How long can a fish stay out of the water?

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I'm curious because I had an incident back in November but my wife & I still talk about it.

Her favorite fish which happens to be a Piccasso Trigger was absent from feeding one morning. I thought nothing of it maybe he was chilling somewhere. So the night I get home I still didn't see him. I then decided to throw in some food just to make sure again. After scouting the whole tank I see the mesh on the overflow is missing? I thought its not possible,he cant fit in there (32mm).

I then told the wife he is missing,she got upset. Told me to check the pipes and I said but everything is running normal still. After much thought we realised it can only be there (yes she was right).

I go to close the ball valve and it wouldn't budge. It then hit me...Not knowing whether he was alive or not I quickly shut everything down and got a torch to see up the pipe and there he was head up (against the flow).

He wasn't moving so assumed he was dead. I took the pipe to toilet and sprayed water through but wouldn't move...poked it with a acrylic tube to push it down and still nothing. By then I thought oh well sadly...

So I go the garage and unsure if I had extra fittings I pull out the heat gun to try and loosen things up. That didn't happen as the pipes were just softening so I twisted it and as it opened there this fish (called ZEB) was gasping for air. Man I couldn't believe it but just as fast as that thought sprung to mind I was up and running for the sump. I blew air into it and out he shot but he was clearly out of it. Bouncing off the glass as if he were blind.

Then I thought i'd put him back in the DT so it would be familiar for him but still bounced along for about 15mins.

He came around a little later and back to his usual munching ways.

Now there was a big time lapse from being in the water and out. So I still don't know how he survived all of that.
 
I guess he didn't want to be found.

anyway - I had a largemouth bass in the boot of my car for a whole day( it was a hot day) - that evening i saw the gills barely moved, it was dry as dirt - i filled the bathtub and chucked it in and next day it was right as rain.
it all depends on the species - some are robust, some you just look at and they get a heart attack.
 
I think being out of water is the least of Zeb's problems.

Stuck in a pipe.
Squashed in a ball valve..
Tap water hose down...
Poked in the head with acrylic tube....
THEN attacked with a heat gun???

Poor Poor Zeb!
 
I think being out of water is the least of Zeb's problems.

Stuck in a pipe.
Squashed in a ball valve..
Tap water hose down...
Poked in the head with acrylic tube....
THEN attacked with a heat gun???

Poor Poor Zeb!

Exactly what we discuss,I still cant believe man:eek:
 
I was fishing at one of the ski boats, and one of the kids caught a small stumpie, so I told them to put it on the back of the bakkie for fresh food for the nemmie, it was a baking hot richards bay day, in the sun, about half an hour later I went picked up my daughter from music lessons, then went home, when I took the stumpie to cut it up for the nemmie, I checked a gill move, I couldn't believe it, so I chucked in in where the skimmer is, and within 10 minutes, I had to almost dismantle the sump to get it out. It was out the water in the sun for at least 45 minutes.

I think that was the last time I ever caught fresh fish for the anenomes, just didn't have the heart after that.
 
A good 30min I would say? Think I violated him :whistling:

LOL! Jeez... 30 min! How is that even possible? I can barely hold my breath for 2 min and I'm gasping for air... surely he must feel the same for water?

Zeb is clearly just a legend... pichas or we don't believe you :p


Maybe do some Caramel Vodka dosing :lol::lol::lol:

:lol::lol:
 
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pichas or we don't believe you

Of him alive ? I still have the pipe too!

Another interesting that happend a while back involving my Cleaner Wrasse. It was sometime just after I had fed the fish and I walked passed the tank and saw my cat just sitting there with his paw stretched out. So I stop and to take a look and I see him moving the Wrasse around! I stood there and thought ***? The cat ain't wet,she obviously took a launch out of the tank.

I picked her up,she was a bit dry and full of hair LOL. I didn't want to wipe it off as she seemed so fragile so I just popped her back into the tank...she was still alive!

Very lethargic,swimming was a bit weak. It took her the night to shake off all the fur.

Doubt she'll jump again but I'm to blame as I knew they do tend to take flight at times.
 
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