[Pork Chop]

We stocked our little 6 gallon nano cube over the weekend with the following: (the fish store said this combo would be OK)

1 clown loach
2 calico platy
3 shrimp
1 siamensis
3 cardinal tetras
1 pork chop rasboro

It's 2 days later, and the clown loach is gone. We've looked under the driftwood, inside the live plants, in the filter area.. it's just gone!

Could the others have eaten it if it died? Could it have dug a hole in the substrate and died?

This is our first fish tank, and we're on day 3 with fish. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Lupin]

Hi and welcome aboard.:wave:

To me, it's overstocked. A clown loach and siamesis will both need 30 gallons altogether. Loaches need to be kept in groups so you'll need to rehome the clown in a 55 gallons minimum for groups. They can reach 12 inches even if they are quite slow growers.

Pork chop rasbora is Rasbora heteromorpha or Harlequin Rasbora. I'd suggest upgrading the tank to a near 20 gallons mark and add more cardinals and harlequins. Platies are fine though I recommend a sex ratio of one male to 2-3 females.

Before adding the fish to a new tank I suggested, you may have to cycle the tank for awhile. Get a test kit and test for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH. Make sure ammonia and nitrites are zero for the tank to become safe for fish. Get your lfs' established filter media and cycle the tank using your platies. Their wastes will serve as ammonia and the bacteria will convert it into nitrites in a few days and finally into nitrates. You just have to be patient on this one.

Your lfs gave you wrong information about the fish combo and space issues. I'd get rid of the clown loach and if you can't upgrade, get rid of the siamensis.

Good luck.

 

[Pork Chop]

Hi Blue,
I understand about the clown loach needing more space and to be in a group. We won't get another to replace it. Thing is, what could have happened to it? It's GONE! No where to be found in the tank!

We want to just stick with this tank for now, we spent a month getting the water just right, and want to work with what we have. It's our very first tank and we are just on day 3 of having the fish. Is it too small for the siamensis? What should we do with the siamensis? (aside from getting a new tank) He's VERY active. Just hope it works out? Take it back? He's so cute!

Our fish store is very reputable and strictly specializes in (Japanese-style) planted freshwater aquariums (it's not a petco kind of place). I'm surprised they said this would be ok.

What do you think happened to the clown loach??
Thanks!

 

[FDStation152]

You'd be suprised how quickly a dead fish can be "returned to nature" if left in a tank. It quite possibly could've been consumed by the others.

 

[Pork Chop]

Whoa. That's wild.

Is my siamensis really in too small of a tank? (6 gal). I like the way he's cleaning up things in there.

 

[Lupin]

Whoa. That's wild.

Is my siamensis really in too small of a tank? (6 gal). I like the way he's cleaning up things in there.

You might have to say 'Sayonara' to him.:mrgreen: Otos are better as they stay smaller.

Our fish store is very reputable and strictly specializes in (Japanese-style) planted freshwater aquariums (it's not a petco kind of place). I'm surprised they said this would be ok.

Reputable or not, did they told you about cycling a tank? Has your tank cycled?

 

[Matt]

check the filter for fish remains.