Fire-fish stuck in impossible place

[J A' mhuir]

Hello friends,
My name is Jude and I live in Buffalo, NY. I started my first tank two months ago now. A IM fusion 25 gallon lagoon. I have 2 clowns and my prized Helfrichi fire-fish. A Zoa frag and GSP. My CUC is doing well.
I am very new to running a saltwater tank but no stranger to Aquariums. I have a situation that baffles me.

My helfrichi a week ago jumped into the back filtration chambers through the emergency overflow. I have a lid, but it leaves a little space below for the overflow. I attached an image below of the emergency overflow for those who may not have one in there tank design

It escaped my attempts to fish it out of the chambers by vaulting itself onto the floor, where I retrieved it and put it in the tank immediately.

Yesterday I got back from work and didn’t see her in the tank where she usually is, and took everything out of the back chambers, I was doing a massive water change anyways, after a fluconazole treatment for bryopsis algae.

I saw it, and tried to put my little net down to catch her, but it appears she is under the bottom glass of the filtration chamber….. I know it sounds insane, but I can’t reach it. I put my tweezers down into one of the chambers that the fish seems to be in, and I was tapping the glass above the fish. I can’t get a good photo but the one below is the best I could get…

Has anyone ever had an issue like this?
Any thoughts or insight would be so appreciated…. I just want my fish back….

Thanks y’all

 

[crazyfishmom]

Wow… that is pretty wild. Replying for a bump. Maybe someone will have an idea on what can possibly be done.

 

[william Lutman]

Hello friends,
My name is Jude and I live in Buffalo, NY. I started my first tank two months ago now. A IM fusion 25 gallon lagoon. I have 2 clowns and my prized Helfrichi fire-fish. A Zoa frag and GSP. My CUC is doing well.
I am very new to running a saltwater tank but no stranger to Aquariums. I have a situation that baffles me.

My helfrichi a week ago jumped into the back filtration chambers through the emergency overflow. I have a lid, but it leaves a little space below for the overflow. I attached an image below of the emergency overflow for those who may not have one in there tank design

It escaped my attempts to fish it out of the chambers by vaulting itself onto the floor, where I retrieved it and put it in the tank immediately.

Yesterday I got back from work and didn’t see her in the tank where she usually is, and took everything out of the back chambers, I was doing a massive water change anyways, after a fluconazole treatment for bryopsis algae.

I saw it, and tried to put my little net down to catch her, but it appears she is under the bottom glass of the filtration chamber….. I know it sounds insane, but I can’t reach it. I put my tweezers down into one of the chambers that the fish seems to be in, and I was tapping the glass above the fish. I can’t get a good photo but the one below is the best I could get…

Has anyone ever had an issue like this?
Any thoughts or insight would be so appreciated…. I just want my fish back….

Thanks y’all

LOL, I still have a clown fish living in my IM-15 overflow. It happens

 

[J A' mhuir]

LOL, I still have a clown fish living in my IM-15 overflow.

Oh my…. I just don’t understand where mine is… it seems to be stuck under the glass…. It wriggled itself somewhere lol… a less expensive fish I would shrug it off but man, this one isn’t cheap

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

Oh my…. I just don’t understand where mine is… it seems to be stuck under the glass…. It wriggled itself somewhere lol… a less expensive fish I would shrug it off but man, this one isn’t cheap

I've wondered about that design choice. It's an upside down T.

You could try siphoning him out with larger diameter hose, into a bucket. Then a return pump from the bucket back into the tank. He may get a bit banged up though.

Edit note: Prevent him from entering the return pump, of course.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

My firefish has ended up in my return chamber and fuge before which requires it to go through 2 spaces smaller than it. I let it stay down there and somehow it has made it back to the display. It disappears for weeks at a time when it gets spooked, and shows back up like nothing happened. I doubt it's jumping given the angles, it must be getting into the plumbing. Maybe these fish are just magic.

Good luck!0

 

[J A' mhuir]

Thank you all for your replies, I visited my local saltwater aquarium store. One of the gents has the same tank I do.

It turns out that there is an extra reservoir With a false bottom, underneath the main filtration chambers. And the bottom is glass so you can see your fish, but you can’t get to it.

