tang stuck in overflow!

TJ · 03/31/2012, 11:31 AM

Hope someone has some words of advice....so, we come back from vacation & it's super late when we get in last night. We have a housesitter who has done this for about 5 yrs. now & is very used to dealing w/various issues over the yrs... :/
When we get up this morning & I'm doing a head count in the tank while feeding I notice my large blonde naso tang is missing! He's been w/us for about a yr. now & doing great. (240g. tank w/2 yellows, a purple, & a hippo are his homies...) Anyway, I'm upset & almost in tears wondering what could've went wrong in 6 days. I'm looking all around & I spot a flash of orange in my overflow! He's squeezed down in there between the glass & the sponge, breathing but not looking great. I've NO idea how in the world he got his fat a** down the overflow! One week, ONE week I take off the covering, so it'll be easy for the housesitter to feed, & not a tiny fish but the Naso, goes down the overflow?!!

So I get him out & he's in quarantine... swimming erratically & upside down mostly. He's pretty skinned up & looks like one of his side fins a little damaged. Will he straighten up...do they recover from incidents like this?

No idea how long he was in there. Never had this to happen & I couldn't find on RC where anyone has posted anything like this. Thanks for any advice ahead of time....

zdancewicz · 03/31/2012, 11:58 AM

that really sucks! in my opinion i think that he will heal up. fishes fins heal very quick and the reason he may be upside down is because he might have only one fin which is causing him to flip when trying to swim. and try cutting out a piece of plywood and putting it over the overflow. it also makes your tank a bit quieter. good luck!

Andrew · 03/31/2012, 12:04 PM

Make sure he's being feed a well nurished diet and he should recover just fine if the stress doesn't get to him. Make sure you keep them covered and get some plastic mesh to guard everything.

TJ · 03/31/2012, 12:49 PM

thanx so much guys for the words of advice/encouragement. Right now, he attempts at swimming, mostly sideways, upside down, then lies on his side for quite a while. No desire to eat...even tried holding some of his favorite dried algae soaked in vitamins, but no go. We keep eggcrate over all 3 openings, but I left it off this past wk. to make it easier for the housesitter.

I feel like something spooked them, though. I have a gorgonian that is 12 yrs. old, & now it's suddenly broken off it's base...?! Looks like a 1/2 can of fish flakes was spilled on to both glass dividers! My housesitter does have 2 small grandchildren but because of their son's custody issues, they wouldn't have had them out here during the week...& I truly believe she would've told me anyway... I trust this woman completely. Just wondering if someone else "came by" our house while we were gone. To let their little one "see/play w/Aunt Terri's fishies".... hmmmm.... I don't know, but I'm afraid we may lose Blondie. Here's hoping/praying!

Sk8r · 03/31/2012, 01:02 PM

Best you can do I think is to keep salinity and temperature constant and keep that water good---he may pull out of it on his own. Feed normally---his stomach is going to be pressing that bladder back into proper config, and if there's inflamation, maybe it will go down.
I'm still wondering if housesitter didn't have some kid with her that whacked the glass with a toy or something that might have amplified sound...That sounds like total mayhem, and that doesn't happen just out of the blue.

TJ · 03/31/2012, 01:21 PM

SK8r, that's what we thought the more we saw & thought about it... I'll talk to her on Monday. Course it's a little late now.

You're right about the water quality...I feel like that's my best bet in his recovery. I'll keep y'all posted...

zdancewicz · 04/01/2012, 06:47 PM

hows it doing now?

TJ · 04/01/2012, 07:28 PM

Blondie went to fish heaven last night.

He's buried in our pet cemetery. Goofy I know, but I shed quite a few tears over this beautiful fish. I'm still shocked & appalled how this happened. He must've been wedged in that overflow a few days... bad scraped up & one fin damaged & the stress.... everyone else is fine & dandy. The only thing about something possibly spooking them....we have our church's Christmas party here every year & of course the tank is where all the kids congregate & undoubtedly somebody sometime bangs a lid, a door below, hits the ladder up against it, something, & the fish usually dive for cover in the bottom, in the corners, & under rocks. Well, we may never know. Believe me, the eggcrate is back in place, never to be removed!

