Warning--ornaments with holes!

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RackinRocky

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
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Location
High Desert, S. California
I have lost two fish over the last year from them getting "stuck" in a coconut shell ornament. The third fish was lucky, and survived. The first was a female betta, and I thought it was a freak accident. The bettas, however, are just the right size to get stuck. I pulled the first one out and she lived. She wasn't wedged in super tight. This was about a year ago. A few months ago I had another female betta wedged in a hole again. I got her out, and she died anyway, due to getting her nose stuck between pea gravel a few days later. I think she was weakened and that's how it happened. I tossed that coconut.

I have another tank that has a tall ornament with holes all over it, of different sizes. I even had my husband drill a hole in the top so fish wouldn't get trapped, not knowing how to get out. The Peacock Gudgeons are small enough to go through all the holes, but the Honey Gourami wasn't. Even though he'd been in the tank for months, I didn't see him for a couple of days, and went searching. He was wedged in one of the smaller holes. And I mean wedged tight. He was still alive, and I tried both backing him out and pushing him forward, gently. After a while, I had to use more force, and he was still alive when I finally extracted him. But sadly. he was dead this morning. (It happened yesterday). So, beware when you buy ornaments. I learned a hard lesson!
 
I have a few things to say.

1: Small fish---> small brains

2:The reason 70%+ of people buy ornaments is FOR the HOLES.

3:hole = hiding place

4:You should get scaleless eel or knifefish like fish, like the black ghost knifefish, they are intellegent enough to get out of the holes and also have some sort of "slime" that enables them to slip out with no trouble at all.

5: i may be getting a Peacock Gudgeon soon.
 
I've had a ropefish get stuck in a decoration. At first, I thought it was just playing (that's how I got the pic.) then realized she was stuck, got a bucket, took the fish w/ decor out and slowly broke her free. ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1420359025.435402.jpg

Since then, I have taken aquarium safe silicone, and used it to glue rocks over the holes the fish are not meant to go in.
 
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