siphoned up a live fish

Lauren

Lauren

Say hello to my lilttle friends
Aug 9, 2003
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I was jinxed, my sister's friend was watching me, and asked if it was possible for the hose to up a fish. I told her no, it wasn't strong enough. And of course, a minute later. A neon tetra is struggling to escape the hose's hold. I brought it up, and the fish was able to escape, but he now has a sore on his tail.

What should I do with him? How can I stop this from happening in the future?
 
this may sound stupid and I'm not sure if this description will make sense but if that happened again couldn't you just stop the suction so the fish can go free by putting your thumb over the end of the tubing?
 
A lot of people, including myself, have done that before. Don't be too hard on yourself! I somehow managed with a mature dwarf gourami:confused:

Just keep an eye on him...see if it heals well. Taking him out and qtining him by himself may prove more stressful....


As for preventing it. You can take a nylon or mesh of some sort and put it on the end of the syphon tube and then put the "cap" over it. So, the nylon would be near the end of the syphon tube that attaches to the syphon hose...

i can't explain that very well...
 
net...

you can tie a net at the end of the hose. where the water is sucked in, which will allow dirt to go in.. but small enough so that fish will not fit:)
 
Avoiding distractions that get you looking somewhere else is the best solution I've found. I like being able to siphon up fallen leaves and such, so a net won't work for me. Some fish are more curious about the process than others--my dwarf puffers know the vaccum process stirs up snails in the substrate, and will follow the tube around. I always have one thumb over the outside end of the tube, so I can stop the water immediately when one of the buggers gets too close. Happens about every other water change.
 
I bought a clip to stop syphon flow at a beer/wine making store. (You can get them in small & large depending on your hose diameter.) While I move the vacuum around with my left hand, the right thumb is always on the clip. Just press down and it quickly stops the water flow.

clip.jpg
 
Originally posted by Tando Murphy
Love the idea of the clip; but using your thumb over the outflow works just as well.
Click to expand...

Yes it does, but it's really hard for us short people, LOL. I used to have to stand at a funny angle and my back would hurt. With my clip, I am standing upright. Also, the clip has varying degrees of shut-off spikes. Sometimes you just want a soft syphon for certain areas, this allows you slow the syphon by 1/8, 1/4, etc.
 
I like that--it would reduce the spray that happens when I put my thumb over the end. Think I know what I'll be picking up this weekend!
 
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