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Disturbing discovery....

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Shannara 
#1 ·
Okay... last night I found something that completely creeped me out. Normally I check my fish tank a couple times a day, but yesterday was one of those days where I kept getting distracted by phone calls, etc., when I came home from work. So the evening passes by and right before bed I usually go and feed the fish.

As I approached the fish tank I noticed there is...something...on top of the glass of the tank. Not sure that I really want to find out I approach anyway, and there...dead...dried out....and petrified is one of my dojo loaches. Now understand...I painstakingly cut and assembled the tanks top covers to make sure there was only enough room for the filtration systems to reach the water. So I am not only confused as to how this guy got out…but why he appeared contorted…and petrified in this crazy position. It was so disturbing. The night before he was in the tank eating his food, like he normally does, and I can’t imagine what took place that ended with him dead on top of the tank. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around how it happened because I looked all around for any possible way a fish that size could get out. He was no small fry by any means so...I just....I dunno what on earth happened. :?

This was the dojo who was recently acting strange that I posted about in the Freshwater disease section...but since his last quarantine I hadn’t seen any other symptoms. Maybe there was something still wrong with him, but it doesn’t explain what happened. I know fish can jump out and all but…this was just so bizarre. Anywho...I hope this never happens again...I have been weirded out since yesterday and am hesitant to approach my tank and find something like that again. :blueworry:

Shannara~
 
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#2 ·
Since the tank is secured I can only think that he managed to either wiggle out of the tank or he used the filter to make his escape. My loaches will once in a while actually swim into the filter and then back out of it. Quite the feat of swimming considering how close my hood is to the filter but they do it. Then once in the filter, it is possible your dojo jumped a little too high when coming back out and landed on top of the tank instead of back in it.

It is possible and could explain what happenned but I know it doesn't make you feel any better. Maybe put some plastic canvas or something else that actually blockes the outflow from the fish getting in but doesn't restrict flow.
 
#3 ·
I need to take a picture of the top of my tank…the outflow for my filtration is under the glass lid so…he could technically get up in the filter, but even if he flailed around he couldn’t go anywhere but right back into the tank…or get stuck behind the biowheels or filters. I have had that happen with a shrimp before…he climbed up into the filter and was stuck there until I fished him out.

The thing that is bothering me is I really can’t figure a way he would have escaped so I can fix and prevent that same situation from happening in the future. I know this is probably a freak thing, but it was just so odd…and kinda gruesome. I just wonder how long he was there…I’ve heard dojo’s can last out of water because of the slime coat they can secrete…but this guy looked like he was petrified or something.

Hopefully this won't happen again....

Shannara~
 
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