Hawkfish in overflow

[Hammer100]

so my Flame hawk decided to jump in one of my overflows last night.

Any idea how to get him out without flooding the house? the tank is a 180 gallon, 24" deep, should i remove as much water as i can from the sump and then pull the drain pipe and hope he fits down it?
He was at the very bottom this morning.

 

[monkiboy]

you can drain the overflow to minimal amounts and just pick him up and out. or depending on the size of the drain pipe and fish you likely can put a filter sock at the sump end of the pipe and catch him on his way down. pull the pipe in overflow and let him go for the ride allowing all the pressure of water in the overflow to help.

 

[Hammer100]

Finally got him with a net....going to get some covers made quick.

That was a pain!

 

[monkiboy]

Finally got him with a net....going to get some covers made quick.

That was a pain!

you usually don't want to cover your overflow if above the water line. a fish alive in your overflow can be a nuisance to get out but a dead fish on top of an overflow cover is a sadness to get rid of.

 

[4FordFamily]

I've used two small nets in the past. Certainly not a fun endeavor.

 

[Hammer100]

The worst part was I moving the overflow pipe to get my hand in and the ATO started up.....I thought I was flooding the stand below.
Heart attack!