I had to do something yesterday that is worth a blog entry – I had to save one of my tropical fish from dying. The fish in question – a female yellow barb (otherwise known as a Schubert’s barb or Puntius Semifasciolatus for those that prefer it more exact) had decided to eat a banded Kuhli loach (Pangio kuhlii) that I presume had already died and gone to fish heaven.
To set the scene, I was sat at the breakfast table with my kids when my son said "what is that fish eating"? It turned out that the thing sticking out of the barb’s mouth was the rear half of the loach (which is a worm like fish for want of a better description). The problem was that the carcass of the kuhli was stuck; the barb could neither finish ingesting it nor, in effect, spit it out - this probably being because the barb had sucked the kuhli in far enough for the kuhli’s gills to be lodged in its throat.
Some intervention was necessary because the barb would only starve to death in that predicament. I caught the barb in my net and, whilst holding the fish still (in the net and out of the water), proceeded to remove the kuhli with a pair of tweezers. If you are a fisherman you’ll appreciate that this exercise was a bit like removing a swallowed hook – you can’t just pull it out because you’ll kill the fish – you have to manipulate it out carefully. Whilst the barb couldn’t get the loach out of its throat on its own, I could provide key movement and leverage.
After about a minute I got the kuhli carcass out and put the barb back into the tank. The barb had survived and this morning was eating just fine with the rest of its tank mates. This little fish is clearly a robust thing and so far shows no negative effects from its ordeal at all.
Me, I am just pleased that I got it right.
Here’s a picture taken today! The fish probably deserves a name now – maybe Houdini after its lucky escape – your ideas welcome.
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To set the scene, I was sat at the breakfast table with my kids when my son said "what is that fish eating"? It turned out that the thing sticking out of the barb’s mouth was the rear half of the loach (which is a worm like fish for want of a better description). The problem was that the carcass of the kuhli was stuck; the barb could neither finish ingesting it nor, in effect, spit it out - this probably being because the barb had sucked the kuhli in far enough for the kuhli’s gills to be lodged in its throat.
Some intervention was necessary because the barb would only starve to death in that predicament. I caught the barb in my net and, whilst holding the fish still (in the net and out of the water), proceeded to remove the kuhli with a pair of tweezers. If you are a fisherman you’ll appreciate that this exercise was a bit like removing a swallowed hook – you can’t just pull it out because you’ll kill the fish – you have to manipulate it out carefully. Whilst the barb couldn’t get the loach out of its throat on its own, I could provide key movement and leverage.
After about a minute I got the kuhli carcass out and put the barb back into the tank. The barb had survived and this morning was eating just fine with the rest of its tank mates. This little fish is clearly a robust thing and so far shows no negative effects from its ordeal at all.
Me, I am just pleased that I got it right.
Here’s a picture taken today! The fish probably deserves a name now – maybe Houdini after its lucky escape – your ideas welcome.
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