My 15 Danios were in the Canister filter for 4 mths!

[jayshine]

Ok, guys I have a 4 X 2 feet tank with about 28 Danios (20 were born in the tank) and about 50 Neon Tetras.

I am quite please with the tank with all of its fauna and flora. But I started noticing the Danios where disappearing slowly but surely.

One by one over a period of 4 months their numbers dwindled...
I was puzzled. I figured they might be hiding in among the "jungle" although it was very unlike them in my experience.

I thought maybe more had died and were eaten. They seemed to die as easy as they breed. But the dieing had stopped for nearly 6 months.

There were no dead bodies and trace.

My surface filter's were missing about 2 teeth. Created a hole, I dreadfully realised, big enough for a fish to enter.

The weird thing was that all the tetras were doing fine!

So I just accepted the fact that because the danios were hanging out at the surface more often than not, they were being sucked in.

This was last week and the number today was about 15. I had to open it up (my canister filter). I had to know. Even if there were only dead bodies, I just had to see.

So I dismantled the canister filter and brought it to the bathroom. Opened it and decided to take out all the 'compartments' instead of draining the water first.

I lifted each compartment. The water just grew darker and no sign of fish - dead or alive.

The final compartment and walah!! All the missing danio - ALIVE - surviving in about 1 inch of water for nearly 4 months!.

I thought about it, they had to be photophobic after the length in darkness. I didn't want them in any more shock than they probably were. So I slowly graduated the light over an hour and then put them back in the tank.

They were translucent, almost colourless and still disorientated but swimming. I hope they survive the night.

I feel like an idiot for not doing it sooner.... I did fix the surface filter.

Had to share this with someone!!!

[Navanod]

Found a colony of "cave shrimps" inside my canister as well during my first servicing of the filter in 9 months.

Its amazing how much care we take for some and they still died, while others can survive an ordeal of this sort

[boxedfish]

wonder what the danios eat in that 4 months

[felix_fx2]

Hi, i've had ramshorn, cherry & malayan shrimps going into my filter before.
They do what they do in the wild, find any food they can get and eat them.

P.S: my feeder guppies outside my home seldom or never get food from me but they even do as much as breed.

[fotoudavid]

Amazing, think will take some time for them to grow back the color.

Anyway any updates, on survivor??

[fotoudavid]

By the way, the fish may be blind already, just thought about this when i was shaving.....

4 months without lights may led to it.... maybe only

[jayshine]

Amazing, think will take some time for them to grow back the color.

Anyway any updates, on survivor??

It's been nearly 24 hours since the rescue operation

All victims are in full colour, hungry AS HELL (alot lost weight), no longer photophobic (or blind for that matter, thank god).

So far all is well, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[jayshine]

Found a colony of "cave shrimps" inside my canister as well during my first servicing of the filter in 9 months.

Its amazing how much care we take for some and they still died, while others can survive an ordeal of this sort

I really couldn't agree more. You stole the words from right out of my mouth!

[jayshine]

wonder what the danios eat in that 4 months

I have always known that there is some element of smell involved in fish and their acquisition of food, never really believed it in the aquarium though. All we ever get to see is either

1. Fish are scavenging at the bottom
2. They see you and get ALL excited!! Lol! Feeding time!

In the complete darkness of the canister, I am really baffled. They survived most likely by scavenging or perhaps their sense of smell might have improved ??

The food I feed travels from one end of the tank to the surface filter - where very, very little is left after the fish have had their go at it.

It is, a very interesting question though, one I myself have been thinking about...

[jayshine]

P.S: my feeder guppies outside my home seldom or never get food from me but they even do as much as breed.

In the tank, certainly.... I suppose the canister will be the concentrated, saturated version

[tangjyd]

Cool incident. Any pics of the fishes? haha

[felix_fx2]

In the tank, certainly.... I suppose the canister will be the concentrated, saturated version

Yup, that's why my snails find their way into my canister.

Free slow food.

[gonjinn]

I was surprised to find ramhorn snails in my canister but I am shock by your account that your 15 Danios actually survived inside for 4 long months! Glad to know they survive and are well.

[ctzeh]

Amazing story. Danios are really hardy and energetic fishes. Now i know where to look when my danios goes missing.