Oh no! Glass cat ate some rock wool

[plah831]

I just happened to be gazing lovingly into my fish tank (OK, I do it sometimes for hours), when I witnessed my smallest glass catfish swallow a small piece of rock wool! It was about the size and shape of a brine shrimp, so he probably thought it was feeding time. Another glass cat even tried to grab it out of his mouth, but he swallowed it before they could wrestle over it.

What should I do? Has anyone else had fish consume the stuff? Will it hurt him?

I do my very best to remove all of it (toothpick combing method and lots of water) from new plants, but I guess I missed a perfect snack-sized morsel of it.

I'm worried because glass cats have such small insides... you can see all of them, after all.

 

[plah831]

bump

 

[Rowangel]

oooh, well, there isn't a whole lot you can do, it will either pass it or it won’t. You can try feeding peas for a while; those help get the digestive track going and should help. I had read about one owner who had a fish eat the charcoal that fell out during a filter change. Weeks later it was still kicking and as dumb as ever… if it can handle shrimp shells it should be able to pass this through. Hope it all turns out alright.

 

[DaisyTattoo]

I would say at this point there really isn't anything you can do since he already ate it. I wouldn't worry about it. If it was pretty small it probably won't cause a problem.

 

[plah831]

Thanks so much, gals. I'm posing the question in Aquatic Plants, too, in case anybody knows for sure what's in it.

The sad thing is I was JUST about to get the net to fish it out, when I turned around I saw him swallow it. Well, at least he's got an appetite

 

[fishcatch22]

yeah, I think he'll do fine! have faith, my friend!

 

[Ghost_knife]

I am a bit lost, the term "rock Wool" what is it and what does it look like..

 

[plah831]

Rock wool is the stuff that potted plants come in. When you get the little black plastic pot, it's the foamy, spongey stuff the roots are attached to. I know it's impregnated with lots of fertilizer, but don't know anything other than that. I hope the guys who make it have the sense to realize some might get out into your water, no matter how well you clean, and that a fish might get it. So I'm hoping it's just cotton, or something else natural.

 

[Ghost_knife]

I think it's some kind of inert moss. Mine come in poly fill for some reason. when the plants get big I remove the Rock and plant them normally

 

[plah831]

yeah, i try to remove as much as possible before i even put the plants in the tank, but i can't get all of it. I use a toothpick to comb the roots and rinse under tons of running water, exactly for this reason.

oh well. hopefully nothing happens to the little guy and i won't be as scared about it next time.