about 2 months ago, I had a clown fish and cardinal make it's way into my overflow. Wasn't quite sure how it happened. have a hard plexiglass cover on my overflow, and well, that certainly only leaves two other possibilities. The sides, where the loc line comes through. I glued some nylon screen at one side of the overflow to block any possibility of a fish getting through. The other side, that has a really tight gap. i'm talking 1/4". I was looking at it, and the only way anything could get in, is to jump out of the water, jump over the loc line and wiggle through the gap. again, this is all out of water. it would have to be a pre-meditated calculated escape. 
I heard of a few methods on this forum on how to get the fish out of that overflow. Since I have ZERO arm room in that over flow to get anything out if need be, I went with option C: remove the emergency drain pipe and hope for a suction that would suck the fish through the bulkhead and down into the sump. I think that took me 1-2 tries before both the clown and cardinal made it's way down. neither died and after clearing out the 100g stock tank sump, I was able to get them out and back into the main display. success!!
now, it looks like I am dealing with that again. somehow, a cardinal made it's way into the sump. I know why, just not how. He is getting bullied by the other cardinal I have. I have been watching them closely, but this little guy is constantly hiding. I am assuming jerk face went after him and his only option was to calculate his escape into the overflow. this time, it took about 2-3 times of draining that overflow via the emergency drain. he was fighting it. eventually he went.
once I thought he was out of the overflow, I kept looking for him there and int he sump and could not find him. I figured i'd quit stressing him out, let him relax a little bit and i'd try again tomorrow (today). checked on the over flow late last night and just a bit ago and I see him no where. decided to go to the basement and check the sump. there he is, relaxing on his own, no care in the world. hides in the crate that the skimmer is sitting on. I saw him hanging around outside of it, but he went back in when I approached the sump and started moving around. SO I at least no he's there and out of harms way.
I did placed a netted bag on the emergency pipe n the sump, hoping that would catch him. then I could just take the net upstairs and put him in the display tank. but the net bag fell off the pipe, so now he's swimming around in the sump.
million dollar question........do I leave him there to live alone and have no bullies to be concerned about, or, do I clear the sump, fish him out, and return him to the display tank? I feel bad that he's all alone, but he's also living peacefully. other than the return pump, skimmer, heaters, powerhead, and rocks, that's all that's in the sump. only downside to this is that i would now be adding more food to the system to make sure he's fed. not sure if anything from the display tank would make it's way down to the sump for him to eat.
anyone gone through this dilemma as well?
I heard of a few methods on this forum on how to get the fish out of that overflow. Since I have ZERO arm room in that over flow to get anything out if need be, I went with option C: remove the emergency drain pipe and hope for a suction that would suck the fish through the bulkhead and down into the sump. I think that took me 1-2 tries before both the clown and cardinal made it's way down. neither died and after clearing out the 100g stock tank sump, I was able to get them out and back into the main display. success!!
now, it looks like I am dealing with that again. somehow, a cardinal made it's way into the sump. I know why, just not how. He is getting bullied by the other cardinal I have. I have been watching them closely, but this little guy is constantly hiding. I am assuming jerk face went after him and his only option was to calculate his escape into the overflow. this time, it took about 2-3 times of draining that overflow via the emergency drain. he was fighting it. eventually he went.
once I thought he was out of the overflow, I kept looking for him there and int he sump and could not find him. I figured i'd quit stressing him out, let him relax a little bit and i'd try again tomorrow (today). checked on the over flow late last night and just a bit ago and I see him no where. decided to go to the basement and check the sump. there he is, relaxing on his own, no care in the world. hides in the crate that the skimmer is sitting on. I saw him hanging around outside of it, but he went back in when I approached the sump and started moving around. SO I at least no he's there and out of harms way.
I did placed a netted bag on the emergency pipe n the sump, hoping that would catch him. then I could just take the net upstairs and put him in the display tank. but the net bag fell off the pipe, so now he's swimming around in the sump.
million dollar question........do I leave him there to live alone and have no bullies to be concerned about, or, do I clear the sump, fish him out, and return him to the display tank? I feel bad that he's all alone, but he's also living peacefully. other than the return pump, skimmer, heaters, powerhead, and rocks, that's all that's in the sump. only downside to this is that i would now be adding more food to the system to make sure he's fed. not sure if anything from the display tank would make it's way down to the sump for him to eat.
anyone gone through this dilemma as well?
