I recently changed my tank from artificial decorations to rocks. I was very carefull and I thought everything was going well untill my wife looked in the tank and said, "where is the big fish" a 4 inch Zebra Cichlid. I said he has to be hiding in a cave staking claim to a territory. So I looked around but could not find him.
I had taken everything out of the tank and was very carefull to check everything to make sure no fish were hiding. I looked around the stand and underneath to see if he jumped out. I could not find him though. Finally I went to look in the large rock/root structure that I took out, I could not see him there either.
Then I stuck my finger down in one of the holes that i thought was way too small for him to get in and lo and behold he was there. I carefully grabbed him out and thank God he was still alive. I grabbed some of the tank water and a clean betta bowl i haven't been using and placed him inside. He was barely moving anything at all, it had been about 5 minutes before I found him.
So I watched him for the night and he looked ok. But he was still a bit sluggish and did not eat anything. I was afraid that he might not make it back. As luck would have it I have a tank in my office (14 gallon) that was rady to go. I had recently given the fish in there away because I was thnking about switching it over from the fish that were in there (Someone from work adopted them) to perhaps a GBR or two.
I took him there the next morning. he found a cave and hid for a while, again not interested in eating for the whole next day.
Today though I came into work and he was hapilly swimming around. I put some food in for him and he gobbled it up quite quickly. I think he may have made a recovery.
I had taken everything out of the tank and was very carefull to check everything to make sure no fish were hiding. I looked around the stand and underneath to see if he jumped out. I could not find him though. Finally I went to look in the large rock/root structure that I took out, I could not see him there either.
Then I stuck my finger down in one of the holes that i thought was way too small for him to get in and lo and behold he was there. I carefully grabbed him out and thank God he was still alive. I grabbed some of the tank water and a clean betta bowl i haven't been using and placed him inside. He was barely moving anything at all, it had been about 5 minutes before I found him.
So I watched him for the night and he looked ok. But he was still a bit sluggish and did not eat anything. I was afraid that he might not make it back. As luck would have it I have a tank in my office (14 gallon) that was rady to go. I had recently given the fish in there away because I was thnking about switching it over from the fish that were in there (Someone from work adopted them) to perhaps a GBR or two.
I took him there the next morning. he found a cave and hid for a while, again not interested in eating for the whole next day.
Today though I came into work and he was hapilly swimming around. I put some food in for him and he gobbled it up quite quickly. I think he may have made a recovery.
