Everything you ever wanted to say about "Zebra luvin", but didn't because you thought everyone would take the mickey! Plus general topics for discussion including everything from what you feed them to your personal experiences.
about a week ago I noticed one of the kuhli loaches had somehow managed to escape my attention, and survived a total redecoration of one of the tanks after I transformed it to a Zebra tank only. It's quite amazing that it survived, as I just about 100% emptied the tank and did a lot of rearranging both with the sand, plants and decorations. I have a backdrop in the tank he could have hidden behind himself behind though.
Question being, will he/she pose a threat to the Zebras/eggs/young ones? a Clown loach would have I know, but not sure about the kuhli loach? I set a trap for him hoping he will swim into it so I can move it to another tank, just in case. It's hopeless even considering trying to catch him with a net
I would try to get the khuli loach out if you can. Whilst I don't think it should pose a threat to zebra fry I would rather not risk it. Try using a short length of small bore PVC tubing capped off at one end. When he sets up home in it you'll have him, loaches can't resist tight little dark places.
my sentiments exactly. I've cut off the top of a soda bottle and turned the opening inside out to make a fish trap, and baited it. So far I've caught lots of snails!
HA, got him quite proud of myself now, try catching kuhli loach in a 250L tank without removing everything!
I was just lucky though, he panicked and swam straight into the hose I used for changing water I can rest easy now, I suspect him of raiding the nest last night
Last edited by McEve on Thu Dec 15, 2005 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Not until you try to catch that last fish that you are trying to remove from a tank do you come to realize and appreciate the trials of someone else doing so and a kuhli loach to boot!
I seem to recall somone posting a story of moving in the middle of the winter with snow and freezing temperatures. They were bringing a large tank over on the back of a pickup truck. The tank empty except for a little gravel and the trip took like 30 minutes or more.
Once the tank was set up and filled with fresh water - out swam a kuhli loach.
Hardy little suckers.
Talking of stories ... my gibbiceps (Sally) when she was little, hid under the Jewel filter when I was emptying the tank. For two hours I was pumping cold water in and out (straight off the garden tap). After I disinfected it and filled it up (temperature at the time was 8C) I sat down for a coffee while waiting for it to heat up so I could put the fish back in. Out swims Sally, 4cm TL. I had to leave her in, only because I couldn't catch her. She is now 17cm long and strong as a horse.
Once I lost one of my pearlgouramis. I assumed it to have died and been eaten unseen in the 400 liter tank.
4 months later I opened the filter to clean it (mind you, meanwhile I cleaned it already) and I saw moving something inside it!
I looked more closely and it was the missing pearlgourami! Probably just feeding with the leftovers that drifted into the filter for 4 months!
I catched it and released it in the tank. It just swimmed around happily, quite slim but healthy!
Another surviving story is with my botia striata that lifted to another tank in a hollow piece of artificial bugwood. It was outside the water for at least 20 or 30 minutes! After that I had to catch them from a tank with just cold tapwater.
Wow! How did it breathe in there? Lucky it wasn't caught in the pump, or get stressed. Amazing what they can go through and survive, isn't it? And on the other hand you get those you take the best care of and they die out of the bluest blue ...
On the issue of the bogwood I got a similar story. I have a synodontis in my tank called Freebie. I never paid for her, or bought her. She arrived as an unnoticed fry on a piece of bogwood in a bag - without water - thrown around in the car and having stayed out of water for at least an hour or so. Three days after I put the wood in the tank I noticed something fluttering around. I thought it was one of my fry .. until she grew and now, 6 months later, she is living happily and is a fully grown fish!
Found a 1 week old zebra in my plughole onde day!.....as you do!
Was doing awater change and this little one wasn't even suppose dto be in the tank, gor sucked up into the syphon and into the bucket. The buckedt was then posed down the drain, with the next bucket I was just about to pour when I noticed something moving amongst some debree.....
Poped him back in the breeder, and he was just fine!!!
I take a little more care nowadays!
Congrats on catching the Khuli loach McEve, I'm impressed.
rob
The perfect white lie..."Of course I didn't pay that much for the fish honey"
I tipped a bag of 4 lemon tetras into a small tank once (a new tank, was using lemons to cycle it). A hour or so later, I looked in the tank and could only see three fish. It's only a dinky 5gal, with no decorations so even the cleverest of fish would have a hard job hiding in there. But I couldn't see it anywhere. I looked all around the outside of the tank and on the floor, but no sign of him. Then I had this horrible thought... I dug through the bin, found the bag that the fish had come out of, and there it was . I tipped it back into the tank and to my complete surprise he was just fine!
quite proud of myself now, try catching kuhli loach in a 250L tank without removing everything! 
I can rest easy now, I suspect him of raiding the nest last night 
. I tipped it back into the tank and to my complete surprise he was just fine!