Fish got stuck in pipes

[DracoKat]

I am going to cry. really.

I recently lost a carpenter's wrasse for reasons unknown. He died last night.

Today, I come home from work, and saw my tank OVERFLOWING from the top and air bubbles from the overflow. Sump was very low. I turned everything off. And realized my exquisite wrasse was missing. Took me a bit, but I found him in the pipes in the sump. He got stuck and died

Any ideas how I can cover my corner overflow? he wasn't the first fish that jumped (carpenter wrasse jumped but he didn't go in the pipes).

I am just beyond upset. The mess, the water all over my floors. and my poor wrasse.. he was my favorite too.

Photos to come (gotta upload from my phone)

 

[DracoKat]

Photos

 

[Rob Lion]

sorry for your loss
On a previous tank I got a perspex CD cover, scored it with a sharp blade and snapped it with pliers, nibbling away to get the ideal shape, then sanded it, superglued a couple of perspex lugs to the underside to hold it in place..... worked perfect, could see down the overflow and nothing could jump or accidentally fall in to the overflow bow.

to score the radius, get a plate of same size.

 

[twilliard]

Oh man sorry about the incident!
You can fabricate a plastic mesh for the overflow. The plastic mesh used for latch-hook

 

[DracoKat]

I cut out a piece of the plastic mesh that you mentioned, but I am not sure how to secure it without permenantly gluing it down

 

[Flippers4pups]

Animal netting. Zip tied to the wiers.

Or

Piece of wood with many holes drilled in it, painted with epoxy paint. Plastic strip to make up for height, zip tied together to the wier.

Works.

Also, I made my returns into emergency drains and just brought the returns over the back of the tank. Can't overflow the DT.

 

[DracoKat]

thank you for the photos! It does help!

 

[Flippers4pups]

Emergency is just above the water line in the overflow box.

 

[DracoKat]

nice set up!

 

[Flippers4pups]

Photos

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Flippers4pups]

nice set up!

Thanks. I run my drains wide open with no valves, straight into my sock, just incase there is any obstruction. (Wife was at first worried about water on the living room floor, took awhile explaining what I did to make her feel "okay". Lol)

I dial my flow into the DT using the tee off my manifold. You may not have enough head pressure to do this, I'm assuming that's why you are using the ball valve on your drain line, to adjust the water level in your DT?

 

[DracoKat]

I was suggested to use ball valve, or gate valve. I couldn't find any gates, so I got the ball

 

[Flippers4pups]

I was suggested to use ball valve, or gate valve. I couldn't find any gates, so I got the ball

If you remove the ball valve, will your durso's start sucking air? Water too low in the overflow? Do you run anything else off the return pump?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to help.

 

[bif24701]

I use DIY screen tops on all my tanks now because I've had fish jump out didn't know it until moving day and found them behind the tank. We did notice a smell but just decided it was the tank. Then we found a mummified clown behind a stand support.

Really sorry for your loss.

I recently lost nearly all my fish. I didn't speak to anyone for any reason for a whole week. This is the first time I have mentioned it publicly. Though it's not my fault I feel guilty and ashamed. It's devastating losing some many healthy, beautiful, expensive fish.

So I took all my fish out of the display because I noticed something wrong with my Blue Tang. It was ich, so I had my QT set up in the garage for months just incase or for new fish coming in, standard for me. After I got the fish in I rechecked everything and went to bed, it was late. Well that night the temp here in panhandle FL dropped to 30. When I woke up I went to work and came home for lunch. I checked on the fish and a few where already dead and others looked bad, a few looked ok. So I collected the live ones and quickly put them in my sump. Over the next few hours all but a $300 Picasso clown and the Blue Tang died, go figure. Total loses: Naso Tang, Yellow Tang, Purple Tang, huge BEAUTIFUL Kole Tang, 3 Bartlett Anthias, 3 Chromis, Ruby Red. The thing is that I really took good care of these fish and QTed them all. The Tangs where all getting along and fat growing so well. The Naso and Kile eye where just gorgeous. I absolutely died inside that week.

 

[DracoKat]

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear about your loss! I can understand why you didn't talk to anyone about it.

I have a screen top on my tank, but it wasn't enough to prevent the fish from jumping into the overflow apparently. there's less than an inch gap between the overflow and screen top, but he managed anyway.

 

[DracoKat]

I will have to do a better job on the cover soon.. I didn't have a big enough piece of mesh

 

[bif24701]

I will have to do a better job on the cover soon.. I didn't have a big enough piece of mesh

That gutter screen/guard mesh material should work. Also it's handy for all kinds of stuff.

I use a strainer on my durso drain. I have only one drain and can not risk a fish or snail getting in there. Get a slip strainer and clean it regularly so that it doesn't get plugged from algae or what ever. I actually cut larger holes in my strainer, just needs to keep a fish or snail from getting into it. Even if one happens to get in there and die it still won't clog it. You have to clean it regularly or else it's another flood risk.

Good luck

 

[DracoKat]

those are good ideas, thank you! I will have to go shopping tomorrow to see what I can find

 

[bif24701]

those are good ideas, thank you! I will have to go shopping tomorrow to see what I can find

Unless you have a really nice LFS I don't think you will find those slip strainers. BRS does have them. Make sure it is a slip on though, this allows you to get it off quickly and easily for cleaning. I don't even push mine on tight, just enough to hold it in place so I can reach in and slide it right out of my down turned durso drain intake.

 

[DracoKat]

Unless you have a really nice LFS I don't think you will find those slip strainers. BRS does have them. Make sure it is a slip on though, this allows you to get it off quickly and easily for cleaning. I don't even push mine on tight, just enough to hold it in place so I can reach in and slide it right out of my down turned durso drain intake.

I don't see it on BRS, can you direct me please?