What is your best "hiding fish" story? - Fish for the Planted Aquarium

BryceM · 11-24-2007, 09:46 AM

I've had fish for over 20 years now and have certainly seen my share of "missing" fish that have made a seemingly miraculous comeback. Most often this is a loach or other bottom dweller that found a hiding spot for a while, but this week another fish really surprised me.

I set up a 8"x8"x8" nano about three months ago. The original inhabitants were 3 pearl celestial danios (galaxy rasboras). I had one male and two females in the tank. I was disappointed at the result since they were painfully shy and wouldn't even come out in the open at feeding time. In stark contrast, four others roam around my 46g tank on a continuous basis.

Eventually two of the fish disappeared, leaving a single female that I saw once in a while. I finally decided to net her out during a big trim and I returned her to the 46g tank with the others. Four new white clouds went in the nano and have been doing marvelously for the past 3 weeks.

Yesterday while feeding the white clouds I counted 5 fish!!! Needless to say, another female galaxy rasbora has made an appearance after 3 weeks in hiding. Galaxy rasboras are small fish, but this is a 2 gallon aquarium!!!!!! Where on earth could it hide? All four sides of the nano are exposed, leaving approximately zero hiding places. I'm starting to wonder if the male is in there somewhere too.

rrogan · 11-24-2007, 10:02 AM

This isn't exactly a fish story, but a crayfish story. I had a 30 gallon with a few fish in it, and I had a 10 gallon next to it with a crayfish I caught in a local stream. I went away for the weekend, gave everyone food but I guess I forgot to cover the crayfish tank. So I got back, and the crayfish was missing. I started looking on the floor and couldn't find it anywhere. I gave up on it, but a few weeks later the water in my 30g started clouding A LOT. I decided to just empty it an clean it. I had these fairly big rocks in the bottom as substrate at the time. When I got down to the substrate there was an awful smell, and sure enough I found the crayfish dead in there. It must have crawled out of it's tank and into the 30 g but then died lol. I found it kind of amazing.

slickwillislim · 11-24-2007, 11:59 PM

Well not exactly the same kind of story...

I took all the rocks out of my 60g tank and had them sitting on aplastic bag. Atleast two hours later after I had drained the tank, removed the substrate, and replaced it with new substrate in the tank, I found one small otto had lodged himself into a hole in the volcanic rock. I had to pull pretty hard to get him out. I dropped him in my 29g tank. He swam away but I haven't seen him since...

I thought shaking out the rocks was good enough...

hoplo · 11-25-2007, 05:24 PM

I'd guess everyone would have a Kuhli Loach episode by now.

BryceM · 11-25-2007, 06:27 PM

Yeah. The last time you ever see them is the day you put them in the tank.

Tex Gal · 11-25-2007, 08:01 PM

I had a 65 gal tank. I decided to upgrade and so netted all my fish and gave the tank to my son. In my old tank (65g) I had a white dojo loach which had disappeared months before. I thought he had just died and been consumed by my bottom feeders. My son lives an hour from me. When he got around to setting up the tank he found the white dojo in the corner filter of the tank, healthy as could be. Somehow he had gotten in there! He was at least 1/2 inch wide and 6 inches long. The corner filter was a built-in that had 1/8 inch slits! Still a mystery!

gotcheaprice · 11-26-2007, 12:38 AM

Shrimp in my 55 comunity tank D: Put like 30 feeder shrimps in there. Had most of them survive for a week, and slow gone about a month later. Until I turn off the lights, they go cruising around the tank xD

And plecos.... Hid behind a turtle filter for about a month till I took it out to change filters, and it just jumped off... Sorta scared me xD

cs_gardener · 11-26-2007, 10:15 AM

I decided it was time to thin a clump of java fern "Windelov" I have on a small piece of driftwood. I took it out giving it a few swishes to avoid getting a lot of floaters stuck in it. I had it out of the tank for about 30 seconds and was trimming away when "plop" a kuhli loach falls to the floor. I had a fun time capturing the little guy - boy can they wiggle and twist. I guess I now know at least one of the places they disappear to.

DanD5303 · 11-26-2007, 12:07 PM

I had a large clump of java fern out on a table trying to tie it onto a chunk of wood, when a skunk loach popped out. It does make you jump.

I think the kuhli loaches are a lot less shy when they are in a group. I've got seven of the black ones in a large, heavily planted tank in my classroom and they're out and about quite a bit. They don't really school, but they're always with at least one other loach, sometimes a group of two or three.

fishscale · 11-27-2007, 01:44 AM

I had an oto in my old betta tank. When it disappeared, I assumed that it died and the snails got him. 5 months later, when the java moss was overgrown, I pull it out, and the oto shot out of the middle of the mass back into the tank.

I think the best story I've ever heard is the one about a guy who bought a bunch of cories and was missing one when he dumped them in the tank. 2 weeks later, he was cleaning the filter and found the bag the fish came in that he had left in the tank cabinet - with about an inch of water and that last cory. Would you believe that the cory was still alive, and was fine when he was put in the tank? Amazing.