Don't know if my Manderin will make it

FishWife1 · 01/10/2007, 12:25 PM

I found him behind the tank this a.m. I thought he was dead - kinda dry- but I saw a fin move so I put him into the tank. I held him in my hand and moved him through the water forcing it through his gills and he began to perk up.

Then he began to slime, and slime, and slime. The goo that came off that little guy was amazing. It stuck to my hand and some came off in great gobs. My seahorses got slimed and I had to clean them off because they couldn't move. I suctioned it out of the tank as much as possible and now the Manderin is pretty clean of it. He's not moving around much but his breathing doesn't look heavy. I can see him watching me when I come close to the tank.

Does he have a chance after all that sliming and is there anything I can do to help him?

Laurie

tibbs2 · 01/10/2007, 12:34 PM

Sure he does. They secrete a natural slime to protect against predators. If he's alive he has a chance.

You might want to do a water change to get more of that slime out of the water. I don't know what kind of effect it will have on your seahorses.

bkiba · 01/10/2007, 12:43 PM

If he hasn't been eating, which is usually the case, you can try feeding flying fish roe (the orange eggs on sushi). I've seen several blennies, madarins go crazy for that stuff. If they get to the point where they are too exhausted to eat then it is pretty much hopeless. Try the sushi eggs, any sushi restaraunt will sell you a side of ROE for like $5.

Good luck.

davocean · 01/10/2007, 01:13 PM

He has a chance of surviving the carpet dive, but my concern is that is he in your 10g seahorse tank?
Min rec for mandarin is like 50g w/ lots of established LR, and even then it's hard to keep pods up unless you supplement or have a fuge

reefnetworth · 01/10/2007, 01:22 PM

www.oceanpods.com has them. ampods and copepods mixed in one bottle. might try them.

John M.

zuzecawi · 01/10/2007, 02:28 PM

arcticpods are good too, as are cyclopeeze, which your seahorses might love as well. Good luck... don't give up on the fish, it's amazing how resilient those little guys are.

guitar_lord · 01/10/2007, 02:28 PM

I had a royal gramma go carpet surfing before. He was dry when I found him.. I put him back in the water and moved him back and forth for about half an hour.. he did a full recovery and lived again for 4 months (until he jumped out again and wasnt so fortunate the second time)

So dont give up on 'em!!!
Good luck

bkiba · 01/10/2007, 03:21 PM

Just reread your post. I aparently missed what you said. Fish like this can easily survive a carpet dive. I had a target mandarin jump out and found him as fish jerky a few months later, but perfectly preserved. I've heard stories of fish and eels bouncing back after hours out of the tank. They can still breathe gaseous O2 with their gills, but obviously not as effeciently as in the water (what they have evolved for). Don't lose hope

and buy him some flying fish roe as a reason to live

FishWife1 · 01/10/2007, 07:08 PM

Thanks for the encouragement everyone but he went belly up right after lights out. i guess it was just too much for him.

BTW, this is a 30 gal. cube with a 10 gal. sump. Lots of lr and live sand so pods haven't been a problem but I was just going to order him some of those pods to replenish the supply. I'll let them build back up before I get another Mandarin or Scooter.

Laurie

HBtank · 01/10/2007, 07:11 PM

Sorry for your loss..

I worry all the time about carpet surfers. Already lost a Diamond Goby to it. Perfectly sealed top but the one night I take the canopy off to install my new lights....

At least your buddy did not have to go out like a raisin and was able to get a few last hours where he was supposed to be.

davocean · 01/10/2007, 08:26 PM

Sorry to hear laurie, thought he'd make it.
I think that's happened to about everyone.
Years ago I came home to a fish that looked more like beef jerky.
It was soooo wishful thinking when I threw him back in the tank.
He zig zaged to the bottom just like a leaf hitting the ground.
Thought I could hear a thud when hit bottom!
I remember being tired after work, and bummed, and said F-it, I'll fish him out after I ate dinner.
Half hour later I couldn't believe it when I looked and saw the thing swimming!
Good thing I didn't flush it right away.
Wish your luck went the same.

FishWife1 · 01/11/2007, 12:08 PM

Thanks all. Yeah, it can happen even with an almost sealed top, too. I had a canopy on my old tank and even though a portion of the back of it was open I didn't think anything could jump that high. Well, my foot long Snowflake Eel did it with no problem apparently. Now, THAT was a nasty thing to have to pick up!

I'll still keep my open top, though. I find the advantages too appealing to give up.

Laurie

fishboy2 · 01/11/2007, 06:10 PM

sorry for your loss Laurie, you did what you could.

01/10/2007, 12:25 PM	#1
FishWife1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cameron, NC Posts: 288	Don't know if my Manderin will make it I found him behind the tank this a.m. I thought he was dead - kinda dry- but I saw a fin move so I put him into the tank. I held him in my hand and moved him through the water forcing it through his gills and he began to perk up. Then he began to slime, and slime, and slime. The goo that came off that little guy was amazing. It stuck to my hand and some came off in great gobs. My seahorses got slimed and I had to clean them off because they couldn't move. I suctioned it out of the tank as much as possible and now the Manderin is pretty clean of it. He's not moving around much but his breathing doesn't look heavy. I can see him watching me when I come close to the tank. Does he have a chance after all that sliming and is there anything I can do to help him? Laurie __________________ Ummmmmm.... Current Tank Info: 30 gal. cube, 2 large BTAs, pair of pink skunks, 1 seahorse, various softies and lps

