# Coral piece killed my chiclid !



## RichmondBread (Jun 9, 2009)

Beware.

I bought a coral piece that I thought would be nice addition to my new 40 gallon tank. I had it in there a week - no problem. I have a smaller chiclid (A Kenyi) and he likes to go through the pieces which he does. This piece had tiny pathways in it not suitable for fish really- too small for fish to get through, but I figured their instinct would tell them not to

Anyways, long story short, he got in there yesterday. He was stuck for I dont know how long. There was no way to get him out, except by breaking it open with a hammer. I did so under water in my smaller tank- the hammer never touched the fish, but he was in a daze when we got him out.

We tried to help him for several hours but he simply could not swim correctly. Mostly lop sided- even though all his fins were working. We let him rest in a net for awhile, then he showed a lot of improvement. However, early this morning, he was dead as a door nail.

Im very upset that the coral pieces dont come with any warning about fish getting trapped inside. I never dreamed this would happen. Poor little guy gave a good fight. Im never buying coral pieces again- at least not ones with complex arranged holes in them for fishies to suffocate themselves in.


----------



## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Well any fish who gets stuck in a piece of decoration is perhaps from a shallow portion of the gene pool.


----------



## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

coral if im not mistaken is living....and without the saltwater conditions will die anbd begin to rot in the aquarium causing a high amonia spike im sure.....i think id stay away from coral in a freshwater tank period.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'll assume that the coral used was the skeleton only. It would be good for raising pH but a drawback would be the rough surface when the fish dart around and crash into it.

I see lots of cautions about decorations and fish getting stuck. In the Tang section there are lots of warnings not to use the conch type shells where the interior is long and slowly narrows. A fish darts in to hide, gets stuck and dies. The idea is to use shells like whale-eye that have a large opening and narrow quickly to nothing so if the fish darts in it can't really get stuck.

Maybe if we are going to put anything in our tanks that would not be in the natural biotope, then the fishkeeper needs to consider all dangers?


----------



## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

Darwin at work.

:fish:


----------



## RichmondBread (Jun 9, 2009)

dogofwar said:


> Darwin at work.
> 
> :fish:


Darwin was an idiot.

My fish was very bright . But her curiosity got the best of her...

This was a piece combination of coral and shell- which I suppose also is not truly coral, but made partly from it.

The piece should have had some kind of warning on it.


----------



## RichmondBread (Jun 9, 2009)

BRANT13 said:


> coral if im not mistaken is living....and without the saltwater conditions will die anbd begin to rot in the aquarium causing a high amonia spike im sure.....i think id stay away from coral in a freshwater tank period.


This was not living coral, and it was never implied that this couldnt be suitable for a fresh water tank.


----------



## RichmondBread (Jun 9, 2009)

Here is the aforementioned fish and decoration piece. RIP Juipter !


----------



## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Darwin was an idiot.
My fish was very bright.
:lol:


----------



## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

noddy said:


> Darwin was an idiot.
> My fish was very bright.
> :lol:


 :lol: :lol:


> Im very upset that the coral pieces dont come with any warning


 :-? Really :-?


----------



## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

this is one of the reasons why I never recommend holey rock and barnacles.

I have lost fish to both of them. ( and the barnacles are making life difficult for me now, but the shellies like them, though a few times I've gotten worried and used wire cutters to get them out of a shell that they looked wedged into)


----------



## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

RichmondBread said:


> BRANT13 said:
> 
> 
> > coral if im not mistaken is living....and without the saltwater conditions will die anbd begin to rot in the aquarium causing a high amonia spike im sure.....i think id stay away from coral in a freshwater tank period.
> ...


i wasnt trying to start an argument....*** just had a buddy of mine before purchase live rock for his tank and it was a huge disaster. Sorry if i sounded rude


----------



## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

RichmondBread said:


> dogofwar said:
> 
> 
> > Darwin at work.
> ...


That's nothing a little common sense can't overcome. Its like warning people that coffee is hot. :lol:


----------



## @nt!x (Feb 9, 2009)

RichmondBread said:


> The piece should have had some kind of warning on it.


common sense?


