The Puffer Forum

I’m going to watch it like a hawk. I’ll try to think of a more permanent solution, but this will work as long as I make sure it’s always plugged up. And honestly, I’m just thankful I found the one alive today while there was still time. I had already looked at the filtration compartments a few times, but it finally occurred to me that I needed to look into the sponge compartment. Here’s hoping the stress of that doesn’t do her in, I’m going to be really watchful about feeding to try to make sure she gets her strength back.

Thanks again for all of your input, I’ve been kind of freaking out for the last week and it’s been really helpful to be able to bounce ideas off of someone and get some feedback. I really appreciate it!

Glad you figured it out. Its just one of those things we don’t always look for. My learning experience was a large fake wood ornament from the pet store. Yeah it was safe to put in the tank water but I never thought about my small fish getting inside some of the holes that were there so the ornament wouldn’t float with trapped air. I lost a few fish to that stupid thing before I realized where they were disappearing to. I feel your loss.

Thank you for sharing that, it helps because hearing someone else have a similar experience, it’s easier for me to react with “you can’t know what you don’t know.” Harder for me to apply that to myself without a reminder. I am just so grateful now that nightmare is over and that no more fish are gonna die like that. And it taught me something to keep in mind for all of my future aquarium endeavors. I never thought such a small cranny would matter, because it’s actually a bit smaller than the fish themselves... but I forgot that fish are 1) slippery and 2) soft, so squeezing into places isn’t impossible. I’m really glad that now I can focus on caring for them and enjoying it now.