Tips or Tricks for getting a Diamond Goby out of a 30" overflow?

[AGreyCrane]

One of my Diamond Gobies has gotten himself down in the bottom of my 30" overflow, and I'm not sure how to get him out other than shutting off all of the pumps and draining the overflow. Issue is he keeps hiding on the other side of the pipes from my net.

Any suggestions? Is draining the overflow the best bet?

Thanks,
Alex

[Ranger Daryl]

I had a lawnmower blenny in my overflow. After trying for a week to get it out, I decided to drain the overflow chamber. First, I made sure that the sump was able to handle all the water that would drain out of the overflow. My drain is a durso style that slips into the bulkhead. When I pulled the drain, all the water flushed into the sump, it sounded just like a toilet. Everything flushed out including the lawnmower blenny. He was much easier to catch in the sump. Hope this helps.

[KafudaFish]

Suck him up with a larger diameter hose or fill the overflow with something like bioballs or some old towels and get him then.

[Ranger Daryl]

Have you had any luck getting the goby out of the overflow yet?

[Theokie]

I had a yellow watchman go down my 30" overflow as well, I did similar to the above poster and shut everything down and removed a stand pipe. I positioned a net below my secondary drain out let and caught him when it all flushed out, two weeks later he is no worse for wear and I have a cover on my overflow. Luckily he was only a 2" goby and it was a 1.5" bulkhead so no issue draining him out

[aandfsoccr04]

Yeah I have a wrasse stuck in mine right now about 3 inchers. I think I'm going to have to drain the thing to get him out as well.

[AGreyCrane]

Yes, thanks, I finally got him out through the drain... and have done it again twice more since then. I am working out a way to do some curved screens protecting my overflow boxes for the future, but for the moment he seems to have settled down and is not trying to escape any more.