Help Me Save My Blenny

[Snow_Phoenix]

I just came home from dinner and found my canary blenny on the floor. He was half-dried, but still partially slimy so I placed him back in my 10G nano. He's breathing very hard right now and bobbing up and down at the surface (vertically). I had to take a restroom break, and when I returned 5 mins later, I found 1/3 of his body (the lower half) being eaten by my mini-maxi nem, while he was still ALIVE.

 

I took a forceps and tugged him out of the nem. Took me a good 1 min of pulling, and now I fear I've inflicted more damage, not only on my blenny, but on my nem as well. My blenny is back to his vertical-bobbing at one corner of the tank. But I can see bits of green nem tentacles still stuck to his underbelly, and I know they must be stinging him like crazy. Please help me save him.

 

I've had him for 6 months, and I'm not sure why, but he's only started jumping out of the tank this past month. He did it 3x before this, and I've changed my lid 3x to stop him. I just put 2 lids on the tank just now, but I don't know why he jumps. It happens mostly at night. 

 

Parameters are looking steady: Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 10ppm

 

Vinny (my blenny) is my showpiece fish and usually very interactive. Again, please help me save him. And how do I get the nem stingers off him?

[WV Reefer]

1 hour ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

I just came home from dinner and found my canary blenny on the floor. He was half-dried, but still partially slimy so I placed him back in my 10G nano. He's breathing very hard right now and bobbing up and down at the surface (vertically). I had to take a restroom break, and when I returned 5 mins later, I found 1/3 of his body (the lower half) being eaten by my mini-maxi nem, while he was still ALIVE.

 

I took a forceps and tugged him out of the nem. Took me a good 1 min of pulling, and now I fear I've inflicted more damage, not only on my blenny, but on my nem as well. My blenny is back to his vertical-bobbing at one corner of the tank. But I can see bits of green nem tentacles still stuck to his underbelly, and I know they must be stinging him like crazy. Please help me save him.

 

I've had him for 6 months, and I'm not sure why, but he's only started jumping out of the tank this past month. He did it 3x before this, and I've changed my lid 3x to stop him. I just put 2 lids on the tank just now, but I don't know why he jumps. It happens mostly at night. 

 

Parameters are looking steady: Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: 10ppm

 

Vinny (my blenny) is my showpiece fish and usually very interactive. Again, please help me save him. And how do I get the nem stingers off him?

Oh no ☹️  

 

I know that my Scooter Blenny has jumped before and was so dry he stuck to the floor but once I plopped him in the tank he recovered quickly. 

 

Im not sure about the stingers......can you try tweezing them off?

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 minute ago, WV Reefer said:

Oh no ☹️  

 

I know that my Scooter Blenny has jumped before and was so dry he stuck to the floor but once I plopped him in the tank he recovered quickly. 

 

Im not sure about the stingers......can you try tweezing them off?

My tweezers are too big (30cm long) and it's blunt-edged. My blenny is still hanging in there, but he looks terrible. I personally don't think he'll make it. I truly don't understand this tank - I've tried everything and it's been a downright nightmare for the past three months. Everything that goes in either jumps out or vanishes. It's like there's a secret black hole under the rocks which I haven't discovered yet. Right now I'm tempted to sell off everything and do a re-start. 

 

My blenny was a great fish. He's a trooper, and a wonderful guy. 😞 

[WV Reefer]

1 minute ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

My tweezers are too big (30cm long) and it's blunt-edged. My blenny is still hanging in there, but he looks terrible. I personally don't think he'll make it. I truly don't understand this tank - I've tried everything and it's been a downright nightmare for the past three months. Everything that goes in either jumps out or vanishes. It's like there's a secret black hole under the rocks which I haven't discovered yet. Right now I'm tempted to sell off everything and do a re-start. 

 

My blenny was a great fish. He's a trooper, and a wonderful guy. 😞 

 

I’m sorry you’ve had so many issues lately. ......Hopefully he'll pull through. I’m sending him good vibes. ~~~~~ 

[Snow_Phoenix]

3 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

 

I’m sorry you’ve had so many issues lately. ......Hopefully he'll pull through. I’m sending him good vibes. ~~~~~ 

Thank you. My head has been spinning quite a bit. Hopefully everything will straighten out in time - but most of all, I hope the fish makes it through the night. 

[Zeal0201]

Update!

