Well, it finally happened...

lilgrounchuck · May 9, 2020

So my tank has been up now for over a year with the same inhabitants. No real fighting or aggression, everyone generally gets along fine. That brings me to tonight. I’m sitting in the basement playing video games with my son and my wife walks down and yells “WHAT IS THAT!?!?” I look over and the dog is lying next to it, so I think a turd, but he’s looking at it in the concerned manner labs do with things in the family. Turns out the turd is my lawnmower blenny that went carpet surfing. First fish to jump. He was dry when I picked him up, held him in the tank and he perked up and he swam off to the bottom but the hermits grabbed his tail. I pulled him out and put him in the frag tank, so in just hoping he pulls through. I guess it’s time to stop running open top...

F i s h y · May 9, 2020

Oh no. That stinks. I hope he pulls through. If he is breathing and moving thats helpful. If you have it, Melafix is good for helping stimulate the slime coat if im not mistaken. Maybe someone else will chime in on that.

count krunk · May 9, 2020

def get a screen top for your tank. Can do DIY for relatively cheap. Marine fish need a top. You can get away with clowns and most gobies, but it should be part of your plan.

lilgrounchuck · May 9, 2020

What’s weird is he had hit a crazy velocity/angle to land where he did, unless he flopped like a champ.

lilgrounchuck · May 9, 2020

count krunk said:
def get a screen top for your tank. Can do DIY for relatively cheap. Marine fish need a top. You can get away with clowns and most gobies, but it should be part of your plan.

I’ve always thought to do it, but everyone was so chill I didn’t see a need. Plus, my acrylic only has a small opening in two spots they could get through. Guess he just got lucky. I’ll be shoring it up from here on in though, that’s for sure.

vetteguy53081 · May 9, 2020

Power of a tank cover. Blennies are tough!!

KrisReef · May 9, 2020

I put a new fish in the tank last night and he disappeared over night. I'm hoping the copperband butterfly is in hiding but I'm afraid to go looking. Glad your carpet turd still had some life in him. They are pretty sturdy fish so hopefully tomorrow our fish will both be up an swimming?! GL

Zionas · May 9, 2020

Sorry to hear that happened, OP. I second the need for a screen top, a completely covered tank would be best. @evolved suggests it as a MUST for any wrasse. Similarly, fish like gobies and blennies and a couple others can also be good jumpers. I’d treat 95% of all species, as a rule of thumb, as potential jumpers so make sure to have your tank completely covered. Really hope he’ll make it. It’ll save your fish and save you from heartache.

My plan for my own setup is a completely covered tank. Not taking any chances on this one.

I don’t mean to provoke, but it’s your own tank so you should probably take maximum precautions. Try not to heed the advice of people who don’t know / don’t care. Insist if you have to, regardless of what those people say. It’s your tank, your involvement in the hobby, not theirs. Push a few buttons if you have to, for the sake of your livestock and your own enjoyment.

fishguy242 · May 9, 2020

hopefully he will pull through ,they have a slime coating that will protect ,imo do not treat w anything

looking for a follow up ,best wishes

Bryson.bobby · May 9, 2020

My mandarin did the same thing the other day. Pretty sure a hermit got ahold of it and jumped out of shock. Luckily I heard it happen so I was able to rescue it right when it happened.

Mikeltee · May 9, 2020

What did you expect? Rimless is for coral only. Anyone running rimless with fish is an irresponsible pet owner.

november290 · May 9, 2020

I bought my current 185 off of a guy on Craigslist who still had 3 yellow tangs and 1 clown tang from the system living in a 40 breeder. He said if I wanted any of them I could have them. As it would be a while before I was going to have this up and running and my current system at the time was a 120 that already had a yellow tang I only took the clown tang. He hands me this poor fish in a Tupperware container and looked like he was put through the ringer. Fins shredded and chunks missing from his body. Life was not good for him a 40 breeder with the three yellows apparently. Get him home and quickly get my QT set up for him. Fluval 13.5 gallon AIO, perfect QT setup. Get him in there get light on him and notice ich of course. So I start treating with copper and feed nori. Two weeks later this guy is looking great, fins are healing, wounds are covering up, ich is gone and he’s much fatter. I’m feeling really good about myself right! So two weeks to go and I can add him to my tank so clown tang is happy, I’m happy everything is great. Well he makes it all the way to 4 more days before he is out of QT and I find him dried up on the floor! The lid was on the tank. If anyone is familiar with the fluval 13.5 you are aware that the factory plastic lid has a feeding slot. This slot is not big at all and I honestly never thought this fish would fit through but he hit that one in a million jump and went through at some point during the night. I couldn’t believe it then and honestly when I think about it now I still can’t! I ended up cutting some clear mesh screen from the BRS screen kit and super gluing it over that slot from underneath so that never happened again. From that point on no matter the unlikelihood of it happening I always took it into account in every system since then! That was a heartbreaker.

fishguy242 · May 9, 2020

Mikeltee said:
What did you expect? Rimless is for coral only. Anyone running rimless with fish is an irresponsible pet owner.

for one op does not have rimless tank! if nothing nice to say ,say nothing,simple

spfahnestock · May 9, 2020

Mikeltee said:
What did you expect? Rimless is for coral only. Anyone running rimless with fish is an irresponsible pet owner.

While I respect your opinion I strongly disagree. My rimless tank and its inhabitants are doing just fine. I happen to prefer the look of these tanks so i bought and am using one with pretty good success.

lilgrounchuck · May 9, 2020

Bryson.bobby said:
My mandarin did the same thing the other day. Pretty sure a hermit got ahold of it and jumped out of shock. Luckily I heard it happen so I was able to rescue it right when it happened.

I’m guessing that’s what happened. He sleeps on the rocks like they’re a bed and I reupped mu cuc a few weeks back and added hermits - only had one before. They probably nipped him while he was sleeping

lilgrounchuck · May 9, 2020

Mikeltee said:
What did you expect? Rimless is for coral only. Anyone running rimless with fish is an irresponsible pet owner.

It’s not rimless, not even close. In fact, it’s closer to a fully enclosed tank than it is to anything else. It’s an acrylic that only has two small openings in the center of the tank. He had to hit a specific angle/velocity in order to make it out of that tank.

lilgrounchuck · May 9, 2020

november290 said:
I bought my current 185 off of a guy on Craigslist who still had 3 yellow tangs and 1 clown tang from the system living in a 40 breeder. He said if I wanted any of them I could have them. As it would be a while before I was going to have this up and running and my current system at the time was a 120 that already had a yellow tang I only took the clown tang. He hands me this poor fish in a Tupperware container and looked like he was put through the ringer. Fins shredded and chunks missing from his body. Life was not good for him a 40 breeder with the three yellows apparently. Get him home and quickly get my QT set up for him. Fluval 13.5 gallon AIO, perfect QT setup. Get him in there get light on him and notice ich of course. So I start treating with copper and feed nori. Two weeks later this guy is looking great, fins are healing, wounds are covering up, ich is gone and he’s much fatter. I’m feeling really good about myself right! So two weeks to go and I can add him to my tank so clown tang is happy, I’m happy everything is great. Well he makes it all the way to 4 more days before he is out of QT and I find him dried up on the floor! The lid was on the tank. If anyone is familiar with the fluval 13.5 you are aware that the factory plastic lid has a feeding slot. This slot is not big at all and I honestly never thought this fish would fit through but he hit that one in a million jump and went through at some point during the night. I couldn’t believe it then and honestly when I think about it now I still can’t! I ended up cutting some clear mesh screen from the BRS screen kit and super gluing it over that slot from underneath so that never happened again. From that point on no matter the unlikelihood of it happening I always took it into account in every system since then! That was a heartbreaker.

Dang I’m sorry to hear. That stinks. I think I’m gonna have to make covers now,Even though it’s only two small holes in mine.

lilgrounchuck · May 9, 2020

He’s alive and well! I can’t believe he pulled through. He was like a piece of jerky on the floor. I’m glad he mad it, and I hope there’s no permanent issues. It’s the one fish that my wife looks for in the tank, and definitely the fish with the most personality in there.