View Full Version : Not your average "fish in the overflow" predicament !
Herbie
03/26/2013, 06:02 PM
Hey guys,
So tonight, my son was checking out the tank, and saw our sailfin blennie (lawnmower blennie) take flight. Our Potters angel seemed to startle the blennie and he jumpd straight up and out of the tank, never to return........as per my son. Now there is an approx 12" high solid wood canopy on the tank, so he couldnt have gone carpet surfing unless he got out the back some way. So we checked everywhere around the tank, stand, etc. .....nothing. So we figured he went into the overflow. SO........... removed the canopy and did some checking............yep in the overflow.
Here is where is gets tricky. The tank is a 60 cube - 24" x 24" x 24". So pretty tough to access the overflow because of the depth and height of the tank. Not only tough access, but the tank has the horribily engineered Marineland 60 cube semi-round overflow. Cant even start to fit a hand in there. At max. it has 2.5" of access inside the overflow plus all of the plumbing going on in there. Here are a few pics of the overflow so you get the idea..........from google, not mine.
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiHIXRL_OjI2d4KzJ0lhwBTsrc5gCSOF_0iux9nRftsYj-gFMA
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXc7x5KY8FPe5OCnvKObKsxRyNAXv5fYfHnRQOeLC--XvNBWvr
What to do, what to do.......hmmm.
I am NOT draining down the tank to get the blennie out. I suppose I could drain the water out of the overflow and try to net him out, but the access............2.5" x 24" is the max I have to workwith.
There are screens on the bulkheads, so I feel that he will be safe for a while until I can figure something out. :headwalls:
Maybe he will just have to live in the overflow :headwally:.
So.........got any ideas,lol. Guess I could go fishing :spin2:.
Herbie
tsiklauss
03/26/2013, 06:10 PM
Pull the drain pipe out and be should drain with the water into the sump
Herbie
03/26/2013, 06:18 PM
Pull the drain pipe out and be should drain with the water into the sump
Thanks, but in this wonderfully engineered tank/overflow the bulkheads are out the back of the tank around the middle of the tank.......the tank is not drilled for bulkheads in the bottom :headwally:.
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJ_md7UuRChSYPidTn3Vb-s121o7RptooZnEK7DAlh_PA9boiIiA
Good thinking though.........thanks !
Herbie
seanm001
03/26/2013, 06:23 PM
I would try getting a piece of big tubing, maybe 2", and jam it down into the overflow. Turn the return pump off, then siphon out the overflow. Hopefully the fish will follow the water as the level gets low and plop out into your bucket. If not, dump the water back in and try again. And again and again. Those darn bennies never do what you want them to...
Herbie
03/26/2013, 06:27 PM
I would try getting a piece of big tubing, maybe 2", and jam it down into the overflow. Turn the return pump off, then siphon out the overflow. Hopefully the fish will follow the water as the level gets low and plop out into your bucket. If not, dump the water back in and try again. And again and again. Those darn bennies never do what you want them to...
I may try this, thanks. I have 1" hose and the blennie is pretty big. Probably 3-4" and fat.
I may try to get some 2" boat bilge pump hose, and try that.
Thanks,
Herbie
reefer91
03/26/2013, 06:35 PM
I would try getting a piece of big tubing, maybe 2", and jam it down into the overflow. Turn the return pump off, then siphon out the overflow. Hopefully the fish will follow the water as the level gets low and plop out into your bucket. If not, dump the water back in and try again. And again and again. Those darn bennies never do what you want them to...Ding Ding Ding
pool guy
03/27/2013, 06:07 AM
Slurp gun ??? Hehe. I would try to siphon him out as well. Good luck!
Portsie
03/27/2013, 06:11 AM
I have heard of people adding sand, slowly to the overflow until the level is such that you can easily net the fish. Then, siphon the sand out. Might be worth a try if the straight up siphoning doesn't work.
meisel1
03/27/2013, 07:49 AM
i would try the 1" hose siphon...if he gets stuck its only for a minute till you get him out.