[Tamberav]

Really sorry :(( I would probably put him in a acclimation box with something to hide in to protect him from nem's and flow. Maybe a tiny tweezers meant for getting slivers out or something. Nem's definitively seem to know when a fish is weak and take advantage 😞

[darklordzulu]

3 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

My tweezers are too big (30cm long) and it's blunt-edged. My blenny is still hanging in there, but he looks terrible. I personally don't think he'll make it. I truly don't understand this tank - I've tried everything and it's been a downright nightmare for the past three months. Everything that goes in either jumps out or vanishes. It's like there's a secret black hole under the rocks which I haven't discovered yet. Right now I'm tempted to sell off everything and do a re-start. 

 

My blenny was a great fish. He's a trooper, and a wonderful guy. 😞 

You should try to get a lid that really insures everything has no way of jumping out. Not sure what tank you have maybe it's hard/ impossible to get a secure lid. The second part you said just makes me think of a bobbit worm I think it's called😂 . It can stay hidden in the rock and sand and u will never see it if it's big enough it could eat stuff if your really having things vanishing constantly.

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

7 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Really sorry :(( I would probably put him in a acclimation box with something to hide in to protect him from nem's and flow. Maybe a tiny tweezers meant for getting slivers out or something. Nem's definitively seem to know when a fish is weak and take advantage 😞

Tam, I did just that - except the tiny tweezers part. My hand shakes quite badly (health issue more than fear) and I don't trust myself not to accidently poke a hole in him with surgical-grade tweezers. And I agree with the nem part.

7 hours ago, darklordzulu said:

You should try to get a lid that really insures everything has no way of jumping out. Not sure what tank you have maybe it's hard/ impossible to get a secure lid. The second part you said just makes me think of a bobbit worm I think it's called😂 . It can stay hidden in the rock and sand and u will never see it if it's big enough it could eat stuff if your really having things vanishing constantly.

 

My sandbed is extremely thin, so I doubt it is a bobbit worm. Having had a bobbit worm a very long time ago in a different tank, I'm quite acquainted with the horrors it brings. I think I've figured out more or less what's been happening but I'm still unsure. But I'm deporting some of my livestock to the store after this.

[Snow_Phoenix]

An update: He died this morning. The crabs were trying to eat his corpse, but I didn't allow it. I actually liked and even loved this fish. He brought so much personality to my tank.

 

I'm heartbroken. I've run into nothing but problems with this particular tank and for the past few months, viewing pleasure has turned into continuous horror. I'm returning some of my remaining livestock to the store and returning whatever fish that remains (which is 2, the last time I checked - although the houdini Hi-Fin might be dead, am not sure at this point). I'm also returning some inverts. If I can figure a way to detach my nem from the major LR, I'll deport him back to the LFS as well.

 

I might go fishless for a while, which will be dull because this is a FOWLR. There aren't any corals in this tank to even observe. I have reservations on getting another canary in the future. Don't get me wrong, they're beautiful and personable fish, but this was quite the blow. I haven't felt this gutted since I lost my entire stock of dragonets several months back. 

 

Not sure what to do at this point.

[Tamberav]

33 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

An update: He died this morning. The crabs were trying to eat his corpse, but I didn't allow it. I actually liked and even loved this fish. He brought so much personality to my tank.

 

I'm heartbroken. I've run into nothing but problems with this particular tank and for the past few months, viewing pleasure has turned into continuous horror. I'm returning some of my remaining livestock to the store and returning whatever fish that remains (which is 2, the last time I checked - although the houdini Hi-Fin might be dead, am not sure at this point). I'm also returning some inverts. If I can figure a way to detach my nem from the major LR, I'll deport him back to the LFS as well.

 

I might go fishless for a while, which will be dull because this is a FOWLR. There aren't any corals in this tank to even observe. I have reservations on getting another canary in the future. Don't get me wrong, they're beautiful and personable fish, but this was quite the blow. I haven't felt this gutted since I lost my entire stock of dragonets several months back. 

 

Not sure what to do at this point.

Sorry 😞 I really get bummed when I lose a fight too. Few years back when I had to deal with nasty resistant flukes and lost several fish... I had to take a break a bit so I feel ya. 

 

If you can construct a hood/top with glass or small enough mesh that the fish have no way of jumping out of, then when ready, try another fish. Sometimes I tape my top on my tanks cuz the cats like to move it around... brats.

[Snow_Phoenix]

24 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Sorry 😞 I really get bummed when I lose a fight too. Few years back when I had to deal with nasty resistant flukes and lost several fish... I had to take a break a bit so I feel ya. 

