Loaches Online Forum

I just did my routine tank cleaning and now even after counting them I am missing a Yoyo! I have cleared out the tank and sifted through my substrate and gravel even took time to check every single crevasse I could find in my driftwood no luck I was up to 4 now back down to 3!!! What is the longest any of you have lost a Loach for?

I have checked my filters, the floor, behind everything, my siphon I cannot fathom where the the thing could have hidden it is 2 days now!

do you have any dogs or cats or animals that might have eaten a fish if it jumped out and landed on the floor?

my advice for now is to remain calm and keep an eye out for the missing fellow during feeding.. for he who hides will come eat eventually

It is possible for a loach to disappear for a very long time. I had some missing for a couple of weeks and then reappearing, but the ultimate case was reported on fishforums.net, where a 5" clown was missing for several months in a 125g... Any Botia or Schistura that found a nice cave in driftwood will be gone for at least several days...

It may well still be around. I'd recommend you observe them under blue moon lighting, as they will be much more confident in a dimly lit situation. Add a small amount of food when the blue moon light/s are on and sit back and watch.

Fingers crossed,

Emma

When I had my mishap a few weeks ago, I first thought I had lost three, then two, then only one kubotai. I did the same thing - turned over every piece of driftwood. I have a gravel substrate so I doubt they were hiding in the substrate (I will go to sand eventually now that I have become smitten with loaches). Even my largest clown (about 4-5 inches now) has an amazing ability to vanish. I'm with Emma - sit tight and hope for the best.

Rubix wrote:do you have any dogs or cats or animals that might have eaten a fish if it jumped out and landed on the floor?

my advice for now is to remain calm and keep an eye out for the missing fellow during feeding.. for he who hides will come eat eventually

I do have cats but I have the lid on constantly unless I am cleaning if he found a way out to the floor it was certainly to his doom!! I am calming down now since I just got home from work it is hard to imagine but if a 5in clown can disappear then my little adolescent yoyo might be houdini!!

Loaches. They play dead. They play 'Hide and Seek' and they do crazy and cute things...

How can you not love a fish like this?

Good luck with that one yoyo, hope he comes out soon.

Still no sign of the bugger! The others are making up for it by torturing the large one it seems. He has taken up residence underneath my large Driftwood and they seem to take it in turns invading his turf so the other can go and fish about for loose food in it.

fish will eat other dead fish. So that is possible.
One of my cats ate a 5 or 6 inch modesta including all the fins and bones! That bugger wasn't so tuff out of the tank...