Stupid move on my part!

[Lady Hobbs]

Tonight I decided to move my Splendida's in with my parrots because they are nuts and stressing my other bows. I get them all in a bucket and am moving them to the other tank thinking I could pour them in as I always do. Just as I tip the bucket up to pour them in the tank, away they go! Jumping out of the bucket and about 6-8 of them flew behind the tank and then flopped around until they were under the stand!

I mean the second I tipped the bucket! Stupid fish. And there was no way to get them out from under there, either. I have a long handled net and was trying to push them to the back so I could grab them from the side but no way.

I suppose I will have to break down that 55 just so I can clean the fish out from under it.

:14:

[Red]

Wow that really really stinks. sorry hobbs for the loss...

[Lady Hobbs]

I'm more sorry about them being under the stand. :) They aren't small guys, either. All were 4 inches and I see big red is now gone, too. He was probably 5 inches. Guess you can't "pour" rainbows.

[Ellen4God]

Oh, wow. That really stinks.

[MrJim]

Sorry about the loss; when a longtime pro like yourself makes a mistake I don't feel so bad about my bonehead screwups..http://bestsmileys.com/wink/3.gif

[Rue]

Oh no! That sucks! :scry: Do you have to break apart your tank, or can you wait for them to, er, well - dehydrate?

[mac]

Sorry about your loss Hobbs. They sound to be nice fish. Well nice to me. Even if they are a pain.:19:

A real shame. That is why I always do thing by nets. Never lost a fish by doing it that way.

mac

[Sir Tristen]

That stinks! I'm sorry that happened. Maybe you could use a vacuum and try to get them to, you know, stick to the intake as the vacuum is going and get them out that way . . . Hope it all works out.

[mac]

Maybe try and use a piece of wire to hook them out?

mac

[Dave66]

That's really a shame, Hobbsy. Had the same thing happen to me about four years ago with flying barbs (Esomus species). They sailed right out when I tipped the bucket in.
Fortunately their tank was and is open on all four sides and I was able to retrieve them before finis.

Dave

[korith]

Just finished cleaning my tanks this evening and after reading your post, I got to thinking I should check under my stands, found umm stuff that could once have been ghost shrimp.

That's tough losing fish you've kept for so many years like that. If you end up breaking down the tank to clean up, leave some room in the back you can reach to.

[sandy_n]

Sorry to hear that Hobbs...:scry:

[Sharon]

Oh dear...Can you use a hair dryer to blow them to a spot where you can get them? They are rather nuts, aren't they? I have to be careful feeding my tank, as these guys are savages when there's food.

[Northernguy]

:11: Sad news! Lousy way to lose fish,sorry to hear it.

Friggin fish are so impatient!

[Wild Turkey]

i Agree use a vacuum hose or something to get at them if you can..and after put something behind the tank so stuff cant get under there. Like a sheet of wood or glass or whatever

Sorry about loss hobbsie:11:

[Lady Hobbs]

You've all given good idea's but none of them would work in my case. One side of my stand is against one wall and I have acess to only one side. The front bottom has an arched opening on both sides under the doors but a very small arch.....like maybe 2". Not even enough room to see under it. I may be able to push them back against the wall with my long net and pull them out that way....once they dry up.

I always move my fish in this manner. Put them in a bucket of water then gently pour into another tank. Sure didn't work with these guys! Should have netted from the bucket had I known they were so darned nuts. Two that I did manage to get died last night. Heck, they slammed into the wall at 100 miles an hour and it probably knocked their brains loose.

[Sharon]

Judging by the behavior of mine, I doubt they have any...:hmm3grin2orange:

[HomaridNoob6]

Whenever ive moved fish from one tank to another by bucket and pouring, after a first incident i had similar to yours. I used plastic wrap on the bucket. cover enough of the top of the bucket so that you can still pour without ripping it right off. About 3/4 of the top of it is what i do also good if you have a big rubber band to help hold it on. Then cover the remaining opening with a net as you pour the first bit of water, after a bit of water is poured out tilt the bottom of the net up so the only way they can go is down into the tank. It's really nice if you have someone to help you, because negotiating a big heavy bucket of water in one hand and a net in the other isn't always easy, or even possible.

It's a lot more complicated than it needs to be i guess, and just netting them is easier, but if you really want to do it this way, that's my suggestion. I've never lost a fish doing this, but it is kind of a pain in the rear end. If your moving a good number quick moving active of fish at once though, i guess it's an ok idea.

[Lady Hobbs]

Yes, I did not have that one planned out too hot, I guess. yikes. Even putting foil over the top would have prevented that deal. It won't happen again. We need square pails for square nets!

[toddnbecka]

Any way to get them out with a vacuum cleaner attachment? Not helpful for live fish, but they should be dried out enough by now.
I don't get particularly attached to fish any longer, too many fish in too many tanks for too many years. The last one I was particularly sad to see go was a featherfin Syno, I'd had that one for 11-12 years.

[korith]

Yes, I did not have that one planned out too hot, I guess. yikes. Even putting foil over the top would have prevented that deal. It won't happen again. We need square pails for square nets!

Hmm square buckets I like it, I'm sure they must sell those somewhere. Would stack better for storage too.

[HomaridNoob6]

I have a few square 2, 3, and 5 gallon buckets, they originally contained some type of equine feeding supplement. Believe me i washed the heck out of em! Unfortunately I've had em a while and the stickers are so worn off i can't remember what the name of the product was, but if anyone in your area keeps horses they are likely to have a few of those buckets lying around. A lot of Equine supplements come in square buckets. Just an idea for getting em cheap instead of buying specifically made fish buckets at your LFS.

If anyone really thinks there is a chance of residue in these buckets even after washing them a lot please do let me know. I don't use them often, but if there's even a chance they are unsafe I won't be using them anymore.