Hiden Fish

[scuba-steve]

Hi everyone I have been recommended theis forum by my new tanks, old owner.
I have just baught a 4ft 180l fish tank 3 weeks ago, I started by getting two small cichlids and a zebra loach.
and have since added 2 young pleco catfish.
all thefish seem to be doing well apart from "the zebra" loach after 30 mins of him being in the tank i lost him,
I couldn't find him any where.

after a lot of searching I found he had burrowed under the gravel and was living in a hollow bridge shape ornament i have. i have had him in there 2 weeks now and have only seen him out of it twice last time being last night.

Is it possible he is unhappy in the tank or being picked on by the others thats why he doesent come out, or is this natural for them?

he is no smaller than any of the other fish i have, would he be happier with another of his species in the tank?

any answers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Verminator89]

You will find that adding perhaps 4 more Zebra loach into your tank and all of a sudden you'll never get them out of sight. They're social fish, meaning they need a few of them in a tank to function. I had 2 loach and never saw them, i added 3 more and WHAM, they're swimming around all over the place. Get 4 more and you won't be dissapointed. That goes to all loach in general, try and keep them together in species groups. Don't mix and match if you can help it. The recomended group size when adding loach is 5, this goes for all loach

Hope this helps, James.

 

[clay]

another loach that is beautiful, cheap, and easy to come by is a kuhli loach. ive had as many as 18 in a 55 gallon aquarium.

 

[fshinggrl]

Yes, zebra loaches need company!!! Security in numbers!

 

[scuba-steve]

Thanks everyone much appreciated!
I think ill get another 2 zebra loach this weekend as i'm building up the numbers slowly as my tank is still cycling.

I like the kuhli loach too Clay they look cool, I'll leave it a bit before i get anymore fish though i think, i dont want to loose any due to it being a new tank.

 

[scuba-steve]

So far I have added another 3 zebra loaches varying in size from very small to same size as my original.

The smallest was the most fiesty of all chasing my cichlid off when he started to pick on him. now all of a sudden they have gone AWOL again no sign of them at all they all living inside this bridge ornament thing I have got I caught one out yesterday but haven't seem them for days otherwise,

Any advice what i should do I could get one more butI dont know if this would help, I cant remove the bridge as they are all inside and i wouldnt be able to get them out.

or should I just accept they are happy not beeing seen??
thanks

 

[fett999]

Give them a bit of time to settle in properly and you'll probably find that they start to come out a bit more. Especially as they get bigger.
Don't worry, you will see them about

 

[scuba-steve]

OK Thanks Fett I hope they do! maybe thats all they need a few weeks to settle

 

[scuba-steve]

My original first zebra pleco came out today first time i seen him in ages,
he was rubbing himself on the rocks and gravel a lot rushng about a lot too, my Sister came to see them today and said she thinks it may be white spot discease.
I have another fish with a lot of gill movement that she said could also be a sighn although looking at the fishs theyre are no spots on them at all

Any way we found some aquarium treatment called anti white spot made by interpet.
she had used this on her first tank about 5 years or more back and we put the correct dose in for my tank size.

is there anything else I can do to help them if they do have it. my temperature is at 26 as recomended in the instruction book anyway.

is this a gauranteed cure?

Thanks, sorry to keep asking so many questions!

 

[jameshunter63]

Not a good sign, you said your tank was cycling? how long for?? i like to do a fishless cycle of about 2-4 weeks then add 2-4 very hardy fish, such as white mountain minnow. These will get your bacteria cycling. also in the fishless cycle add a couple of flakes a day. you need to introduce fish slowly, and very strange to hear that you have added cichlids to a new tank.
get a water tester kit and see what your paramenters are, you may have way to much ammonia which is poisonous to the fish, especially loaches and bottom dwellers are ammonia lingers at the bottom. Test water then see what the next step should be.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

If the fish are not covered in muliple "salt crystal" type spots, its unlikely that your fish have whitespot/Ich.

Do the fish that rae "flicking" (scraping on sand/gravel/plants) have a fine layer of tiny yellow spots? If so, it could be "Velvet."

If neither of the above, it could be something internal like gill flukes, which need an entirey different treatment.

Some "scale-less" fish require half-dosing of meds and/or an alternative product in the brandname's range. Some loaches are classed as "scale-less" but you would need to check with others and/or the internet to find out this crutial information about your Zebra Loaches.

 

[scuba-steve]

I have a water testing kit already have been keeping an eye on the levels regulary. at the moment my amonia levels have deropped from .5 to between .25 and 0 so Amonia is quiet low.
nitrate and nitrite have risen though nitrite is .25 and nitrate which is normally very low is 10.

I left my tank for about 2 weeks before adding fish and the girl at the fish shop said it was fine to add a cichlid I dont know what type they are bu they are quiete small I have been adding a couple of fish a week when my water levels are good, as what I have been advised from the shop.

There are no external signs of spots at all on the fish i can see yellow or white.
So would the problem be an internal bacteria?

what medicine should i give them?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I have a water testing kit already have been keeping an eye on the levels regulary. at the moment my amonia levels have deropped from .5 to between .25 and 0 so Amonia is quiet low.
nitrate and nitrite have risen though nitrite is .25 and nitrate which is normally very low is 10.

First things first, you need to eliminate that ammonia and nitrite at all costs. I suggest you do an 80% water change to similar temperature, de-chlorinated tap water. If you have a gravel vacuum, "hoover" the tank bottom to try and remove any rotting food while removing the toxic tank water your fish are currently in.

Before you throw away the old tank water, get the top sponges out of your filter and gently rinse them in the old water, to remove any rotting food. Do NOT rinse under the tap, you could kill off most off you bacterial colonies!

Test the water again for ammonia and nitrite a few hours later and if either are present, be prepared for another big water change.

The current toxic water could well be why your fish are "flicking." Personally, I would forget about medication for now and concentrate on healthy water for your fish, especially while any illness is unclear.

 

[jameshunter63]

wow, those are high levels mate!! ammonia should be 0 and nitrites. nitrates arent as bad but in planted aquarium should be quite low. But as long as the other two are 0 you should be grand!!
I like what the goat says! and think tbh you need to get that water clean! dont add any more fish untill you have stable water conditions for 2 weeks. and if you lfs say that those parameters are ok then they should be shot!!
hope they get better, and get cleaning!!!! im doing a big clean tonight so will be thinking of you!!

 

[scuba-steve]

Thanks for your advice I've never done a water change of that amount at once sounds like a lot of stress for the fish I did a 50% one already today so should i do a 80% toomorow or still do one today,
my LFS told me that its normal to have some amonia and nitrates during cycling.
dosen't removeing that amount of water kill the beneficial bacterias?

I been told you guys are the experts though so I will go with whatever your suggestions are.
I thought i was doing the right thing already though didn't think my negelence is why the fish are sick.