# Hiding Kuhli Loach had me worried!



## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Yesterday I was moving tanks, switching my high light tank from the bottom rack to the top, when I noticed something moving in my turned off filter. Picked up the sponge and ceramic rings to find that one of my Kuhli Loaches, who I presumed had died a few days ago but never found a body, was in the filter! The water level was a little low so I doubt he could have swam up the output. They must be able to really flatten their bodies to get through the intake and somehow live.

The mystery shall remain just that!

Share some of your MIA fish stories. I know that shrimp are notorious for going missing only to end up in filters and such. Never hear much about fish.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

I have a similar story from my recent planted tank, I was cleaning out my XP2 and came across an Otto, it was dead, all in one peice, but I just had no idea how it got there. 

A couple years ago I had 29gallon planted tank that was full of guppies, I had a HOB filter... looking through the tank(it had no background) I could see motion i the filter, 2 adult guppies were inside, alive!!! I returned them to the main tank and it was like nothing happened.  

I bet that was a pleasant suprise to find your loach


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

davis.1841 said:


> A couple years ago I had 29gallon planted tank that was full of guppies, I had a HOB filter... looking through the tank(it had no background) I could see motion i the filter, 2 adult guppies were inside, alive!!! I returned them to the main tank and it was like nothing happened.
> 
> I bet that was a pleasant suprise to find your loach


That's pretty cool! I wonder how they get into the filters without being injured by the impellar. Must not have enough force to do any damage.

Yeah it was nice to find him/her. Search for a long time to find the Kuhli's. It'd be a shame to lose them all so quickly.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Burks said:


> That's pretty cool! I wonder how they get into the filters without being injured by the impellar. Must not have enough force to do any damage.


The impellor only comes in contact with the filtered water, the water that passes through the media or else he would have defintely ended up minced.

But that's really weird, can Khuli loaches flatten themselves enough to fit through the strainer on the input?!


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Raul-7 said:


> But that's really weird, can Khuli loaches flatten themselves enough to fit through the strainer on the input?!


It's the only way I can think of as to how he got there. Unless Kuhli's are jumpers. Crazy fish


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

I had a botia and a goldfish (separate occasions) jump into the hang-on filter. Swimmin' upstream, I guess


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Oh yeah, Kuhli's are like mice or snakes and can get through the tiniest of openings. I've even seen them squiggle themselves under a flat rock that looked impossible.

As for MIA fish tales, I found a couple month old Bristlenose fry at the bottom of my Eheim a couple of weeks ago. He was about "-" that far from getting dumped out on the lawn with the sludge when I noticed the little eyes peeking out. He's now in a tank with a pair of Apisto's and affectionately dubbed "Pigpen".


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

I lost an SAE, you gained a pleco. see how it all works out?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I've had my Dwarf Puffers sucked up through the surface skimmer down into my Ehiem 2213 filter several times, along with a Badis Badis once.


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## Lord Nibbler (Dec 22, 2005)

The story I always seem to repeat is about a wood shrimp. I bought one and the next day he had disappeared. I looked all through the tank and around it thinking maybe he jumped out - but no shrimp. A few months later when I moved I found a petrified shrimp under my couch the whole way across the room. It never even smelled bad or anything, somehow it just mummified!


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Yeah, shrimp are good at that. Amano's seem to always end up in far away rooms or closets. At my last apartment, they were always dried up in the bedroom closet (where the bucket of top-off was) or under the living room couch, which was on the way to the bathroom. I have often wondered if they can sense water and are heading for a new source.


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

Someone told them if they can get flushed down the toilet they go out to sea and find their mommy & daddy, like Nemo.


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## Lord Nibbler (Dec 22, 2005)

dennis said:


> Yeah, shrimp are good at that. Amano's seem to always end up in far away rooms or closets. At my last apartment, they were always dried up in the bedroom closet (where the bucket of top-off was) or under the living room couch, which was on the way to the bathroom. I have often wondered if they can sense water and are heading for a new source.


I always knew crayfish would do that but was surprised shrimp would. Being my current setups aren't escape-proof, no more shrimp for me!


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