So yes, as stated above the only way to get it out is to siphon, with the three-quarter inch hose and hope you don’t snap the fish in half while doing it.

The design of the tank isn’t bad, just with certain fish, who like to fit through the smallest spaces possible.

 

[J A' mhuir]

Today I successfully fished the Helfrichi out of the extra reservoir, she is out and about and doing fine.

I blocked the weirs temporarily with netting… I purchased innovative marines weir guards. so that will be a more permanent fix and then I am probably going to order the terrifically expensive but very nice Kraken lids.. and somehow block the entrance to the emergency overflow with netting or something.

Who knew you had to be so particular to keep fish in the tank?

Thanks for your suggestions y’all, I hope you have an amazing week ahead of you!!

 

[ericacohn]

how did you get her out? i have a green chromis who swam through on of the vents onto the bsck
compartment that houses the motor (fluval 13.5) it’s the smaller compartment and i’ve can’t fit my and down there and i haven’t been able to get her out with a net Green Chromis

 

[J A' mhuir]

how did you get her out? i have a green chromis who swam through on of the vents onto the bsck
compartment that houses the motor (fluval 13.5) it’s the smaller compartment and i’ve can’t fit my and down there and i haven’t been able to get her out with a net Green Chromis

I am sorry that happened with your fish!! It was really frustrating. This is a very long reply lol….

The local fish store gent has the same tank I do. He had to siphon a wrass out of his, with a 3/4 inch hose! I didn’t have a small enough hose that wasn’t attached to a vacuum tube. he warned me not to snap the fish in half.

I ended up siphoning what water I could out, but can’t get it all, I noticed there was an air bubble that she was caught behind… which got me thinking… so I used a 1/4 inch hose to blow a larger bubble, it worked, she moved toward the opening and I kinda scooped her up with a mesh bag….

It was hard and very stressful…

I guess sucking it out is the only way…

I had to buy weir guards by IM, she has stayed in the tank since…

 

[GatorGreg]

What a fantastic job you did!! Congratulations.

I’d need a 6 pack of beer after that job

 

[J A' mhuir]

What a fantastic job you did!! Congratulations.

I’d need a 6 pack of beer after that job

Thank you, what a little escape artist… who knew!? I am writing a letter to IM letting them know about this issue lol…. Smaller weir slats??? Best of luck with your little guy!!

 

[jabberwock]

Clowns are probably bullying the firefish. Keep an eye out.

 

[J A' mhuir]

Clowns are probably bullying the firefish. Keep an eye out.

I am pretty sure they are, I don’t want to get rid of my helfrichi but the clowns are so mean!! Or I could get rid of them… and find her nicer mates….

 

[jabberwock]

I am pretty sure they are, I don’t want to get rid of my helfrichi but the clowns are so mean!! Or I could get rid of them… and find her nicer mates….

Clowns are evil. My ideal IM 25 lagoon stocking list is what I have now. Purple fire fish, Carpenter's wrasse, yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp, blue neon cleaner goby and a yellow clown goby.

 

[Tamberav]

I had the same exact fish get back there.

I cut some acrylic walls to fit in the chamber. Blocked one side, scared it into the middle.. slid the acrylic down to block the other side and scooped it out of the middle.

 

[J A' mhuir]

Clowns are evil. My ideal IM 25 lagoon stocking list is what I have now. Purple fire fish, Carpenter's wrasse, yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp, blue neon cleaner goby and a yellow clown goby.

They are monsters!! Wow!! That’s a wonderful bunch!!

 

[B&CinB.C.]

Thank you, what a little escape artist… who knew!? I am writing a letter to IM letting them know about this issue lol…. Smaller weir slats??? Best of luck with your little guy!!

We have two firefish and a small bi-color blenny in a IM75ext. We put the IM weir guards on and have never had anyone get through

 

[J A' mhuir]

I had the same exact fish get back there.

I cut some acrylic walls to fit in the chamber. Blocked one side, scared it into the middle.. slid the acrylic down to block the other side and scooped it out of the middle.

Oh wow!! Much better way than I had to do!! These fish will give me white hair

 

[J A' mhuir]

We have two firefish and a small bi-color blenny in a IM75ext. We put the IM weir guards on and have never had anyone get through

They are a life saver!!