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Flagfish vs. Vortex




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Speaking of Flagfish and micron filters ... 

last week I'm running my Vortex diatom filter (the smaller model, D-1) and 
forgot to put the strainer attachment on the intake. I go off for a couple 
hours and return to hear a horrible whining sound coming from somewhere in 
the house. I search about listening for the source of this noise and finally 
I track it down to the room with the tank and Vortex at work. I enter only to 
find my male Flagfish bent sideways double - his body sucked halfway up into 
the intake tube of the monster filter. No telling how long he had been like 
this either - but quite a little while for sure - 'cause the Vortex motor 
felt hot as a car engine. Well, I immediately turn off the filter and pry his 
stiff, folded-in-half, little Flagfish body out of the death tube, all the 
while berating myself for my thoughtlessness and inattentiveness.   

The poor fish spirals to the bottom like a dead leaf, still bent double and 
all sideways looking - but then I notice his gills are working and his little 
fins are fluttering ... My God, he's still alive!  Still, there's no way he 
can survive for long and I figure he's a goner for sure eventually. Shoot, 
I'm suprized his eyeballs weren't sucked right out his little butt. Feeling 
really bad about the whole thing and not wishing him to suffer needlessly - 
I'm mentally assembling the ingredients needed for a euthanasia chamber - but 
figure I'll give him an hour to see what develops. 

Heck, within an hour I couldn't case him down with a net and he's been fine 
ever since as far as I can tell.

One amazingly tough, hardy little fish those Flagfish.

Bob Olesen
West Palm Beach

Ps: ... and just to stay on topic -- they also eat algae.