The disappearing Act

[Midwater]

I have previously had a few fish that have disappeared, and I have even forgotten about them, only to have them reappear some incredible time later. Often considerably bigger.

Earlier this year, I spied a dario loach that must had remained hidden for two or three years. It then appeared in prime view for a few days, and I do not think I have see much of it lately.

Recently, I have been getting a few L number, some of them really nice. They fall into two categories. No, not big and small, not carnivore and omnivore. Either they are out all the time or I never see them. Sometimes I have to make a mental list of what I have got.

Even the L114 that I just got a few days ago. It is not too small. I have not seen it since half an hour of releasing it.

What fish have you got that have disappeared, and then reappeared some weeks, months or years later, bigger, more beautiful and more confident?

 

[duanes]

An Eleotris picta (goby)that would bury itself in the substrate or in plant or their roots, and might appear only once or twice per month to eat.



One of its other strategies was to hunt by remaining motionless for length of time, changing color to match a stand of Vallisneria with either head up or down, waiting for prey.

 

[tlindsey]

I have a couple of Banjo Catfish that burrow in the sand. Haven't seen them for months. Also the catfish blend in with the wood that's in the aquarium.

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

A couple of kuhli loaches. Not with my current large group, but back when I had less.

 

[jjohnwm]

I had a Burbot which I caught in a northern lake on a camping trip and brought home, placing it into my very first outdoor "pond"...an old bathtub buried flush in the ground behind the garage. The fish was about three inches long when caught; it was next seen a couple years later at a length of around a foot, having eaten all the numerous tankmates I had introduced in the interim, along with plenty of worms, bugs, etc. that I threw in and undoubtedly lots of hapless critters that had just fallen in. The tub would freeze over for weeks each winter, but being buried against the side of the heated workshop portion of the garage it remained liquid at the bottom, enough for the fish to survive. This was in extreme southwestern Ontario, roughly the same latitude as northern California; a bit less arctic than my current locale.

More recently, I obtained a Red Wolffish at a small size, who dove headfirst into the tangle of Java Moss, wood, clay pipe, etc. at the bottom of his new home (a 40gallon breeder) and was not seen again for just shy of a month. Food disappeared, so I knew he was alive in there, just never on display. Then, practically overnight, he became very visible, exploring and investigating his tank for long periods, then disappearing for hours again. He's still in the same tank, double his original length, and is still splitting his time between parading around in full view and hiding quietly in the moss; if I want to see him at those quiet times, a red laser dot shone around his tank will bring him out like gangbusters, chasing it and attempting to eat it.

I like fish that incorporate a hint of mystery into their routines. They just seem a little more substantive than all those goofy airheads that just dance around in schools, eating and pooping and taking up space. Yeah, yeah, I know...those are "dithers". I prefer the ones who really rule the tank, and behave like they are always plotting and scheming something...