----------



## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

It was the hitting of the coral with a hammer that killed the fish , not the coral. The hammer blows create a shock that will damage the fishes internal organs. Pistol shrimp use this principle to kill prey without ever touching them. Unfortunately this is one of those situations where your darned if you do and darned if you dont, so while the fish would have died no matter what you did at least in the future you'll know not to use a hammr to free trapped fish.


----------



## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Joels fish said:


> It was the hitting of the coral with a hammer that killed the fish , not the coral. The hammer blows create a shock that will damage the fishes internal organs. Pistol shrimp use this principle to kill prey without ever touching them. Unfortunately this is one of those situations where your darned if you do and darned if you dont, so while the fish would have died no matter what you did at least in the future you'll know not to use a hammr to free trapped fish.


Pistol Shrimp:


----------



## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

I think I would have allowed the fish to get out of the rock itself.

It's not as if mbuna don't live in rocks in nature. Sharp and holey ones too, I'd bet :roll:


----------



## xalow (May 10, 2007)

*Joels fish* read my mind. The description of how the fish was swimming made it sound like there was damage to the swim bladder.

Lake Malawi certainly does have sharp rocks and though fish will sometimes have accidents like this that are unavoidable I really believe that when they are do such things it can be traced back to an aggression problem, similarly when some fish not known for jumping die from jumping out of the tank.

Checking back from past advice I am wondering if this kenyi that happened to wedge itself into a small place is still with the bumblebee cichlid which would further my suspicion of aggression. What is the tank stocked like currently?

Gregor Mendel at work?


----------



## RichmondBread (Jun 9, 2009)

Joels fish said:


> It was the hitting of the coral with a hammer that killed the fish , not the coral. The hammer blows create a shock that will damage the fishes internal organs. Pistol shrimp use this principle to kill prey without ever touching them. Unfortunately this is one of those situations where your darned if you do and darned if you dont, so while the fish would have died no matter what you did at least in the future you'll know not to use a hammr to free trapped fish.


Well as you said, he would have been stuck in there permanently and would have died. The hammer was my last resort .. I really dont think there was any other possible way to free the fish.


----------



## RichmondBread (Jun 9, 2009)

xalow said:


> *Joels fish* read my mind. The description of how the fish was swimming made it sound like there was damage to the swim bladder.
> 
> Lake Malawi certainly does have sharp rocks and though fish will sometimes have accidents like this that are unavoidable I really believe that when they are do such things it can be traced back to an aggression problem, similarly when some fish not known for jumping die from jumping out of the tank.
> 
> ...


The fish in question was the aggresive one. The Bumblee chiclid was passive . Currently the Bumblebee is left.


----------



## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

Please warn the fish that coral is sharp and has holes in it that could trap him.

Oh, and please be careful not to spill hot coffee on your lap. It's hot. :lol:


----------



## RichmondBread (Jun 9, 2009)

dogofwar said:


> Please warn the fish that coral is sharp and has holes in it that could trap him.
> 
> Oh, and please be careful not to spill hot coffee on your lap. It's hot. :lol:


You know, I dont know why I even bother responding but... :roll:

Common sense tells you a fish isn't gonna be so DUMB is shoves its way through a tiny crevice in a very obscure part of coral shell.


----------



## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

dogofwar said:


> Oh, and please be careful not to spill hot coffee on your lap. It's hot. :lol:


I've already taken care of this one.


----------



## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Thanks for the warning. Coral and holy rock and shaped tufa rock have seen the death I think of many Mbuna. If not by trapping but by scratching themselves. The bright do seem to learn to avoid them in time but it is something they usually cope with rather than is good for em.
I do not see this as natural selection.
When has any Mbuna in the wild had to deal with coral or holy rock or tufa rock?
As it has tides most of the rocks in its natural habitat in the main are water worn and smooth.
Check out any real Malawi photo to show this.

I will never get, why folk think holy rock, coral and tufa rock are good substitutes for water rounded rocks (or man made substitutes to reduce weight).

Sure stick coral etc in your Marine reef tanks with reef fish, they are used to this sort of stuff. :thumb:


----------



## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

When has any mbuna in the wild had to deal with living in a glass box? :lol:


----------



## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

Darkside said:


> When has any mbuna in the wild had to deal with living in a glass box? :lol:


lol that made me laugh


----------

