I've been keeping fish for a lot of years, but this was a first for me. Has anyone ever had a perfectly healthy fish swim into a tight spot in the rock work and not be able to get out?
I just introduced a new Long Nose butterfly to a 50 gallon corner hex that had only one fish, a Sergeant Major that's been in that tank for nearly 3 years, and been alone in the tank for several months. I wanted to get the damsel out before adding the butterfly but could not catch him. So I slightly rearranged the rock work hoping to disperse any aggression. The LNB was a bit bigger than the damsel so the damsel swam into a tight place between the rock and glass, in a spot where we could watch him. I left he there a couple of days but he wouldn't come out. I assumed he was sick or dying, perhaps intimidated by the bigger fish. So I left him thinking at least this would be an easy place to get to him if he died, and that he would surely come out if he was healthy once he was used to the new tank mate.
Flash forward thee weeks: The long nose BF dies, floating on top of the water so I scoop him out. Once again Stripe the three year old damsel is the sole occupant of the tank. Now I figure the damsel will come out. Stripe is still in the same spot, breathing normal looking perfectly happy only refusing to eat or leave his little hideout. Now I give up on trying to keep butterflies and decide to just make the tank a damsel system. I add several very small assorted damsels, all around the one inch size. Stripe is about 3 inches or he was. Now he hasn't eaten in nearly a month and refuses to come out. However, tonight, while feeding the others a tiny piece of Mysis floats down into Stripes little entrapment and he eats it. So I decide to try moving the rock to see if he will come out.
I do, and he does. Now he is swimming around eating like crazy and terrorizing the new damsels.
I just introduced a new Long Nose butterfly to a 50 gallon corner hex that had only one fish, a Sergeant Major that's been in that tank for nearly 3 years, and been alone in the tank for several months. I wanted to get the damsel out before adding the butterfly but could not catch him. So I slightly rearranged the rock work hoping to disperse any aggression. The LNB was a bit bigger than the damsel so the damsel swam into a tight place between the rock and glass, in a spot where we could watch him. I left he there a couple of days but he wouldn't come out. I assumed he was sick or dying, perhaps intimidated by the bigger fish. So I left him thinking at least this would be an easy place to get to him if he died, and that he would surely come out if he was healthy once he was used to the new tank mate.
Flash forward thee weeks: The long nose BF dies, floating on top of the water so I scoop him out. Once again Stripe the three year old damsel is the sole occupant of the tank. Now I figure the damsel will come out. Stripe is still in the same spot, breathing normal looking perfectly happy only refusing to eat or leave his little hideout. Now I give up on trying to keep butterflies and decide to just make the tank a damsel system. I add several very small assorted damsels, all around the one inch size. Stripe is about 3 inches or he was. Now he hasn't eaten in nearly a month and refuses to come out. However, tonight, while feeding the others a tiny piece of Mysis floats down into Stripes little entrapment and he eats it. So I decide to try moving the rock to see if he will come out.
I do, and he does. Now he is swimming around eating like crazy and terrorizing the new damsels.