If he got in, it stands to reason he could get out?

[NMC]

My firefish has got himself into this tiny hole in the rock. He doesn't come out, even at feeding time. He used to be out swimming freely, especially at feeding time. I can see him in there. He's alive. He's eating if the food comes to him. Such a small hole....is he stuck or does he just like it in there?

We did have upheaval lately. Last tuesday I had to switch tanks when my tank started leaking. He was out and about since then, so I don't think that is the issue. The hole in the rock is so small I wonder if he got himself stuck in there. I keep telling myself that's nuts, if he got in, he could get out if he wanted to. Right? Have you ever had a fish wedge himself in somewhere he couldn't get out?

There have been no new livestock additions. There's just him and the jawfish. The firefish wasn't afraid of the jawfish. A little change is that the jawfish initially was living in this PVC house I'd made. After the tank change he wouldn't go back in the PVC and has made several other homes for himself.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I used to be a firm believer of "if he got in there, he can get out." I moved a tank last summer and a coral beauty went up in a nook in a rock - I tried to get him out a little bit, but I couldnt so I just left him in the rock, transported the rock with him in it, and then put it in the new tank with him in it. Waited for days for him to come out... took the rock out after a few days and he was still stuck up in the hole, dead. I had to pull him out piece by piece to get his body out...

Firefish might be different though.

 

[NMC]

Thanks for the visual. Hey, at least you responded. I like responses. Since you seem took the time to respond, I thought I'd take the time to update. The firefish is alive and well and he came out of his ridiculously little hole in the rock. I'm new at this. I worry about silly stuff.

 

[screamingibis]

My experience with African cichlids is they can get stuck and be really really stuck. I unstuck one once and was sure I had killed him getting him out, but he survived somehow.

 

[Shells4]

Heard of a trigger recently that got stuck and died. Think it is rare, but it can happen.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I think part of the problem is the dorsal fin can act like an arrowhead or the lock on a zip tie or plastic hose clamp... it can go in head first but then won't pull back out because it is angled and only bends one way (this also happens with bait fish in cast nets). The firefish's dorsal doesnt really lend itself to this problem but the short spiky dorsal of a centropyge does.