rescue

Glad I often pause to watch the fish. Noticed today I'd only seen one otocinclus busy around Oliver's tank- the smooth-striped one has been all over the fake skull today. Nibbling even on the insides of it, upside down on the cave ceiling of an empty cranium. Where was the other. Then I saw him headfirst down the output tube for the little sponge filter. Just his tail sticking out. He must have been feeding down the airline, or went in after the green algae that I can never completely rub out of the inside of the tube- pretty determined against the pressure of water flowing out! I left him alone a short while to see if he'd try to come out, not sure how long he'd been in there.

I jiggled the filter a little- he wiggled his tail but didn't budge. I turned off the air flow, he wiggled his tail more but still couldn't (or wouldn't) come out. So I lifted the filter up near the surface, turned it horizontal, was trying to gently pull the pieces apart when he wiggled again and slid out. Seemed a bit distressed- he sat in a lower corner against the glass not moving for a long time. Now out and about the tank again, so far he hasn't approached the filter I hope he doesn't repeat the maneuver and get himself stuck again!