bolivianbaby

This cute little ornament just killed one of my glofish. There's a small hole in the left that he got stuck in and I couldn't get him out. He didn't survive the attempted rescue.

I guess this is a good reminder to pay attention to holes in ornaments and how they relate to the size of our fish.

I just wanted to let everyone know in case this was in any of their aquariums with small fish.

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bolivianbaby

Could we set up a subforum for ornaments that have harmed our precious fish? Or is there way to combine some threads and sticky them? When I searched for a thread that had been posted about an ornament that took a fish's life a while back, I couldn't find it and I posted another today.

It would be great if we could have them in one place. Maybe it would save a life.

Any thoughts, suggestions, or comments are more than welcome

SWilkins

I like that idea. I have an ornament that has not taken lives but it sure does make catching fish hard since they hide in it literally. It is still on my burn list if I ever get that last con out of it.

bolivianbaby

I know exactly which one you're talking about, too! It's a kicker, for sure.

alicem

Oh my! Sorry you lost your fish, bolivianbaby and thanks for the heads up.
Suppose the manufacturer put the holes in it so it will fill with water and sink, but it was bad news for your glofish...

I had a similar problem. The other day I bought a "root tangle" ornament for my betta tank.
When I got it home, it dawned on me that with the open area in the top of it
my betta could snoop around and get caught in there.
It is a larger hole than in your ornament, but with his long fins and nosey nose, it was a potential problem.
So I stuffed a little java moss in the hole.

It will probably be a pain to clean, but it looks ok and, I believe, should be safer that way...
Pretty little death traps, aren't they?

Thanks again for warning us.
alicem

Gouramiguy17

i had an ordament like that but i dont have anything unnatural in my tanks right now so i will keep it out

bolivianbaby

Can you post a pic of the root tangle ornament you bought? It might help others know to stuff the hole with java moss or a sponge or something.

aquarist48

Sorry to hear about your loss BB. Thanks for sharing the information concerning dangerous ornaments.
Ken

bolivianbaby

Thanks. I just don't want anyone else to have to go through that.

dvc_r

That comes in a set of like 5 or 6. Used to be sold at Petsmart, but within the last year they stopped stocking them, so they have been dwindling down to only the large (expensive) ones. They told me they were getting a new line of products in......

...I wonder, do they know more than we do?

gremlin

Ornaments like that I use silicone and glue a flat rock or shell to cover most of the hole so it makes it too small for any of the fish to get in. It still allows the water to go in so the ornament will sink, but it keeps the fish out. I also will put a bead of silicone on any sharp edges - some of the logs where the edges curl to the insides so there is a bit of a lip, my plecos' fins would get caught when they tried to back out so I filled the lip with silicone.

alicem

Hi,
I cut and paisted my response to your other thread here, in hope that it might help someone.

alicem
SWilkins,
Maybe you could try what we do to get shellies out of shells.
Fill a 5G bucket with enough tank water to submerge the ornament.
Remove the ornament (with fish inside) and place it in the bucket ontop of a rock or two.
You'll want the rocks to hold the ornament up some off the bottom, but still be submerged enough for the con inside.

Cover the bucket with a towel or something to make it dark and let things settle down for a while.
It should be ok in the bucket for no longer than is needed for this exercise, without worrying about filters, heaters, etc.

The theory is, your fish will get curious, bored, etc and eventually come out.
Hopefully he'll swim to the bottom among the rocks.
Then you can quickly, but gently, lift the ornament out...presto...excavated con.
hth,
alicem

bolivianbaby

Great idea, Gremlin!

joy1125

I sometimes wonder whether the manufacturers of these ornaments ever take into consideration the fact that their products are going into a fish tank ! I've spent countless hours looking at decorations, only to find something potentially harmful about each one of them. The sharp edges are my biggest gripe ! I'd think they'd sell a lot more products if they took the time and spent some minimal cashola, to consult with an experienced aquarist prior to designing the piece.

Right now all I have are plants in my tank. I took an artificial driftwood piece I had out because as my fish were getting bigger, I feared they'd get stuck in one of the numerous small holes scattered throughout the piece.

Alice, I also looked at that root piece you were talking about, and didn't buy it for the same exact reason. It has a gaping hole in the top, and I figured a fish would get curious and go down into it, and not be able to get out.

10gallonmadness

At a Wal-Mart I saw a mountain ordament and just lifted it up and the middle of the rock had a razor blade like edge and it cut into my hand . What was sad was that it wasn't a defected product. They were ALL like that.

Borisbbadd

I think most of the manufacturers are not interested in your fish, only your money...................

SWilkins

Thank you Alicem. I will be trying that. I have been after that con for a while now. There were four of them and a very stubborn ABN that just would not cooperate with moving. Everybody finally got removed except this little stinker. He sees me headed that way and ducks back inside every time. Then, after he is out, I think I am still gonna either burn that thing or put it in with extra extra large fish.

Butterfly

BB you could always start a thread in the misc reviews forum and we could review different ornaments.
Carol