This is what happens when your fish get too curious...

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Angelphish

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2015
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Georgia
Saturdays are my usual water change day. I did the water change on the 210, and the 20. The only issue I was having was that something got stuck in the acrylic piece that attaches to the tube, so the flow slowed down a lot. I just took it off and thought nothing of it. After that the water change on the 20 went much faster. I moved onto the Betta's 3 gal. and started siphoning. Today he decided that he wanted to swim up to the tube and peck at it, but as he turned away the siphon caught him by his fins and sucked him into my bucket. I netted him out and put him back in the tank. After looking at him, I could see no damage. Hopefully the only thing he got from that was a memory telling him the siphon was bad. Has anyone else ever had a fish that gets too curious?
 
Whenever I would do water changes on my betta tank id watch it like a hawk.
Thankfully that's never happened to me.
 
Whenever I would do water changes on my betta tank id watch it like a hawk.
Thankfully that's never happened to me.
My Betta just pecked at the tube, turned around, and got sucked up. It all happened in a little over a second. Not much I could do unless I knew he planned on visiting the bucket.
 
I had a minnow get sucked up in a water change once. It was a long time ago so I can't remember the details, but I'm pretty sure he was ok. What would be bad is if a fish got sucked up a python water changer. The fish would probably be fine if you reversed the flow before it got to the faucet but if you didn't it would suck no pun intended.
 
Hardest thing to do is water changes on fry tanks. I scare them but some suckers get sucked up any wuss
The funny thing about it was the Betta was barely small enough to get inside the tube. If he was any bigger I think the siphon would only grab his fins, which would likely damage them.
 
The funny thing about it was the Betta was barely small enough to get inside the tube. If he was any bigger I think the siphon would only grab his fins, which would likely damage them.
Thankfully he's fine after that. I don't know what I would have done if I hurt/killed him. I've had him for less than a month.
 
I've never had a fish sucked up during a water change but I saved my grandmas gs puffer from a exposed filter intake and have also saved many wild bass and bluegill who fall down waterfalls they fall 8 or 9 feet into 1or 2 inches of water and get stuck there they r usually fine
 
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My brothers Danios tried to eat the siphon pipe and were promptly sent too the bucket. I vacuum water straight off my balcony for my big tank. Luckily the gravel vac has a strainer and i have big enough fish
 
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