Fish in the overflow

[thirty6]

I was away for a few days last week and when i came home I noticed two of my fish weren't eating. Didn't think much of it as i was busy. As the weekend came and went i began looking for the two fish: a long nose hawk and Lubbock wrasse. I couldn't find them anywhere and assumed the jumped the tank. I figured I would check the overflow and sump and I can see the hawk hanging in the overflow alive and well. I am hoping the wrasse is also in that spot, but how the he'll do i get em out. Kinda of tight spot for a net?

 

[KathyC]

Bend the net so it is long & thin. Tape a mirror to the wall behind the tank so you can see what you are doing.
Did you check your sump to see if the other fish got through the plumbing?

 

[thirty6]

I'll give it a shot, the hawk isn't that big, or as big as the wrasse. The other fish isn't in sump, i looked in sump first hoping for easy option.

 

[rookie07]

A bright light is also useful...blind/startled the fish and you may be able to "freeze" it/them.

 

[Koolaidreef]

The net works. I tried it on a 60 rimless to for my hippo out. Just shove it deep Putin food stay still and then slowly bring it up and target the fish and bring him towards a panel and you got it. Might take time, took me 35 min

 

[Spsnut]

Why not shut the pump off and syphon the water out when it gets low enough it will be a lot easier and less stressful for you and the fish getting it out.

 

[thirty6]

Why not shut the pump off and syphon the water out when it gets low enough it will be a lot easier and less stressful for you and the fish getting it out.

good idea, thanks!
i will probly end up doing this.
the tank is wide and will present a challenge for sure based on how tall i am not and the positioning of the overflow

 

[cdamiano]

I have had this happen a few times and what I found to be the easiest and fastest way to get them out is to take a piece of tubing and shove one end all the way down in the overflow to the bottom and then blow really hard on the other end and the turbulence from the bubbles shoots the fish right to the top and you can grab it with your hands. Once I was even able to get the bubbles to force the fish up and over the overflow back into the tank. I find it very difficult to do it with a net since there isn't much room in the standard overflows that come with the reef ready type tanks.

 

[thirty6]

worth a shot, get a mouthful hows that water taste?

 

[44santababy]

i just drain my overflow and scoop him/her out with my hand. Now i learned just to cover my overflows with netting.

 

[skene]

Would a large hose and just siphon both of them out into a bucket not work?

 

[cdamiano]

worth a shot, get a mouthful hows that water taste?

No real risk of a mouthful of water since you are blowing into it to create the bubbles. You have to use a decent thickness tubing to create large bubbles to float the fish to the top.

 

[Spsnut]

The More fish poo there is, the worse it tastes