Panda found dead, stuck to bottom of unit!!

[jbimflyer]

Hi... just thought I'd share this tragic event with you all, and see if any light can be shed on why this awful thing happened. I walked up to the aquarium this morning to do my normal check on the Aquarium, but to my dismay I find one of the 5 cory cats stuck on the bottom of the powerhead. Is that known as a dangerous spot? or was he/she already dead by another cause, when the lifeless little body was sucked into it? The type is Aquaclear.

 

[aquandrew]

i would guess it died first, did you check your water params right away??

 

[jbimflyer]

i would guess it died first, did you check your water params right away??

No I haven't... but I plan on doing it 2moro.

 

[Fishfur]

I am sorry for your loss. It is not uncommon for a fish that is either dead or dying to get stuck to the filter intake.

But this does not often happen to healthy fish, unless they are very tiny and the filter is quite powerful, or the fish are very young. It can help to have a prefilter on the intake tube, so no fish can be sucked up, or swim up there because it seems like a good idea.

I have kuhli loaches that love to swim up the intake tube, so I had to put a prefilter on to stop them from doing that.

 

[Bichir Bro]

Usually only under gravel filters get fish cought in them and killed so i suspect it was not that. Sorry bout the lose too.

 

[Bichir Bro]

Loss*** autocorrect pfff

 

[Fishfur]

I guess you haven't had the joy of finding a pair of loaches swimming in the bottom of the Aqua Clear 70, in the space below the media basket ? Or a pair of Celestial Pearl Danios, same filter, same place.

I also recently found about 25 shrimp, 3 different species, in a small Aqua Clear.. the prefilter had come off, which I did not notice right away. So at filter cleaning time, I suddenly had shining little shrimp bodies flying in all directions as they jumped from the filter. Thankfully they all landed in the tank, not on the floor. I eventually had to pour the filter out into a bowl, and there were ten or more shrimp in that, after having picked all the visible ones out.

So now I am a BIG believer in using pre filters. On my AC70s, I am using a Tetra Pond prefilter. Very large, very coarse, but that helps prevent it getting clogged up, makes for easy flow intake for the filter and it looks just like a regular sponge filter. I did have to slice a piece off one side, so it would fit in the space between the tank glass and the uptake tube. I used a chunk of the cut off piece to stuff into the hole at the bottom, as this particular prefilter has a hole all the way through it.

It would not fit a smaller uptake tube unless you stuffed some sponge strips into the hole, as it is a fair size diameter. But smaller prefilters are available, and are easy to make from sponges available meant to go inside filters too. Just cut a hole in the middle that fits your uptake tube and slide it on. Squeeze out as often as necessary, the coarser the sponge, the less often you have to squeeze it out.

 

[jbimflyer]

Sorry guys, maybe I wasn't clear... he/she got sucked on to the bottom of the 'powerhead'... in my tank I have a canister filter on the back left side, and the powerhead on the front right side which shoots across the tank from right to left. I purchased the power head b/c I also have hillstream loaches in the aquarium.

 

[Fishfur]

Even so, I still like prefilters on filter intakes. It is too bad about the cory though.

 

[VOZIE]

Not sure if this is re problem but Cory's are not the brightest of fish and seem to have a habit of wanting to swim up pipes. I used to keep Cory's and had to be very careful when cleaning the tank as they seemed to what to swim up the hose. That time I managed to get him out with just a little damage to his tail which recovered.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Sorry guys, maybe I wasn't clear... he/she got sucked on to the bottom of the 'powerhead'... in my tank I have a canister filter on the back left side, and the powerhead on the front right side which shoots across the tank from right to left. I purchased the power head b/c I also have hillstream loaches in the aquarium.

Is it the type that has a grille where it draws the water in? A better one for small/sick/dopey fish is the type that you can connect to a sponge filter like this picture I got from google images:

 

[molliwopp]

Not sure if this is re problem but Cory's are not the brightest of fish and seem to have a habit of wanting to swim up pipes. I used to keep Cory's and had to be very careful when cleaning the tank as they seemed to what to swim up the hose. That time I managed to get him out with just a little damage to his tail which recovered.

My peppered corys used to play in my gravel vac all the time when changing water. I actually think corys are rather intelligent as fishies go and have the something more to offer. I love corys and think they have alittle something more other fish dont have in their character. Yes theyre dopey like mentioned but have an inquisitive personality

Ive never had a fish sucked up by a power head or a filter. Pre filters are the way to go.

 

[FishieMomma]

I've lost a Cory to swimming up the siphon and getting stuck in the tubing. Unfortunately, I didn't notice in time. I never realized one could put a pre-filter on the end of a siphon. I just ordered three from Amazon for my filters on my 55 gal. and will us the third on the siphon so I don't lose another Cory.

 

[jbimflyer]

Not sure if this is re problem but Cory's are not the brightest of fish and seem to have a habit of wanting to swim up pipes. I used to keep Cory's and had to be very careful when cleaning the tank as they seemed to what to swim up the hose. That time I managed to get him out with just a little damage to his tail which recovered.

LOL... My cories get nervous and huttle together until the frightening experience is over. Even minutes after the cleaning they still appear traumatized and upset with me. Lol

 

[Cactuspixie]

LOL... My cories get nervous and huttle together until the frightening experience is over. Even minutes after the cleaning they still appear traumatized and upset with me. Lol

I have come close to squishing cories when they get too carried away foraging while I'm shoving the gravel vac in and out of the substrate. They live in a happy little world of their own

 

[jbimflyer]

I have come close to squishing cories when they get too carried away foraging while I'm shoving the gravel vac in and out of the substrate. They live in a happy little world of their own

OT for a moment... Please explain to me your method of vacuuming the substrate, b/c I have Eco-complete and every time I put the vac near it, it sucks it up into the tube!!

 

[molliwopp]

Simple solution.. hover just above it and if you suck any out, when youve drained the water simply put it back in the tank where it came from.

 

[Bichir Bro]

.................... {ignore this}

 

[trkchezz]

LOL... My cories get nervous and huttle together until the frightening experience is over. Even minutes after the cleaning they still appear traumatized and upset with me. Lol

All my fish do that, like WTF are you doing to our home!!!My angles have bitten my hand while it is in tank doing maintenance,

 

[Bichir Bro]

My bichir bit me once too! only difference they have teeth, and it hurt. I tried hand feeding him like my BGKF but that didnt turn out so well.