 

If you can construct a hood/top with glass or small enough mesh that the fish have no way of jumping out of, then when ready, try another fish. Sometimes I tape my top on my tanks cuz the cats like to move it around... brats.

I understand you on the flukes point. My pet peeve is ich. Most of the time, a fish comes home from the store with it, so I try my best to QT them anywhere between 1 week to 1 month until they're stable enough to go into the DT. I did a mesh lid, and then did a plastic lid. Both lids didn't work, as you can see. My tank's a bit difficult to cover because the HOB feeds directly into the system and it's huge, and the skimmer juts out of the bottom upper right corner of the tank. Then my light fixture is a clip-on, so if I were to construct a lid the old-fashion way, it'll have to be very asymmetrical and downright difficult (for me, at least) to do. So I compensate by placing broken sheets of plastic barriers (the kind where you use in FW systems to isolate fish like cichlids within the same tank) and cover up any open slots with mesh. It isn't perfect by any means. I'm still trying to think of how to construct a lid than can cover my tank without going 'over' the equipment that stick out of it. 

[Tamberav]

33 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

I understand you on the flukes point. My pet peeve is ich. Most of the time, a fish comes home from the store with it, so I try my best to QT them anywhere between 1 week to 1 month until they're stable enough to go into the DT. I did a mesh lid, and then did a plastic lid. Both lids didn't work, as you can see. My tank's a bit difficult to cover because the HOB feeds directly into the system and it's huge, and the skimmer juts out of the bottom upper right corner of the tank. Then my light fixture is a clip-on, so if I were to construct a lid the old-fashion way, it'll have to be very asymmetrical and downright difficult (for me, at least) to do. So I compensate by placing broken sheets of plastic barriers (the kind where you use in FW systems to isolate fish like cichlids within the same tank) and cover up any open slots with mesh. It isn't perfect by any means. I'm still trying to think of how to construct a lid than can cover my tank without going 'over' the equipment that stick out of it. 

 

What I would do is buy those plastic grids at a craft store and cut out the holes so it fits snugly around the filter/light, ect. You could just use a chunk on the back of the tank and a glass/acrylic top for the rest of it. They are super cheap so get some extra if ya mess up.

 

 

 

I have had to use this crap a lot to keep fish from going through overflows and jumping out of the QT tank, ect. 

[KNelson]

39 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

 

What I would do is buy those plastic grids at a craft store and cut out the holes so it fits snugly around the filter/light, ect. You could just use a chunk on the back of the tank and a glass/acrylic top for the rest of it. They are super cheap so get some extra if ya mess up.

 

 

 

I have had to use this crap a lot to keep fish from going through overflows and jumping out of the QT tank, ect. 

I just did this for my Fluval Edge 12g.  I think I paid 0.77 for a sheet that I screwed up on a couple of times, although my opening is only 5x7.  It also has the HOB fed directly in. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, KNelson said:

I just did this for my Fluval Edge 12g.  I think I paid 0.77 for a sheet that I screwed up on a couple of times, although my opening is only 5x7.  It also has the HOB fed directly in. 

 

1 hour ago, Tamberav said:

 

What I would do is buy those plastic grids at a craft store and cut out the holes so it fits snugly around the filter/light, ect. You could just use a chunk on the back of the tank and a glass/acrylic top for the rest of it. They are super cheap so get some extra if ya mess up.

 

 

 

I have had to use this crap a lot to keep fish from going through overflows and jumping out of the QT tank, ect. 

Yep, I have similar-looking grids, but I didn't screw it on - I just sorta placed it over the tank and tried to cover as many of the openings as possible. Lesson learnt the hard way. My grids are actually very firm - quite difficult to break, and not easy to saw through either. Believe me, I've tried. I'll try the grids you both recommended - thank you. 

[Tamberav]

6 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

 

Yep, I have similar-looking grids, but I didn't screw it on - I just sorta placed it over the tank and tried to cover as many of the openings as possible. Lesson learnt the hard way. My grids are actually very firm - quite difficult to break, and not easy to saw through either. Believe me, I've tried. I'll try the grids you both recommended - thank you. 

This stuff I linked is stiff but flexible and very easy to cut with scissors. Hopefully they have it in the craft stores there. It's like a plastic canvas for needle art for yarn.

[KNelson]

16 hours ago, Tamberav said:

This stuff I linked is stiff but flexible and very easy to cut with scissors. Hopefully they have it in the craft stores there. It's like a plastic canvas for needle art for yarn.

Michaels, in the yarn dept.