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hi there i am in the process of moving, so i am moving my fish to a smaller tank until i can get my big one up and running again...long story short, my pleco is inside a small cave in the side of a big rock ornament, i can not get him to come out (i do not have room for said ornament in smaller tank ) and i need him out to finish moving everything over. Any ideas how to get him out?

If you can suspend the decoration just over the water, with the opening of the cave pointing down, the fish will eventually come out - if you can't do that over the tank itself, try to arrange something over a bucket or some such.

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Mats

how long is it safe to suspend it for? i have tryed a few times and will not let go.

thanks for the reply by the way

Put your decoration in a bucket that has an inch of water and arrange the decoration so that the part of the fish is in water and part is out. Put a lid on the bucket for 5 minutes and leave alone and hopefully your pleco comes out. They will often stay in a spot like that till they feel the coast is clear.

I accidentally put a common bristlenose that was in a piece of bamboo in a dry bucket to move the tank - I'm sure he was in there for over an hour. This was approximately 4 years ago, and he just became a father last week, and has been doing so regularly.

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Mats

thanks to you guys for the help, i just put him in a plastic container with a bit of water in a quiet spot...i guess we will see if he decides to come out

this has to be the most stubborn fish i have ever seen....i am at a loss as to what to do, right now i have submeged him and am leaving him alone for a while, i feel like i have pestered him enough for now, but i must get him out! any more suggestions are more than welcome, thanks to everyone who has helped already.

it probably wont eat now cause its scared but try luring it out with its favorite food

is he stuck in the ornament or could you just push him out with your hand? I doubt you it will hurt him just be careful that he doesn't spike you

The other option is of course to break the ornament. But I would give the fish a good half an hour or more to get out of there.

One other option is to build a trap:
Get a plastic bottle (1 qt or so), take the cap off, cut the cap end off with a knife, and turn it around so that it faces into the bottle. Put some food inside, and leave it in the tank where the fish is. Hopefully, it will go in by the hole where the cap used to be, and will not be able to escape back out.

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Mats

MatsP wrote:If you can suspend the decoration just over the water, with the opening of the cave pointing down, the fish will eventually come out - if you can't do that over the tank itself, try to arrange something over a bucket or some such.

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Mats

This is the best way if any of the fish is "Hanging" out let that part come in to contact with some water.
How long is safe > if he /she is stuck and cant get out they are going to die anyway.

thank you everyone! i finally got him out, smashed the ornament to bits....geeze louise, definately something to think about in the future..lol thanks again for all your help.