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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.