Zebra Loaches

[Argentis]

Hi guys, I managed to find some zebra loaches in town :thumbs: . They seem pretty nervous in the quarantine tank, running all over the place. I've got a few hiding spots in there, and they are checking out the area by the filter where there might be a bit of a gap. My wife reported that after the lights went out, she heard some splashing last night. Are these guys jumpers, or jsut nervous in the new tank, and will calm down at some point?

Any and all help/advice welcome. For now, I have covered the holes in the lid (I hope). Anyone know where to get a large block of foam that I can trim to block the gaps in the lid on a more permanent basis?

Thanks,

Argentis

[Vallisneria]

Yes they are jumpers. I lost one of my group from carpet surfing when I was QTing them. PLug every hole, even tiny ones.

Mine were nervous in the Q tank but settled in just fine and calmed down once I added them to my planted tank. They are still very active but they aren't hyper anymore.

[Argentis]

Good to know.

Thanks for the info.

Argentis

[jvision]

You can get foam at Home Depot, Rona, etc.

[Vallisneria]

I use that coroplast(corogated plastic stuff) to cover the backs of my tanks.

[James (Western Canada)]

As others have mentioned, they will calm down some as they get used to their surroundings. BUT....one thing that goes a long ways towards making bottomdwellers more secure is having plenty of places to hide. Be it bogwood, rock caves, plenty of plant coverage,etc. The more places they have to take refuge, the more secure they feel, and the more of them you will see:)

As far as plugging holes....from your LFS you should be able to get the clear plastic strips that fit over the edge of the glass of your glass top, you then trim as needed for filter, hose, cord clearance. In a pinch, you can use a wad of alum foil to fill in holes untill a more permamnent solution is found.

James

[Guest FLIP]

My zebra loach doesnt jump at all and it has very little hiding places but the tank is planted heavily.

[Northranger]

I used moonlights on all my tanks, my zebra loaches seem to carry on business as usual, no jumping now.

In my opinion they used to jump when startled in the total darkness before I added all the moonlights.