Do Not Try This!!!

WingnutSr · 09/25/2006, 06:40 PM

I had 2 Green Chromis some how get into one of the 2 corner overflows of my tank. Tried everything I could think of to get them out. Net wont fit in there, tried stopping the flow and over filling the tank to allow the room to free swim out, even tried catching them by hand, but nothing worked. One has been in there for 3 days, and he got company in there sometime over night
So, I figured what the heck, try the shop vac. After all, they would not run through the motor or filter of it. But boy oh boy, that corrugated tube was really bad for them. They came out of the bottom of the vac scaled and de-finned.
I figured it was worth a try. Better than having them live in the overflow.
I have since installed some gutter guard around the top of both overflows. Hopefully this will prevent future escape attempts.

T-T-Trigger · 09/25/2006, 06:47 PM

why not just shut off the return and then siphon out the overflow chamber, then net them/grab them?

cbeitel · 09/25/2006, 06:48 PM

You should get a Discovery Channel Life's Lessons award for that move.

Poor Fish!!!

It did make me laugh though!!

WingnutSr · 09/25/2006, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by T-T-Trigger
why not just shut off the return and then siphon out the overflow chamber, then net them/grab them?

The net would not fit in there. And I cannot get my arm in there past my elbow to reach the bottom.

bufu11 · 09/25/2006, 07:25 PM

get a smaller net???

LauraCline · 09/25/2006, 08:07 PM

I'm trying not to laugh for the sake of the poor fish but, this really sounds like something my husband would do.

lol, years ago he once almost caught the house on fire trying to kill a spider. Spiders "freak him out" and he didn't want to/couldn't catch it so, he decided to light it with one of those grill lighters. It scorched the wall and the burning spider dropped into our catbox and caught it on fire.

reefbuzz · 09/25/2006, 08:17 PM

That was kinda funny. Thanks for warning us; now I won't vacuum a fish out...

tkeracer619 · 09/25/2006, 08:20 PM

Um, I ran into the same problem. I just stopped my overflow unhooked it, and dumped the snail back into the tank.

t5Nitro · 09/25/2006, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LauraCline
I'm trying not to laugh for the sake of the poor fish but, this really sounds like something my husband would do.

lol, years ago he once almost caught the house on fire trying to kill a spider. Spiders "freak him out" and he didn't want to/couldn't catch it so, he decided to light it with one of those grill lighters. It scorched the wall and the burning spider dropped into our catbox and caught it on fire.

lol! Ya, I found this spider in my room, freaked me out so I just put a light cover over him and was so happy, then I thought, what if he got out under it, lifted it up and zoom he was gone, took a while to get him but it freaked me out lol.

Lpabsolute · 09/25/2006, 09:02 PM

Ewww.....Something similar happened to me. I had a 6-line wrasse that swam into my overflow on my 54g corner. Tried everything to get him out. I finally bent my fish net so it would fit into the back overflow, and put some food in it, after a while he finally swam in an i chought him. I was luckey. It sucks on my corner because i was standing on a ladder bending over the tank, killed my back but now i have something over my overflow to keep fish out. Never will make that mistake again....

ambaratur · 09/25/2006, 09:06 PM

Could have just bought some 1" ID tubing and just syphoned them out.

09/25/2006, 06:40 PM	#1
WingnutSr Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Clermont Florida Posts: 463	Do Not Try This!!! I had 2 Green Chromis some how get into one of the 2 corner overflows of my tank. Tried everything I could think of to get them out. Net wont fit in there, tried stopping the flow and over filling the tank to allow the room to free swim out, even tried catching them by hand, but nothing worked. One has been in there for 3 days, and he got company in there sometime over night So, I figured what the heck, try the shop vac. After all, they would not run through the motor or filter of it. But boy oh boy, that corrugated tube was really bad for them. They came out of the bottom of the vac scaled and de-finned. I figured it was worth a try. Better than having them live in the overflow. I have since installed some gutter guard around the top of both overflows. Hopefully this will prevent future escape attempts. __________________ Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove a thing! Current Tank Info: 125 AGA Mixed Reef, 55 AGA sump/fuge. 160 lbs LR, Little Giant 4-MDQX-SC, Rio 2100, Seio M1500. Tunze DOC 9010 skimmer. 6 X 96watts PC lighting.

09/25/2006, 06:48 PM	#3
cbeitel Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: McKinney, Texas Posts: 367	You should get a Discovery Channel Life's Lessons award for that move. Poor Fish!!! It did make me laugh though!! __________________ Favorite Quote from a customer at my store... "It says here these fish are best kept in schools, but can I keep them in my home?" Honest to God, someone said that. -Chip Current Tank Info: You have too many tanks, says my wife

09/25/2006, 08:07 PM	#6
LauraCline Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Lutz, FL Posts: 2,017	I'm trying not to laugh for the sake of the poor fish but, this really sounds like something my husband would do. lol, years ago he once almost caught the house on fire trying to kill a spider. Spiders "freak him out" and he didn't want to/couldn't catch it so, he decided to light it with one of those grill lighters. It scorched the wall and the burning spider dropped into our catbox and caught it on fire. __________________ People, who have lost their dreams, will try to shoot down yours. Guard that door fiercely.

09/25/2006, 08:17 PM	#7
reefbuzz Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: West Seneca, NY Posts: 219	That was kinda funny. Thanks for warning us; now I won't vacuum a fish out... __________________ ><((((º> Current Tank Info: Elos System 80 & 300g in wall

09/25/2006, 08:20 PM	#8
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	Um, I ran into the same problem. I just stopped my overflow unhooked it, and dumped the snail back into the tank. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

09/25/2006, 06:47 PM	#2
T-T-Trigger Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Napa, CA Posts: 1,930	why not just shut off the return and then siphon out the overflow chamber, then net them/grab them?

09/25/2006, 07:25 PM	#5
bufu11 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: st.catharines Posts: 318	get a smaller net???

09/25/2006, 09:02 PM	#10
Lpabsolute Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Johns Island, SC Posts: 2,021	Ewww.....Something similar happened to me. I had a 6-line wrasse that swam into my overflow on my 54g corner. Tried everything to get him out. I finally bent my fish net so it would fit into the back overflow, and put some food in it, after a while he finally swam in an i chought him. I was luckey. It sucks on my corner because i was standing on a ladder bending over the tank, killed my back but now i have something over my overflow to keep fish out. Never will make that mistake again.... __________________ "Do not float above me when I'm drowning in the abyss......float away from me.........float away" Current Tank Info: 54g Corner Reef Tank......and......5.5g Nano Reef Tank......and......20g Long Reef Tank.......and......27g Cube

09/25/2006, 09:06 PM	#11
ambaratur Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 776	Could have just bought some 1" ID tubing and just syphoned them out. __________________ "God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef