Catfish stuck???

crazydaisylou

crazydaisylou

This is Achmed
Feb 26, 2007
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0
0
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I have two chocolate catfish. One of them is pretty big, and I noticed, the last time I saw him try to get into the decoration that he likes, that he was having a hard time getting in the hole. He's probably as big as the hole. Could he be stuck in there? I haven't seen him for at least two weeks. I know that it isn't unusual to see them only every couple of months, but this one always came out at least every other day, while I was feeding the rest of the fish, so this isn't like him. I took the decoration out yesterday to see if I could force him out, and he started chirping, so I stuck it back in, so as of yesterday he was alive. I don't know if I should worry about him or just let it go for a while yet. And if he's stuck, how do I break the decoration without hurting him? I don't know where he is in it. The hole is in the middle, and there's room on either side of it for him to sit.

Thanks
 
What is the decoration made out of?
 
umm i think he said the catfish is stuck.

okay if it is some sort of ceramic this might work although it is kinda violent.

1. locate section of deco it is in

2. get a hamer

3. make sure you can do this quickly

4. get a large wooden cutting board

5. quickly pull deco out

6. set deco on the bord and smash the side that it is not in.

7. quickly return fish to water.

Make sure he is not out of the water for more than 15 seconds or so. Some people may think this is a stupid idea but not really, if you break it in the tank you release super harmful shards into the water. Also if people think this will stress the fish thee is probably no other way to get him out i.e to save his life. It should not be used unless a last resort is needed.
 
It is ceramic, that's why I wasn't sure how to break it. I'm afraid I'm going to kill him because things don't usually go the way I would like them to. Do you think maybe a local pet shop would be able to deal with this?
 
no just try and smash the other side, can you post a poc of the thing
 
the decor is about 12-14 inches wide. The hole is about 1.5 inches by 2 inches. The catfish, judging from the SMALLER one I have, is about six inches long and at least two inches around. the picture is from when I first got the fish, so it looks a lot smaller.

thanks for the quick reply.

fishies003fish.jpg fish00355gal.jpg fish00655gal_001.jpg
 
jpappy789 said:
I have a question...why smash the opposite end? Do you expect the ceramic to crumble?
Click to expand...

The idea is to avoid smashing the fish.

You can buy sheets of filter material, or sponge material or something similar at the LFS (usually). Once you get the fish out (if the decor is not broken) I would plug the holes with something like that. Also, do so if you replace the decor with a new one. You can find ways to create caves and hiding places for him that he cannot get stuck.

If you are sure he cannot get out, you could try to enlarge the hole. As long as the fish isn't right against the hole, you could stick a hammer head in there and apply leverage to break it open a bit wider.
 
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