Small fish going into overflow and sump

[starypotter]

Hi everyone,
My fish made it into my 75 reef ready tank on the 23rd in the evening. Today, the 25th, I realized I couldn't find several of my fish. Some investigation revealed that one of the fish, a yellow clown goby, is in the corner overflow chamber. And a neon goby has made it into the sump and I returned that one to the DT.

So my question is, should I give them the benefit of the doubt of being new to the whole tank think and try to retrieve them and put them back in the top? Making the assumption that they simply were unsuspecting and it won't happen again. Or do I just make sure to stick some filter floss before the return chamber and let the fish live happily ever after wherever they end up because chances are they'll just make it back there again and it's not worth the effort to tear the hood off to try to access the fish in the overflow chamber?

 

[just4plaay]

I have a glass cover and still find fish make it to my overflow. Found diamond goby in sump, Purple Tang in over and Midas Blenny in overflow. It's frustrating so if you find a solution let me know

 

[saltyhog]

I vote none of the above. In most tanks it's not too difficult to keep that from happening. In my tank it took a tight fitting screen top in combination with a piece of egg crate cut to the shape of the overflow. It sits on top of the overflow and eliminates any space between the screen top and the top of the overflow.

I've lost larger fish that jumped in the overflow and got in the main siphon of my Bean Animal but we're too big to go through the gate valve.

 

[saltyhog]

I have a glass cover and still find fish make it to my overflow. Found diamond goby in sump, Purple Tang in over and Midas Blenny in overflow. It's frustrating so if you find a solution let me know

You need to eliminate the space between your glass top and the top of the overflow....see my post above for one idea.

 

[starypotter]

You need to eliminate the space between your glass top and the top of the overflow....see my post above for one idea.

I understand that, but I think they made it through the grate, and the little area where the return jet comes in. The neon goby is small enough to make it through the weir, and the clown goby likely is as well.

 

[saltyhog]

Not sure what you mean by grate?

Those are tiny fish if they can make it through the weir. I would think jumping to be more likely but you know your fish better than I do.

 

[starypotter]

Not sure what you mean by grate?

Those are tiny fish if they can make it through the weir. I would think jumping to be more likely but you know your fish better than I do.

I meant weir, couldn't think of the word.
They are quite tiny, and there is a spot in the overflow where the return comes out that's got a pretty large gap and a fairly strong pull. The fish is still in there. I'm planning to try to siphon it out today. I've been turning off the return and dropping some food down in the overflow, with the holidays it hasn't been at the top of my list and the fish is doing alright in there.
I was going to try to pull the standpipe and let the fish get flushed down but apparently my standpipe is either really tightly fitted into the bulkhead or it's just not meant to come out which is frustrating. The fish likes to hide behind the standpipes so I don't think netting it would be an option, not to mention I can hardly reach back there.

 

[User1]

I vote none of the above. In most tanks it's not too difficult to keep that from happening. In my tank it took a tight fitting screen top in combination with a piece of egg crate cut to the shape of the overflow. It sits on top of the overflow and eliminates any space between the screen top and the top of the overflow.

I've lost larger fish that jumped in the overflow and got in the main siphon of my Bean Animal but we're too big to go through the gate valve.

While I liked this, and found humor in your misfortune, it did make me giggle. Because, well, I've had the same issue. In fact I was just looking at my overflow box last night and thinking something like this could happen to me again.

 

[starypotter]

While I liked this, and found humor in your misfortune, it did make me giggle. Because, well, I've had the same issue. In fact I was just looking at my overflow box last night and thinking something like this could happen to me again.

I'm all ready to let the fish have a happy little life back there, and if it happens again that'll be the case, but I figure since the poor thing made it back there within the first day really that I should probably give it a second chance. I'll be trying to fabricate something though that's for sure.

 

[User1]

To the OP - do you have a smooth weir? Smooth weir is the best thing but unfortunately smaller fish and snails are game to go over if they don't remember it is there. Especially in high flowing systems. When my tank was built I requested a smooth weir but also had them include a panel and route out a 1/4" gap. So I had a weir but it should prevent most larger snails and fish from flowing over. The teeth/weir combo clogs up and is not as efficient at skimming compared to a smooth weir.

If you haven't check out in-tank medias fish guard they have for the bio cubes. Maybe you can use a piece of glass or acrylic and make a guard so you keep the weir smooth but have a gap to prevent most of your fish from passing over.

Edit: Should have said to you @starypotter (nice name btw). Sounds like you have it dialed in And yes - second chances are good

 

[starypotter]

To the OP - do you have a smooth weir? Smooth weir is the best thing but unfortunately smaller fish and snails are game to go over if they don't remember it is there. Especially in high flowing systems. When my tank was built I requested a smooth weir but also had them include a panel and route out a 1/4" gap. So I had a weir but it should prevent most larger snails and fish from flowing over. The teeth/weir combo clogs up and is not as efficient at skimming compared to a smooth weir.

If you haven't check out in-tank medias fish guard they have for the bio cubes. Maybe you can use a piece of glass or acrylic and make a guard so you keep the weir smooth but have a gap to prevent most of your fish from passing over.

Edit: Should have said to you @starypotter (nice name btw). Sounds like you have it dialed in And yes - second chances are good

Thanks haha, and from my quick google search I think it's a smooth weir? I'll post a picture of the suspected problem area.

 

[starypotter]

Can’t really get a good picture, but where the return nozzle sticks out I could fit my finger through with room to spare.
And I know I’ve got an algae problem, I’m working on it

 

[saltyhog]

Find a way to block that, maybe some foam like is used in a HOB filter. The space that I had to fabricate for was between my screen top of the overflow. There was a small gap that fish were able to jump through to get in the sump. I'll take a picture of my solution.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Dremel tool and a small piece of acrylic wouldnt be too hard to fashion an internal lid for the overflow, drill a 1” hole on the too just in case the weir clogs.

 

[starypotter]

Find a way to block that, maybe some foam like is used in a HOB filter. The space that I had to fabricate for was between my screen top of the overflow. There was a small gap that fish were able to jump through to get in the sump. I'll take a picture of my solution.

Oh duh filter foam ;Facepalm I was over here trying to think up a way to get some sort of plastic shaped to fit. Yeah, I'll shove that in there right away.

 

[saltyhog]

Not sure how well this will show up.

This is the view if I lift up the front edge of the screen top and look towards the overflow. You can see the narrow space as the overflow does not come up as high the ledge the screen top sets on.

This is what I made to take up that space. It's a piece of black egg crate cut to fit the top of the overflow.

This is how it looks with the egg crate in place. Hard to see because it's black.

 

[dylanlevesque711]

I vote none of the above. In most tanks it's not too difficult to keep that from happening. In my tank it took a tight fitting screen top in combination with a piece of egg crate cut to the shape of the overflow. It sits on top of the overflow and eliminates any space between the screen top and the top of the overflow.

I've lost larger fish that jumped in the overflow and got in the main siphon of my Bean Animal but we're too big to go through the gate valve.

This just happened to me, melanarus wrasse jumped into overflow, got sucked down the main syphon and clogged the gate valve, thank god the emergency stand pipe made enough noise for me to wake up, realize what was going on and save the wrasse. He looks pretty beat up but I think he will make it. Now to make a cover