SGT_York
03/27/2013, 09:29 AM
My LMB is always jumping back there to get the hair algae, once it's gone he jumps back. Should have put a cover over it but so far he hasn't had trouble getting out on his own.
I keep the water level high in the overflow and there are protections so he doesn't carpet surf.
I did notice it doesn't look like there is a herbie on that tank???
jerpa
03/27/2013, 09:52 AM
I vote siphon and if that proves unsuccessful fill with sand. Use a small pipe to dump the sand through slowly then you can siphon it back out after you retrieve the fish.
Herbie
03/27/2013, 10:28 AM
My LMB is always jumping back there to get the hair algae, once it's gone he jumps back. Should have put a cover over it but so far he hasn't had trouble getting out on his own.
I keep the water level high in the overflow and there are protections so he doesn't carpet surf.
I did notice it doesn't look like there is a herbie on that tank???
That is what I am waiting for actually,lol.
The picture is just a pic from google, not my tank.
It was actually pretty hard to rig up a Herbie overflow on this tank. It has to be the worst overflow set-up I have ever come across. I should have just cut it off, and had a box custom made!
Herbie
Herbie
03/27/2013, 10:30 AM
I vote siphon and if that proves unsuccessful fill with sand. Use a small pipe to dump the sand through slowly then you can siphon it back out after you retrieve the fish.
The sand Idea is good in theory, but sand makes a heck of a mess. That SOB can live in the overflow until I can try a few things. :idea:
Herbie
Dr Colliebreath
03/27/2013, 01:55 PM
How about using marbles, bioballs, beads, or something similar to fill the overflow but that you can easily vacuum out with a shop vac?
asonitez
03/27/2013, 02:35 PM
So complicated. Borrow your neighbors 5 year old and pay him a few bucks to reach in and grab the squishy thing.
plz return the 5 year old when your done with it.
Psyops
03/27/2013, 02:44 PM
So complicated. Borrow your neighbors 5 year old and pay him a few bucks to reach in and grab the squishy thing.
plz return the 5 year old when your done with it.
LOL
I am dealing with the same thing myself. The 2" hose idea is pretty good. My fish unfortunately is a Flame Wrasse and is extremetly comfortable in my overflow.
wonderz
03/27/2013, 03:32 PM
maybe you can stuff a giant piece of filter floss into the overflow and push it down to the bottom. eventually the fish will swim upwards 'cause of the floss and you can catch it. then you can just pull out the floss.
Mtwreef
03/27/2013, 03:45 PM
Did you catch him yet?
buffalo123
03/27/2013, 03:49 PM
I saw one of those overflows at my lfs and i thought what if something goes whacky how do you fix it; with such a small space. If its not too big of a blenny, i like the syphon idea with large diameter hose.
Herbie
03/27/2013, 03:57 PM
Did you catch him yet?
Nope, still havent had the time to give anything a try.
I figure a little "time-out" will do the blennie some good, lol.
BTW, its a huge blennie as sailfins go. Prob about 4" long and will not fit down a 1" flex hose.
I am kind of liking the marbles idea. :thumbsup:
Herbie
Allmost
03/27/2013, 04:01 PM
I had a blue tang once jump in the overflow, much larger tank, but the overflow box was covered ....
I tried a couple of different methods, none worked,
then one day he jumped out of the overflow box and back to DT !
I have covered the overflow since then.
I also have the same 60 cube, going to cover the top tonight so nothing like that happens, they overflow design on these tanks are just .....
Herbie
03/27/2013, 04:45 PM
O.K. so I got him out tonight.
I put some jedi mind tricks on the little sucker, and made him go to "the bright light", and swim to the top of the overflow and into my hand. Then I placed him in the tank.
Well.................really.............. when I came home he was happily swimming around the tank again. On thing that may have helped him get back in the tank.........I modified the overflow "teeth". I cut them all out except for 1 in the center to make more of a weir for better surface skimming. He may have just swam back into the tank !
Guess I need to get that overflow covered now.
Thanks for the help and ideas guys !
Herbie
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