I was doing my weekly water change last week and something terrible happened. My gold dust molly male kamikazied himself into the vacuum and died. I have accidently sucked up fish before, but they usually go half way up the vacuum (and swirl around 
) and then I kink the tube and they swim out. This time he literally swam right up into the vacuum and before I could even kink the tube he got sucked up into the little flappy thing. I panicked and started shaking the vacuum thinking he would fall out. When he didnt come out I ripped the tube off from the vacuum part but he wasn't in the tube. He had gotten stuck inside the little flappy thing that connects the vacuum to the tube. I don't even know how he fit in there- it was terrible. Once I saw him stuck in there- I gently pried him out. He fell into the tank and just sank to the bottom- he was still breathing but barely. I tried to move him around and face him right side up- but he kept sinking to the bottom and going upside down. He did this for a short time and then he stopped breathing. I took him out and euthanized him (well- I was pretty sure he was already deceased but just to make sure). So that was pretty traumatizing.
Anybody else ever had this happen? I just use a very basic, manual vacuum- I think it's an aqua culture one. It's a self-start siphon type- nothing fancy.
) and then I kink the tube and they swim out. This time he literally swam right up into the vacuum and before I could even kink the tube he got sucked up into the little flappy thing. I panicked and started shaking the vacuum thinking he would fall out. When he didnt come out I ripped the tube off from the vacuum part but he wasn't in the tube. He had gotten stuck inside the little flappy thing that connects the vacuum to the tube. I don't even know how he fit in there- it was terrible. Once I saw him stuck in there- I gently pried him out. He fell into the tank and just sank to the bottom- he was still breathing but barely. I tried to move him around and face him right side up- but he kept sinking to the bottom and going upside down. He did this for a short time and then he stopped breathing. I took him out and euthanized him (well- I was pretty sure he was already deceased but just to make sure). So that was pretty traumatizing. Anybody else ever had this happen? I just use a very basic, manual vacuum- I think it's an aqua culture one. It's a self-start siphon type- nothing fancy.
