FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Over this Christmas weekend I went through a series of steps I go through every weekend. I did a 25% water change and then proceeded to do all the tests on the water. As I was finishing up I noticed that my Clown Loaches had ALL retired to their hiding place, a large piece of hollow bog wood. Usually when I do a water change of the 4 loaches I have one or two wil retreat and the rest will stay out and investigate.
Needless to say all of them retreating was something I found odd. I had decided to observe and see if they would come out of their hiding place. They didnt. I was starting to have heart palpatations. They had been in there for the better part of five hours. To make a long story short, two reappeared in the morning. Two were stuck in the wood in a hole that I could barely get my pinky finger into. I ended up having to push them out with my finger. I was extremely worried about the barbs they have getting caught as I pushed them. I just gave them a love nudge and left them to their own devices. About two hours later there they were, all four of them swimming with glee. Now I am in the watch and wait mode. I am worried about stress and their overall physical health. So far so good. I hate stress. It friggin sucks.

You had better get a rattail file and make that hole a lot bigger then.

That's the thing with hidey holes; you gotta make sure your fish won't get stuck in them! With any luck your CL's will recover soon.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

If the CL got stuck in such a small hole they must be small. I think it would be advisable to remove the wood and make the hole at least 2ins dia or plug it up with a tapered piece of DW.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

OK I am getting really stressed out. I tried to take the wood out today and they were jammed in there again. I dont want to stress them out anymore from me manhandling them and I dont want to leave them in there. I am friggin lost. I need suggestions of what to do as opposed to pushing them out.

Is there a chance my pleco could be bullying them? They share the same basic space. He is huge compared to them. If this is the case then this is new.

How big are they also is it the only hiding place?
If so take the DW out at feeding time if possible.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Are you sure they are actually stuck in there? Clowns do have a tendancy to wedge themselves into tight corners. Are there any signs of damage on the fish eg scrape marks?

Mature, sensible signature required for responsible position. Good prospects for the right candidate. Apply within.

This is a good point; sometimes a fish can stick themselves in a point that they CAN get out of, but if you want to get them out it becomes a pain. I haven't kept CL's but you might want to err on the side of caution and get them outta there. Like keith said, cut the holes out so that they are bigger and they can not only fit in and out of them now, but as they continue to grow.

You may have to remove this piece of wood altogether if it is such a danger. Keeping fish is supposed to relieve stress, not make stress. Might make a nice paperweight, eh? Even if your plec is bullying them, the solution would still be to provide more hiding places or different hiding places for them to escape bullying.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I had them out and tried to remove the wood to fix the problem. As I lifted the wood off the bottom they swam back into the hole and I cant get them out. Two are wedged in there really good now and I am afraid I am going to lose them.
I hope that they come out so I can deal with them. I feel like such an   for letting this happen.

Keep an eye on the tank but don't disturb them. If they feel stressed they will wedge themselves in further. Odds are that they'll be out and about looking for food before long.

Only time I had this problem was when I was removing a piece of bogwood that turned out to have a clown buried in it. Only way to persuade it to come out was to shake the wood underwater until the poor fish decided to find somewhere less stressful. Very much a last resort though.

Mature, sensible signature required for responsible position. Good prospects for the right candidate. Apply within.

It has been a day and a half that they have been in there. I feel horrible. I think that the drastic measure of shaking the wood is going to happen in the next hour of two. They have not come out to feed so I am worried that they are gone.

I have had no luck with shaking the wood.

THEY ALL CAME BACK OUT!!!! YYYAAAAHHHOOOOOOO!!!!

Hey, glad to hear it. As keith said, if you want to use it again you should make the holes larger so that the fish can fit in and out. On the other hand, that piece of wood might make a nice paperweight or something, lol.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

It is a nice piece of wood. I have made the hole much much larger. Thanks all.

Glad to hear they're all out and about again. Just remember that you'll have to keep widening the hole as the clowns grow Always easier to let them outgrow the holes and instead form caves with bogwood though.

Mature, sensible signature required for responsible position. Good prospects for the right candidate. Apply within.