I bought a new bristlenose for my 4 ft tank about 6 weeks ago, it was really small and as soon as it was released it disappeared into my java fern. I looked for it over the next week and never saw it, I thought that maybe one of the angels had attacked it and it died.

but to my surprise last weekend all of a sudden there she was on one of my ornaments, my husband spotted her while I was out and I thought he must've mistaken her for the other bristlenose I have (scraper). but he was right, it was her, she is alive and well and about three times the size she was when she went in, I'm really pleased.

We have named her Miss Whip, due to the whippiness of her tail as she eats.

Does anyone else have fish tales of survival they would like to share?

I have heard that bristlenose often dissaper for a long time only to apper weeks later! :lol:

Luckily for me my two have been in sight ever since I got them 2 weeks ago!

Hayley :bounce:

ha cool when that happens, i have a banjo cat which ive seen twice in the year and a half ive had him. bought another one a couple of weeks ago and out popped the other one

My friend has a little common Pleco (was only about 2cm) in her tank. She knew it was still there as we could see it out cleaning the glass from across the room. But it would allways hide when you got close.

Eventually discovered where it was hiding... She took out the filter to clean it, and he was sucked onto the back. Didn't notice untill she had walked into the kitchen and the poor little fellow ran out of suck and fell into the sink. Luckily she caught it before it made it to the plug hole and dropped it back into the tank none the worse for it's trip.

Cheers

Ian

A few years ago we emptied all the water and the livestock from a well planted 4 foot tank, we left the gravel bed in it and carried it into the back garden and under some trees,

It was the middle of winter and 3 weeks later and 4 good frosts i gave it to a friend.

when he came to pick it up we rolled it over to empty out the water and leaves that had collected in it, then put it in his van.

the usual fish talk ensued and while we stood there nattering we noticed some movement in the leaves out of the tank, when we went through them we found 2 very much alive Horse Faced Loaches about 6 inches long, they had been put in the tank about 18 months earlier and forgotten about as they spent long periods out of sight.

Both fish survived their icy stay and were eventually passed on to another fish keeper

My young whiptail disappeared over a month ago... I still have a vague hope he'll appear again one day

Hi - first post from a newbie! I have 2 new kuhlie (sp?) loaches, hadn't seen one all last week. Thought the worst had happened, but wasn't sure where I would find him. Replaced the filter cartridge at the weekend, and when cleaning found him in the overhead chamber of the filter! Got no idea how he got there, was a wondering how to get rid of him before the kids saw him when he started moving. Managed to drop him on the floor while trying to get him back in the water. Still alive and wriggling today! (after reading up a bit on them, this may not be too unusual for loaches?)

Karen

From what i've seen and read, NOTHING is unusual for loaches

Kuhli Loaches like to dig so they could of dug down under the filter ang got sucked up

Could have, I guess - but that would have involved getting thru 2 very tight spots and under all the filter media and cartridge, which fit very snugly! Have no other explanation tho - he's since been named Lucky.

Karen

Cute name!

I lost one of my baby demasoni. When I cleaned out the hang on filter, there he was in the bottom of the filter under the media. He doesn't seem to have suffered and is happy as back with the others.

I have had bristlenoses survive 2 hours out of the tank when I stripped it. Didn't notice them in the plant :roll:

I was cleaning out the filter on our tank today(Aqua clear 70) and when i took the media out there was a med size guppy and two tiny babies swimming around which i put back in the tank, i thought that was all of them then while cleaning out the sponge in the media i noticed something wriggling around the edge of the plug hole, then another!! I couldnt believe it finding all these baby guppies like that.

I have no idea how long they have been stuck in there for!!!

as much as they want to my turtles don't disappear... :lol: :lol: :lol:

they always race into water from the ramp when we get close.. :lol:

I bought the tank for matt for xmas, everytime I'm away and speaking on the phone to him he sits by the tank saying 'oh no, i can't see one of the fish!' i have to sit there listening to him look behind the log and plants etc... until finally they swim out and he is happy again. he said recently that he would be so sad if any of the fish die.

tonight he has gone out and while cleaning the tank i found what i assume was once a neon, white and decomposing in some of the grassy plant. i don't have the heart to ruin his night out by texting him... i'll wait till tomorrow!

Q. How long can a fish live out of water??????

A. At least 2 hours!!!! (probably more like 2.5)

On Friday night, I kept hearing a slight clicking noise but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I went off to bed about 10.30 and then my husband followed about 12.30am. He could also hear the clicking when he went near the tank, and after checking around, found one of our siamese fighting fish in the bottom of an ice cream container where we loop the cords from the tank. He thought she was a gonna for sure but when he put her in his hand she gave a little weak flip. She went back into the tank and sank straight to the bottom. Her 'sister' swam straight over, gave her an almighty nudge and off she went.

Lo and behold, she was still alive the next morning, although a litte worse for wear. Her caudal, anal and dorsal fins looked clumped and severely dehydrated but she still managed to swim. A quick phone call to John at Organism he recommended some Melafix, Aqua Plus and isolation. Today she is looking better and some of her tail is even starting to spread out a bit more.

Hopefully she will survive this adventure. Mind you this isn't the first time she's caused me alarm. A couple of months ago she managed to wedge herself between the filter and glass after gorging on blood worm. Luckily she was moving the stones as she struggled and I could hear them tinkling against the glass. Perhaps, she thinks she's a cat?? 2 down and 7 to go

Bettas are air breathers, so just because a fish that can breath air can survive out of water for 2-3 hours(Assuming it doesn't dry out) doesn't mean your average fish will.

Amazingly our fish survived her ordeal. I took her out of isolation after 3 days and she looked good as new. Her fins have all separated and no sign (touch wood) of any infection. Stupid thing jumped out again yesterday morning but at least this she was seen doing it. Is this normal behaviour for bettas? I was expecting the SAEs to be the jumpers.

Hi fluffypants!

Yeah bettas are really naughty wee jumpers! I used to train mine to jump to take food a lot. I had about 4 at one stage that would all jump to take food. Was really funny seeing them popping up at dinnner time. Lots of species are jumpers. Danios also terrible for jumping and swordtails. Good lids are a must!

i often dont see my bn for days on end. they are nocternal feeders so that may have something to do with it

I hardly even know how many BN i have in my tanks. i see one here and there but never as a whole group and i can never tell them apart unless they are M/F etc.... i could have about 50 and i wouldnt know it :lol: