Stuck raphael catfish

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K

Karl K

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 10, 2014
1,102
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Denmark
I have a raphael catfish that seem to have swam into a little hole in a large rock, and it didnt seem to be able to get out again. It has swam into the hole, and to get out it has to get its tail out first, which it cant. I tryed to get it out with my hands. (Pulling it in the tail, which when i think about it, was a mistake) w
What should i do? Its maybe 2 - 4 inches.
 
How long has it been there? Raphs are quite capable of backing out of any hole.

It is never a good idea to get any catfish jammed in a hole (Doradiidae, Auchenipteridae, etc.) out forcefully. They will jam their spines into the rock and one will end only hurting / killing the fish.

For all the fish knows, you wanna eat it, so it holds on for its life.
 
My jaguar catfish has done the same..twice already. It got stock in a lava rock hole. I tried to push it out by pressing on its head and having it back out...it has a pretty bony head, but then I realized that one of its fins was extended and stuck in the rock as well. These pectoral fins have very sharp and hard bones. I had to take it out of the tank and crack the lava rock open in order to free the little genius. What kind of rock is it stuck in? can you chip away at it with pliers and open the hole a bit. It wasn't easy and it took some time, but it is possible.
 
Hard to tell how long its been in there. 3 days is the longest i could imagine. I think i saw it out last night, could have been another one. I pulled white hard, so dont hope to much damage is done. Im turningof the lights now, and hoping it will get out by it self.


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Worst comes to worst break open the decor, I'd save that as a last resort though. Just keep an eye out on him to see if he's making any progress in getting out, maybe cover the tank with a blanket after lights out to make it ever darker for him so he'll be more active and want out more.
 
Still in the rock. Hopefully her will get out by til self.

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mine do that all the time, had to smash a few fake rocks to get them out, had one try to go down my drain on my 240, talk about a real pain in the butt to get it out of there, I find it easier to just get rid of any decor they can sneak inside and let them hide under wood or real rocks.
 
This has happened a few times with my Rafael and driftwood. I usually place the wood in a bucket/tub with a inch or so of water and the hole facing downward but bit submerged. They will usually free them self after a few minutes. I tried to remove one by hand along time ago and received a nasty cut. Lesson learned.


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calichai said:
This has happened a few times with my Rafael and driftwood. I usually place the wood in a bucket/tub with a inch or so of water and the hole facing downward but bit submerged. They will usually free them self after a few minutes. I tried to remove one by hand along time ago and received a nasty cut. Lesson learned.


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I'll try that.
 
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