier both out and remove the castel, but when they see a hand coming its back in!! Thier only young.
Thanks everyone.

My new loach got stuck inside a plastic simulated bamboo pole.
It did this within 5 mins of going into the tank. I got him out eventually and he deposited a thick clear slime on the edge. I removed it straight away and have since replaced it with 3 short lengths of sinking drain pipe, which they all love. Unfortunately I don't see much of the big loach now as he is always hiding in there!! These just sit on the bottom of the tank.

Ah shmae, ive seen the bamboo pipes and they are quite tight some of them.
Mine are not happy at all with me and have kicked up a stink. I waited up and saw 4.00am come to get this castel, it was one out while one stayed in guarding it! I reckon they knew my plan from the start the sneeky sods, finaly early hours of thismorning at 6.00 i woke up and sneeked down to see them both out. Well you never would belive a human could delve in a tank so quick!!! They were flashing aout swimming fast where the castel was looking, then kicking up gravel showing anger!! They are NOT happy chaps i tell you lol.
Thier sulking under the bog wood. Its a shame and i feel so bad but im off to the LFS to get a nice cave i saw the other week to make up for it. As i said they have so many who did it have to be that one??
Lucky i work for myself or theyd have to wait untill the wk end by which time they prob wont be seeing eye to eye with me at all!!

Hi Hellfire

Glad your Clowns are now out of the castle and are all in one piece.

I wouldn't have believed some of the places our goldfish try (and have managed) to get into unless I had seen it myself. It's always the place you don't want them to go into too/ the smallest place imaginable.

Whenever we have to do a more in depth cleaning of the tank and move the wood/ stones/ plants everyone gets annoyed and swim about all over the place. And when we put the quick filter in the corner the Shubunkin decides she really wants to go in there. What is Soooo interesting about that corner anyway??

dlenn

Ha ha oh fish really are funny. Dont worry one of my loacjh have a fasination with the rubber that holds the heater on!! What?? Goodness knows why. I think goldfish espesialy are curiouse, i also keep goldfish in a large outdoor pond, they are tame and into everything. One shabunkin thinks hes a salmon as when the waterfalls on he tries to jump up it!! None of the others do it and its not for oxygen. Hes the biggest in there and has now been showing a small one how to do it!! Oh dear!! One day i did actually find him out the pond!!! Lucky the cat showed me. My cats blind and doesnt hurt the fish just sits with me and wateches as much as he can see, i went in next thing i know hes there sniffing something, it was nemo out the pond!! Sooo lucky!!
I love hearing ppls storys.

I have a little castle in my tank also. I had no idea that it had a tunnel in it until one day I saw a baby clown swim to it and dissappear! I sat there and watched and watched. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and I picked it up and the little booger came out the other side! I couldn't believe that it was a cave dwelling! It had 2 escapes in it. After that when he would go missing I knew where he was!

Couldn't you look for a larger castle? Maybe they like being royalty and living in a fine castle!

He he, they find the most great caves dont then!
I have been looking for a bigger castel lol but am still worried about turrets!!! There posh clowns!! Bit worried actually as there acting odd, the dominant one is just hanging about swimming horisontaly its strange!! Ive taken footage of it and will try put it on here if i can. I dont know if hes angry, looking for it or supset! Hes out all the time now that the castels gone. Am hopeing he didnt get brain damage in there as he has a rather odd shaped head!!