# Cory Cat stuck in Dempsey's Mouth



## bigdev (Jan 13, 2015)

Hello !

So i made this mistake. I had a cory cat in my Jack dempsey tank and I read they were social so I bought him friends. Except my EBJD decided he would eat them. Problem was they didn't fit in his mouth. So he eats one and chokes on it for a day or two and managed to get it down. I figured I had like three days to get the rest out but I only had two days. So EBJD chokes down another one. I know I suck but seriously I didn't think he would be able to eat anything else. Now this one is stuck more like halfway in his mouth, its been longer and he can't seem to swallow it, probably because he has another whole cory cat in his gut already. So, this fish is sticking like halfway out and Mr. EBJD is looking seriously pouty, chilling on the bottom, and I'm nervous he's going to die. Should I pull him out and try to remove the Cory cat stuck halfway in his mouth? I figure I'd scoop him, put him on a towel and gently hold him, and tweezer the fish out of his mouth. Is this the worst idea ever? Should I just hope for the best? Here's a picture of the stupid guy.



http://imgur.com/uwLzy0n


Help me fish enthusiasts, you're my only hope


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

I would not bother him just yet. Definitely do not put the EBJD on a towel because it will remove all of this protective body slime. He should be okay. I have had that happen with plecos.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

If the cory's spines have imbedded in the dempsey it may be permanently stuck there until they both die. Have seen it with a bullhead and walleye.


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## Gage365 (Mar 6, 2013)

I have had luck in the past netting the fish, hold the fish in the water with one hand and using tweezers to gently squeeze the cory cats fins together to remove it. It is extremely sketchy as you need to apply pressure to the cory cats pectoral fins (as if squeezing them against the cory cat), and gently push the cory cat forward into the JD`s mouth further to unstick the corys fins from the dempseys mouth.

On another note, which would require some quick research, with puffer fish, in order to trim there teeth, it is known practice that olive oil will act as an anesthetic for fish, essentially putting them to sleep, which would make the process much less stressful for you and the fish. I do not however know off hand how much oil to add to a bucket of water to achieve a balance that will not kill the fish, so some research will need to be done.


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## bigdev (Jan 13, 2015)

Hey fam, EBJD got the thing down after a couple days, even with another in his belly. Thanks for the help.


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## Aquariguns (Jan 15, 2015)

Thats one hungry dude!


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## adamsfishes (Jan 29, 2016)

Please tell me you at least took the remaining corys out.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

adamsfishes said:


> Please tell me you at least took the remaining corys out.


2x ... :lol:


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## Nyboy (Mar 4, 2017)

Wow I went out last night looking for Cory Catfish for my Jack Dempsey tank. Only thing that stopped me was I wanted albino which the store did not have. Are there any catfish safe with Dempseys ? Thanks


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Nyboy said:


> Wow I went out last night looking for Cory Catfish for my Jack Dempsey tank. Only thing that stopped me was I wanted albino which the store did not have. Are there any catfish safe with Dempseys ? Thanks


Yes, a large Red Tail or Shovelnose.

Seriously, unless you have large cats, I would not trust them with the JD. All corys would be out of the questions. Even bigger ones.


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## Nyboy (Mar 4, 2017)

Thank you


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## MysteryMan (Aug 7, 2016)

I have a bunch of suneclipse catfish in my tank, been in there almost a year and no issues, i have a JD in my tank as well


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## AguaManic (Feb 8, 2017)

tanker3 said:


> Yes, a large *Red Tail or Shovelnose*.
> 
> Seriously, unless you have large cats, I would not trust them with the JD. All corys would be out of the questions. Even bigger ones.


That's a horrible idea. The Dempsey would make a nice meal for either one of those cats after a year to a year and a half.


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