Kubotai hiding in filter!!

[loachmom]

Well, my heart has stopped pounding enough for me to type this. This morning I fed my kubotai and sat back to watch them eat. They are very entertaining. I started to notice that I was just seeing the same three eating. I waited awhile for the other two, but they just weren't showing up. Then I removed the tank cover and started moving caves and pvc pipe, and that's when I realized that they just were not in the tank. PANIC!!!
I searched the immediate area on the floor and had one of the children run for a flashlight. There is a Whisper60 on the tank, but I couldn't imagine that they had swum almost 2 1/2" against the waterfall to get into the filter. But, sure enough, that's exactly where those two buggers were. Yesterday, I did a water change, and that was the first day that I had raised the water level since lowering the temperature after their ich treatment.
So now the little guys are back in the tank with their buddies, and I have only two more grey hairs!!!

[mistergreen]

yeah,
my b. histrionica did that too. Although it's safe, I wouldn't want it to do that... I had to stop the filter and shoo it out and gave him a good stern talking to. I think they're smart enough to know they shouldn't be in there.

I also gave them more hiding places behind my driftwood. I buried a few pvc pipes in the gravel. I think they're light sensitive sometimes for whatever reason. So, a nice, dark hidding place besides a filter is good.

[Martin Thoene]

Ah the old "loach in the HOB" trick

It's another of their owner heart-skip inducing tricks. Most often this happens with newly introduced kubotai, histrionica and some other species or after a big water change.

They try to swim "upstream" and end up in the filter. Some owners have siliconed plastic canvas (used in crafts) over the ramp to stop ingress.

Martin.

[loachmom]

I had to stop the filter and shoo it out and gave him a good stern talking to.

A stern talking to.....I may try that, mistergreen.


Martin, after finally finding these loaches and then getting them through ich, I would have been physically sickened to have found them dried to the floor. It was a relief to find them in the filter. Silly fish!!!

The plastic canvas is a good idea.

[mistergreen]

ps. mine doesn't do it anymore. He hangs out in the pvc pipe instead.. It's weird mine was jumping into the HOB a year after I got him and I don't do massive water changes.

I should take a picture of this guy, his body shape looks like a clown's. I might have a hydrid or something.

[Martin Thoene]

Yes, it would be good to see a pic or two mistergreen. These deeper bodied histies are interesting. I'd like to see how it compares to my ones.

Martin.

[andre]

The same thing happened to me. My q-tank is an old type with the filter built a couple of centimetres above. So the kub managed to climb against a little waterfall. I observed his technique which is quite amazing.

They have a good grip even on the glass. They keep still for some time in the current and eventually "jump" to the next step.

Once in the filter he was hiding in the ceramic rings and impossible to catch. I had to dismantle the filter twice just to find him there for the third time.

Since I was on my way to a business trip I let him there. When I was back few days later I found him in the main tank. Obviously he realized that it was a better place after all.

I actually I found a pic I took when he was in the tank and I'll try to post it.

Regards

[Martin Thoene]

In the book "Loaches" we have an excellent photo of a histrionica caught in the act of trying to climb out of a tank. They're little monkeys

Oh update......the book has gone to the printers

Martin.

[newbe007]

my mom has a bermese boarder loach and so dose my dad, they both often make stops to the HOB. But i have never had that problem with my yo-yo loach.

[lf11casey]

My biggest yoyo did that all the time when I first got him. After a couple weeks he did stop. None of my other yoyos has pulled that stunt yet.

[mistergreen]

these are really really poor photos but I plan to do it right next time.

Da Man


One of his buddy... But obviously 'Da Man' is the king and has his pick of the food.