Loaches Online Forum

I have been looking for both of my V. maasi lately since they seem to change hiding places from time to time.
For the last few days, however, I have not been able to find one of them. Both are large fat specimens (not as big as Graeme's monster) but in the
four inch range. I would have expected to have found a body if one had died, but have not. I have looked in the filter, and on the floor behind the tank, and found nothing.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Maybe it just died and I missed it, but I can't imagine missing a fish that large.

I can relate with this, Jim. Once i had to re-arrange one of my tanks with me removing the wood/stones/plants...etc. Basically everything was taken out of the tank except the substrate. Now i was missing one Vaillantella maassi and i had to lower the substrate down to 1 inch (previously 2 inches). I also slowly moved my hand around inside the substrate to see if i could find him, but nothing came of it. So there was i feeling disgruntled and annoyed with losing him, only to find after all the plants/wood..etc was replaced into the tank, i saw him sitting at the front part of the tank.

This chap must of been hiding in the substrate with moving away from any movement that my hand created. He is also around 4+ inches. Very sneaky!
I do hope he's just playing hide and seek with you, Jim.

I hope so, too, Graeme.
Have you ever seen two hide together? There is definately one, but I'm not sure if the head and tail I see sticking out from time to time is the same fish. I have never seen these two doing that, but I'm just hoping that's the case.

Yeah, sometimes i see some of them side by side but in the opposite position, top n tail style. Mine seem to tolerate that position better within each other.

This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO weird. I just looked under a piece of driftwood that one of the V. maasi has used for a hiding place since I bought them. But, it has not been there for a couple of weeks. Now all of a sudden it is back. And the other one is still in its place so they are both alive and well. I looked all through the tank and couldn't find this fish so I have no idea where it has been.
Regardless, I am VERY glad to see it again.

Glad to know all is well.

So glad to hear all is well with the maassi, Jim.

Emma

Great news, Jim!

Oh no!! He's missing again
I don't know where he is hiding but its a good spot.

Have you tried looking on the upper levels, Jim. I used to know someone, (remember Kush?) Sometimes his V massii used to hang around on plants in the upper regions.

I have a java fern that is growing on the filter outlet and I have seen the gobies that share the tank hiding in the roots. I looked there for this guy, but haven't seen him. I'll look again.
I repositioned the driftwood hiding place to make it a tighter so he will like it better. I had moved it a couple of weeks ago to clean and didn't put it back correctly.

No wonder I could not find this guys secret hiding place. Yesterday, I was looking in the tank from the side and noticed a tiny head with a orange dorsal stripe sticking out from between two cobbles ( each about 2" accross). It seems that the sometimes missing V. maasi has either excavated a hideout under these cobbles or taken over one made by the male white cheeked goby. Whatever the case I need to be careful when I vacume the area from now on.

I often seen my little one wedged under or between a couple of pebbles. With my dark substrate, the orange stripe is the only visible part i see.

Just when you think you've found all the hiding places your tank inhabitants are hiding behind they find some new ones.

One of our P.Cheni babies named Stumpy because he has a bent tail (we're keeping him!) and another baby were moved to the tank with our Wui in it to hopefully tempt him out of hiding a bit more.

No chance !

First of all Stumpy has decided that hiding is more fun and the best place to hide is right behing the pump, in the bracket that holds the pump to the glass so you can only see him with a torch if you are v. lucky !!

Also when doing a nose count on Sunday after the demise of one of our Alpha male P.Cheni, one of the Alpha females was missing too. She was eventually found doing a very impressive chameleon act on the lump of bogwood.