!HELP! Fish in the Overflow

[Melanie]

My six line wrasse is in my overflow. What do I do now??????

 

[reefman420]

pray

 

[Eric]

I have been there before but will let someone else offerer advice if it's small enough stop the pumps and pull the over flow tube out and let him drain into the sump. Or get the net and hope you get lucky.

Normally just takes alot of patients and a small net.

Hope that helps the draining way is kinda stressful on the fish but is an alternative. Someone else probably has some better ideas.

Good luck
Eric G.

 

[lcstorc]

Try to catch him. It can be quite difficult. I usually turn of the pump so the water goes to about half level in the overflow. This makes it a bit easier to catch them.

 

[JFK_Jr]

I do what EEK does... pull the standpipe out in the overflow, and let him drain into a net in the sump. Have a pitcher of tank water ready so when you pull the standpipe, you can pour extra water if needed.

Works like a charm...

 

[JFK_Jr]

Oh... almost forgot!

 

[Melanie]

Can he live in there forever?

Lynn, I'm scared, didn't your fish die when it went in there????

 

[Snelly40]

this has happened to me twice, once i put my smaller net in, and the FISH JUMPED IN!!!!
the second time proved much much much harder, i ended up doing what is mentioned above, pull out the overflow pipe and have a net ready and he will drain right into it!!!

 

[reefjitsu]

I would suggest that once you get it out, you come up with some measure to keep it out in the future. Maybe some type of mesh or eggcrate. IME, once fish learn to go back there or pull a sump surf, they will repeat the behavior. My experience with six line wrasses has led me to believe that they are especially prone to this.

 

[Melanie]

Well, that was pretty horrible. I pulled out the sponge and floaty thingy and the smallest net I have couldn't maneuver in that tight space. As I was contemplating what to do next, the heater exploded shooting glass everywhere. If I wasn't wearing a sweatsuit, I would have glass impaled in my legs and stomach.

So after much cursing, I pulled out the overflow tube and he didn't go down the hole, he just flopped around so I grabbed him with my hands.

This was a pretty awful evening and I sincerely hope that he is OK after all that.

 

[burning2nd]

Nemo found his way in to my O.F

took me a day to figure out where he was..... boy what that stressful. needless 2 say.... you could see in his little fish eye that he was screaming at the top of his gills "G E T ME THE #*%^ outta HERE!" Oh boy

after i got him out, he went home and thrashed his house.....

 

[Dentoid]

 

[JFK_Jr]

Ouch... glad you didn't get electrocuted... :bugout:

 

[BigAl07]

OMG! what a horrible experience! Glad it worked out for the best.

Keep us posted!!

 

[Melev]

In the future, another option is to siphon the fish out with some 3/4" or 1" tubing into a nearby bucket or trashcan (used for saltwater, of course).

Always unplug a heater before removing it. And even then, I usually rinse them under warm to cool water before setting them down on a towel. Tuck the cord out of the way to avoid tripping over it and knocking your heater to the floor only to shatter.

 

[lcstorc]

You must have done exactly what I did. Same reason too. Trying to get a fish out of the overflow and my heater exploded and almost electrocuted me.
Glad the fish is out. Hope he stays out.