The Joys of Yoyos -- Augh!

[starsplitter7]

I was getting ready to do a water change and looked in the tank. I see a tail hanging out of a coconut hut I use for fish shelters. It is my smallest Yoyo -- 3" and he has wedged himself into the top hole of the coconut. This hole is as big an eraser on a pencil or about 1/4" or 5 mm in diameter. I can't even believe what I am looking at. I had no idea how to get him out. He was wedged up to his dorsal fin.

Finally I cut him out with garden sheers and wire snippers. He swam off into the tank, oblivious to my panic. I have no idea how he got in there. My fat female Oto Cat couldn't fit through that hole. A skinny Kuhlie might get through. I hope he will survive. Seems like he would have internal injuries, even though the outside looked fine. It is now 5 hours later, and he shows no signs of injury.

[chefkeith]

OMG, that is crazy. I'm glad you got a video of it or I wouldn't have believed it. Sad and funny at the same time, like getting stuck on a toilet seat.

[starsplitter7]

I still don't know how he managed to get his head in. The nose is bigger than the hole.

I tried a couple quick pictures, but they were blurry. I figured a video would work better. I was just so surprised he was stuck in there. I needed a little time to figure out what to do. Those huts have been in the water for about 2 years, and I figured they would be soft. But they were very hard. I didn't have a drill, a saw would have taken too long, so I had to cut, and luckily the wood split. It took three good splits before I got one that allowed the Yoyo to swim free. I know he wasn't in there long, because the tank is 6 feet from where I was sitting. A good lesson why we must really look at our fish everyday, or several times a day.

[lf11casey]

Wow, that's nuts! I have coconut huts and one has the holes in the top also. My smaller yoyo is about the same size as yours, and I can't imagine how it would fit through one of those holes. I'm glad you were able to free your yoyo, and I hope he recovers well from his ordeal.

[BotiaMaximus]

Great video documentation there! I had to bust a tiny yo-yo out of a hole in a plastic rock he got all the way into and couldn't or wouldn't get back out of. I've had clowns get stuck inside ornaments. Now I really try and loachproof everything I put in the tank.

I hope your guy gets through without any permanent damage - they are pretty tough - he might just surprise you! Let's hope so!

I like the coconut Huts - a lot! I need to make a couple of those. Do you need to prep them any special way to make them tank safe??

[starsplitter7]

Much to my great surprise, my Yoyo is still with me this morning, and has spent much of the morning sitting in the front of the glass closest to where I am sitting and watching me. When I got close to look at him he didn't swim away, just continued to look at me. He is perfect. He has a tiny indention at the base of his dorsal fin. Right in front of his ventral fins he has an abrasion on the left side, but it looks more like a small blood blister rather than being open and exposed. He is swimming around with the rest of the loaches and acting normally.

He is in the grow out tank with a mixture of young ones.

Yesterday -- my panic, his distress

This morning -- watching me.

A blurry look at the abbrasion. That's the extent of the damage I can see so far.


I love the coconut huts. I will make sure I buy the half in the future with no holes. I would buy them, rather than making them. I buy the reptile ones, instead of the hermit crab ones because they are $.50 cheaper. I boil it for half an hour, and I have had no problems. They add a little tannin, and they grow a carpet of algae and my fish and shrimp are constantly grazing the algae.

[BotiaMaximus]

He looks pretty good! That abrasion doesn't look too bad, I would think as long as it doesn't worsen he should be fine. If it starts getting redder then maybe you might have to swab it with some antibiotic, but I think he will heal up on his own.

Good Pictures! Is that one of those bamboo shrimps back in the corner??

I guess I need to venture beyond the fish section to locate the coconut huts? I was imagining having to scrape out all the meat and then boil it or sun dry it or something like that. Pre-scraped sounds easier!

Note to self: Side without hole!

Thanks!!

[starsplitter7]

They are all swimming around like crazy fish enjoying the water change. I am hoping he survives.

The shrimp is a Whisker Shrimp. I have a Bamboo and she is a beautiful red. She is in another tank with gentle fish, because Bamboos are pretty helpless with fans for feet. The Whisker has a bad reputation, because she looks like a ghost, but she is as big as my small Yoyo. People are sure they have lost fish to their whiskers. Mine is a cleaner, and I have never seen her hurt a fish, although she does annoy them by checking to see if they are dead. They pay her back by having the otos graze her back.

I get the huts and bogwood in the reptile section of the store. I also get them at reptile shows. Much cheaper there.

[FishyLady]

So glad the loach seems fine!!!

Val

[starsplitter7]

Thank you. Me too.

[lf11casey]

I'm glad your yoyo is still doing well. I think just keeping an eye on the scrape and keeping the water clean should be ok for now.

Botia- I buy my coconuts at the grocery store, I like to eat them, and this way I get 2 huts. You can saw them in half or if you can find the ones that have been slightly started you can just whack it with a hammer and it will follow the indentation and split in half. Then just scrape the meat out and boil for half an hour or so. If you don't have the right drill bit to make the openings you can try what I do. I take the claw end of a hammer and just slip it over the edge of the coconut, then lever it till a small piece breaks off, repeat until desired opening is achieved.

[BotiaMaximus]

Thanks Casey - I'll give that a try! Fresh coconut is the only way I like to eat them, just never tried keeping the shell intact. I always broke them into pieces and started snacking! Yummy!

[starsplitter7]

I think he is doing better. I am sure he knows I rescued him, because he watches me everyday. None of the other fish pay attantion to me. He has been playing, swimming, posing for pictures and eating well.

He is still bruised. I hope no internal bleeding (I don't see any swelling). The bruises are before the Dorsal and Ventral fins where he was stuck in the decorations. But they are better, and certainly the skin is healed.

From the right


From the Left


With Buddies



I think he's a lucky, crazy Yoyo.

[mickthefish]

it looks well on the road to making a full recovery, it's a very lucky fish.

mick

[Keith Wolcott]

Excellent!