It's stuck!!! HELP!!

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Oh, heck no to water pressure. Gill membranes are too fragile for that. Imaging trying to stop a fat kid on a tricycle by wrapping your lungs around him.

I tried to get him to close his fins, but they wouldn't budge.
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Raphaels and budging are mortal enemies. The more you poke and prod, the harder they push. My big one, Gandalf, almost snapped the uptake tube in the display tank when I adopted him. I watched it bend and crimp more and more every time we nudged at him to get him out of there. He was furious, and I am truly in fear of how powerful those finger-pinching, tube splitting fins are.
 
knifegill;5079473; said:
Oh, heck no to water pressure. Gill membranes are too fragile for that. Imaging trying to stop a fat kid on a tricycle by wrapping your lungs around him.
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:ROFL:
 
Pics first... I def would only saw as a last resort.. most cats I've had "stuck" can generally be convinced to come out... sometimes by upending it. I'de often bring the ornament ( yep.. ornamenst are a pita) so the fish was submerged enough to breath. but just below the water line. and wait. 9/10 after less 'n 30 minute sthe fish decided it was better out of the decor even if it was wedged in and managed to wriggle out. I'de put it's old hide spot in the tank... or move the pipe to the original tank and see what happens.

I've hade to carefully pull back a plecos pectoral spines and dorsal spine and pull it back out of a jar it managed to get stuck in. Most cats will lock their spines when threatened.. even if it's not in their best interest. If the head can fit the tube fin chances are it's the fins that are the issue. They will lock them and even thrash liek crazy sometimes ime makeing you htink they are well and truely stuck. NEVER force the spines against the body if they are braced. Only when the fish relaxes them can you manipulate and hold them tight to the body. Your best bet is to have one person on the pectorals and dorsal fin.. and once those are pinned to the fish have someone else carefully manipulate the tube offa the fish.

But pics speak a million words.
 
Yes, I like the 'suspended at water's surface' idea a lot. Except I'd lift it a little higher, just above the water line. Let the fish figure out things aren't going well and he'll drop out if he can. Remember raphs can breathe air, so as long as he's moist you've got hours to sit and watch the cute little idiot figure it out.
 
Yeah, that one works really good on loaches and spiney eels, and small pleco species. never tried it w/ a raph.. but I'm pretty sure it would work as well. unless the fish was just that stubborn lol.
 
mshill90;5079399; said:
elaborate?
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Just hook one end up to a lower gph (like 200) pump and just push him right out with water pressure. If he got himself in there he can certainly get out without damage.

knifegill;5079392; said:
Vaseline could suffocate him rapidly...
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I don't recommend lathering him up or anything, lol. Just on the front tips of the inside of the tube and then immediately into a tank once out. Of course, I'd try it first w/o any Vaseline as stated. The pump would probably work just fine without any lubrication if it got itself in there itself.
 
Def try the suspension method.. My Delhezi swam up the intake for my filter once and got stuck in the bend... as soon as i started to pull the intake tube out of the water he wiggled and jerked around and fell out back into the tank...

Than again though, my stuck fish was a Delhezi, not a raphael. Ive delt with them before, and eventually gave them up. One of the spotted ones i had hid in my cave for 6 days without moving, not stuck or anything, just sat there.. They def like to hide, give it time and try the suspension method, prob the best method mentioned yet...
 
Oh, heck no to water pressure. Gill membranes are too fragile for that. Imaging trying to stop a fat kid on a tricycle by wrapping your lungs around him.
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I'm not saying force him out with water pressure. Just use it to make him want to leave. it's not like the fish is creating a perfect seal in the tube. water will rush past him. He won't want to hide in there if it isn't a calm place to hide. Imagine being in tunnel with howling wind, not very fun, you would probably want to get out of the wind.

But the suspension method would probably be best. i bet when he gets hungry, or when he really wants out, he will get himself out. or if he really is stuck and he can't get out no matter what he does, the pipe cutter cutter would be my second course of action.
 
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