Buenos Aires Tetra Care & Tank Mates
Like 2 Dislike 0 Published on 19 Feb 2014
Buenos Aires Tetras are an awesome fish. Tank mates can include well mannered fish without long fins because they are fin nippers. As long as you have 4 or more your fish are going to so great. A really cool looking tetra if you ask me. I adore these fish because of their cool body shape and coloration.
That happened to my poor little neon tetra, dude wanted to squeeze between the hardscape and the gravel and by the time I got to the guy he was long gone. I avoid all small spaces now, forever filing/filling small holes.
Here’s what I would do... I feel like he’s probably inflamed from the efforts to get him out. I am not sure I’d be quick to smash the rock unless you can chip off a small area. To smash it completely you’d probably need to drop it from a high place onto concrete - That would probably injure him very badly. What I would do is position the rock/ prop it up so that the opening is close to the surface of the water so that he is getting oxygen.
Or remove water until the surface is very close to the opening. Then I hate to say but if you wait, he may get slightly thinner as the last food he digests leaves his system and whatever injures he has now becomes less inflamed. I think if he can fit in, he can fit out. With all the ruckus he may think he’s under attack, causing him to freak out and stay wedged. I don’t think simply being in the hole alone will kill him as long as he’s near an air source. Also I’m not an expert but I’d put stress coat or any other medicines they make to heal injuries. Not a vet, but that’s my two cents.
i always double check everything i recently had one of my danios gone missing and i’m like there’s no way he’s under this big rock. sure enough i lifted it up and he was in complete shock. took him a while to come back. i didn’t even know a fish could do that. i even have a clay pot and i covers the drain hole with a rock so that my kuhli loach doesn’t try to get through it.
Something similar happened to my daughter’s gold gourami with a pagoda. I got him out but he lost a chunk on his back and his tail! She and I were devastated but had no idea he would try such a small place. Hers ended up recovering and I pray your man does too.
I used to have a driftwood log in my tank
This thing was solid. One day one of my big silver dollars swam through really fast in a panic and got lodged. When i tell you i went hulk mode and absolutely ripped that log in half I am not lying. Get yourself a little hammer and file and chisel carefully. You'll get him out.
My heart goes out to you, what a sad and difficult situation...this is probably a silly suggestion, but maybe try a couple of q-tips to try and pull him out gently...if that's even possible:( Thanks for sharing as well, I definitely won't be using any of these types of rocks.
I had a precious amazing Blood Parrot who was still growing get caught in one of those grey caves. It had two holes. He went in and I guess he couldn't back out due to his big tail. He could not turn enough to get out of the hole on the other side of the cave. I got him out but he was so stressed he died minutes later. I was devastated and so mad. Months later, a Pleco got caught in the same type of cave in a different tank. I kept hearing this banging against the glass in the night. He was wearing the cave. I got him out and I still have him.