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Have you ever been amazed by a fish? Well I have!

This story starts 3 Months ago when I bought 2 Kuhli Loaches and placed them in the tank. For the first few days I saw climpses of them frolicking around in the gravel having the time of thier lives enjoying the wide expanses of my 4 foot tank. All in the world seemed right.

But then the Kuhli Loache spootings suddenly ceased, nothing, not even a false spotting! Day after day after day of searching and nothing. I looked every where even suspecting a few other tank mates that had suspicious looking grins on their faces that looked like they were the "cat who swallowed the canary" but they still could not be found dead or alive.

So after a while I decided to declare them dead and move on. However after about 3 months since their disappearence it was time to clean out my external cannister (Yes I know that's a long time between cleans, but I do regular water changes but the cannister seems to only need it every 1/4 and I've never had a water chemistry problem since installing the cannister over 18 months ago).

So there I was cleaning out my cannister in tank water and as I was rininsing out the tubular rock ( which is the bottom medium in my cannister) when I felt and saw something run acrross my hand. I did jump back a bit startled thinking what the hell was that. I looked down into the bottom of the bucket and there was 1 of my kuhli loaches, happy as larry surving in about a cm of water. I couldn't believe it. He must have slithered up the inlet pipe 3 months ago and lived in the bottom of my cannister since.

Luckily for him there are a couple of tight fitting sponges in the cannister just above his new home otherwise he would have gotten to the propellar and been instant sushi! So I picked him out and placed him back into the tank telling him not to do it again! I continued my rinsing out of the rest of the tubular rock when the other loach did the same thing and ran accross my hand!

So both of these little buggers not only led me to believe that they were dead but then scared the hell out of me when they reappeard and attacked my hand in the bucket. Funny little fish kuhli's.....I might go buy some more !!

Any other tales of fish survival out there?

Is it Friday yet.........

:%)

Last edited by aj at 27-Sep-2004 19:39

Fish are Fun not Food!

great story with a very happy ending! I have two dojos and am always worried that they will decide to take a little trip to the heater...hopefully nothing like your scenario never happens to me

Good Grief! Thats a nice story to read.

I have a Calvus who jumped out of the water to escape being chased by the bigger meanie black Calvus. I was out at the time, and when I returned looked in the tank and thought "Where is she?" Lifted the lid, and there she was, having been laid 2" under the flourescent tube for who knows how long - she was gasping slowly, her fins and eye were dried up and shrivelled.

As she was alive I wasn't sure what to do, so quickly put her back into the tank - where she curled into a 'C' and slowly sank, motionless, to the bottom. There the other fish gave her a peck as if to say "Ooh! whats this? Dinner?"

So I fished her out and put her into a breeder box, turned off the lights, and hoped she would have a peaceful death.

To my complete suprise, when I returned later, she wasn't dead, and wasn't laid on her side any more!

Over the rest of the day, she gradually recovered/rehydrated and returned to fll health! I am sure too, that for a short while she lost some sight from the shrivelled eye, but it must have returned, as now she can spot food on that side.

Now Missy Calvus is a favourite because of her amazing survival and resiliance. I hope she is with me for many years to come!

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