zdancewicz · 04/02/2012, 01:51 PM

im sorry :'(

03/31/2012, 11:31 AM	#1
TJ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 237	tang stuck in overflow! Hope someone has some words of advice....so, we come back from vacation & it's super late when we get in last night. We have a housesitter who has done this for about 5 yrs. now & is very used to dealing w/various issues over the yrs... :/ When we get up this morning & I'm doing a head count in the tank while feeding I notice my large blonde naso tang is missing! He's been w/us for about a yr. now & doing great. (240g. tank w/2 yellows, a purple, & a hippo are his homies...) Anyway, I'm upset & almost in tears wondering what could've went wrong in 6 days. I'm looking all around & I spot a flash of orange in my overflow! He's squeezed down in there between the glass & the sponge, breathing but not looking great. I've NO idea how in the world he got his fat a** down the overflow! One week, ONE week I take off the covering, so it'll be easy for the housesitter to feed, & not a tiny fish but the Naso, goes down the overflow?!! So I get him out & he's in quarantine... swimming erratically & upside down mostly. He's pretty skinned up & looks like one of his side fins a little damaged. Will he straighten up...do they recover from incidents like this? No idea how long he was in there. Never had this to happen & I couldn't find on RC where anyone has posted anything like this. Thanks for any advice ahead of time....

03/31/2012, 01:02 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Best you can do I think is to keep salinity and temperature constant and keep that water good---he may pull out of it on his own. Feed normally---his stomach is going to be pressing that bladder back into proper config, and if there's inflamation, maybe it will go down. I'm still wondering if housesitter didn't have some kid with her that whacked the glass with a toy or something that might have amplified sound...That sounds like total mayhem, and that doesn't happen just out of the blue. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

03/31/2012, 11:58 AM	#2
zdancewicz Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: miami,fl Posts: 32	that really sucks! in my opinion i think that he will heal up. fishes fins heal very quick and the reason he may be upside down is because he might have only one fin which is causing him to flip when trying to swim. and try cutting out a piece of plywood and putting it over the overflow. it also makes your tank a bit quieter. good luck!

03/31/2012, 12:04 PM	#3
Andrew Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 13,640	Make sure he's being feed a well nurished diet and he should recover just fine if the stress doesn't get to him. Make sure you keep them covered and get some plastic mesh to guard everything.

03/31/2012, 12:49 PM	#4
TJ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 237	thanx so much guys for the words of advice/encouragement. Right now, he attempts at swimming, mostly sideways, upside down, then lies on his side for quite a while. No desire to eat...even tried holding some of his favorite dried algae soaked in vitamins, but no go. We keep eggcrate over all 3 openings, but I left it off this past wk. to make it easier for the housesitter. I feel like something spooked them, though. I have a gorgonian that is 12 yrs. old, & now it's suddenly broken off it's base...?! Looks like a 1/2 can of fish flakes was spilled on to both glass dividers! My housesitter does have 2 small grandchildren but because of their son's custody issues, they wouldn't have had them out here during the week...& I truly believe she would've told me anyway... I trust this woman completely. Just wondering if someone else "came by" our house while we were gone. To let their little one "see/play w/Aunt Terri's fishies".... hmmmm.... I don't know, but I'm afraid we may lose Blondie. Here's hoping/praying!

03/31/2012, 01:21 PM	#6
TJ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 237	SK8r, that's what we thought the more we saw & thought about it... I'll talk to her on Monday. Course it's a little late now. You're right about the water quality...I feel like that's my best bet in his recovery. I'll keep y'all posted...

04/01/2012, 06:47 PM	#7
zdancewicz Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: miami,fl Posts: 32	hows it doing now?

04/01/2012, 07:28 PM	#8
TJ Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 237	Blondie went to fish heaven last night. He's buried in our pet cemetery. Goofy I know, but I shed quite a few tears over this beautiful fish. I'm still shocked & appalled how this happened. He must've been wedged in that overflow a few days... bad scraped up & one fin damaged & the stress.... everyone else is fine & dandy. The only thing about something possibly spooking them....we have our church's Christmas party here every year & of course the tank is where all the kids congregate & undoubtedly somebody sometime bangs a lid, a door below, hits the ladder up against it, something, & the fish usually dive for cover in the bottom, in the corners, & under rocks. Well, we may never know. Believe me, the eggcrate is back in place, never to be removed!

04/02/2012, 01:51 PM	#9
zdancewicz Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: miami,fl Posts: 32	im sorry :'(