01/10/2007, 12:43 PM	#3
bkiba Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bridgewater, NJ Posts: 1,410	If he hasn't been eating, which is usually the case, you can try feeding flying fish roe (the orange eggs on sushi). I've seen several blennies, madarins go crazy for that stuff. If they get to the point where they are too exhausted to eat then it is pretty much hopeless. Try the sushi eggs, any sushi restaraunt will sell you a side of ROE for like $5. Good luck. __________________ "...and all the fish that lay in dirtied waters dying.... have they got you hypnotized?" -Robert Plant

01/10/2007, 01:13 PM	#4
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	He has a chance of surviving the carpet dive, but my concern is that is he in your 10g seahorse tank? Min rec for mandarin is like 50g w/ lots of established LR, and even then it's hard to keep pods up unless you supplement or have a fuge __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

01/10/2007, 01:22 PM	#5
reefnetworth Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 3,810	www.oceanpods.com has them. ampods and copepods mixed in one bottle. might try them. John M. __________________ GIVE A MAN A FISH, YOU FEED HIM FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH, HE FEEDS HIMSELF FOR LIFE. (NEVER, underestimate another man's greed) Current Tank Info: SPS dominated barebottom display with BB sump since 2005, most consistant parameters in 19+ years of reefkeeping.

01/10/2007, 02:28 PM	#7
guitar_lord Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: London ON Canada Posts: 482	I had a royal gramma go carpet surfing before. He was dry when I found him.. I put him back in the water and moved him back and forth for about half an hour.. he did a full recovery and lived again for 4 months (until he jumped out again and wasnt so fortunate the second time) So dont give up on 'em!!! Good luck __________________ -Brian- Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef

01/10/2007, 12:34 PM	#2
tibbs2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: IA Posts: 1,422	Sure he does. They secrete a natural slime to protect against predators. If he's alive he has a chance. You might want to do a water change to get more of that slime out of the water. I don't know what kind of effect it will have on your seahorses.

01/10/2007, 02:28 PM	#6
zuzecawi Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Salem, OR Posts: 472	arcticpods are good too, as are cyclopeeze, which your seahorses might love as well. Good luck... don't give up on the fish, it's amazing how resilient those little guys are.

01/10/2007, 03:21 PM	#8
bkiba Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bridgewater, NJ Posts: 1,410	Just reread your post. I aparently missed what you said. Fish like this can easily survive a carpet dive. I had a target mandarin jump out and found him as fish jerky a few months later, but perfectly preserved. I've heard stories of fish and eels bouncing back after hours out of the tank. They can still breathe gaseous O2 with their gills, but obviously not as effeciently as in the water (what they have evolved for). Don't lose hope and buy him some flying fish roe as a reason to live __________________ "...and all the fish that lay in dirtied waters dying.... have they got you hypnotized?" -Robert Plant

01/10/2007, 07:08 PM	#9
FishWife1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cameron, NC Posts: 288	Thanks for the encouragement everyone but he went belly up right after lights out. i guess it was just too much for him. BTW, this is a 30 gal. cube with a 10 gal. sump. Lots of lr and live sand so pods haven't been a problem but I was just going to order him some of those pods to replenish the supply. I'll let them build back up before I get another Mandarin or Scooter. Laurie __________________ Ummmmmm.... Current Tank Info: 30 gal. cube, 2 large BTAs, pair of pink skunks, 1 seahorse, various softies and lps

01/10/2007, 07:11 PM	#10
HBtank Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 2,957	Sorry for your loss.. I worry all the time about carpet surfers. Already lost a Diamond Goby to it. Perfectly sealed top but the one night I take the canopy off to install my new lights.... At least your buddy did not have to go out like a raisin and was able to get a few last hours where he was supposed to be. __________________ 80g Aiptasia dominated reef tank.. with fish and now a bunch of berghia! Current Tank Info: 80g tank, re-starting a reef after a zoanthid nudibranch plauge, followed by months of steady and unstoppable STN/RTN, crashed; stayed FOWLR for a couple years, currently an aiptasia dominated reef tank with fishies and BERGHIA

01/10/2007, 08:26 PM	#11
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Sorry to hear laurie, thought he'd make it. I think that's happened to about everyone. Years ago I came home to a fish that looked more like beef jerky. It was soooo wishful thinking when I threw him back in the tank. He zig zaged to the bottom just like a leaf hitting the ground. Thought I could hear a thud when hit bottom! I remember being tired after work, and bummed, and said F-it, I'll fish him out after I ate dinner. Half hour later I couldn't believe it when I looked and saw the thing swimming! Good thing I didn't flush it right away. Wish your luck went the same. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

01/11/2007, 12:08 PM	#12
FishWife1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cameron, NC Posts: 288	Thanks all. Yeah, it can happen even with an almost sealed top, too. I had a canopy on my old tank and even though a portion of the back of it was open I didn't think anything could jump that high. Well, my foot long Snowflake Eel did it with no problem apparently. Now, THAT was a nasty thing to have to pick up! I'll still keep my open top, though. I find the advantages too appealing to give up. Laurie __________________ Ummmmmm.... Current Tank Info: 30 gal. cube, 2 large BTAs, pair of pink skunks, 1 seahorse, various softies and lps

01/11/2007, 06:10 PM	#13
fishboy2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: nc Posts: 6	sorry for your loss Laurie, you did what you could.