# Stuck pleco?



## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

I'm not sure if this counts as an "emergency" per se, or if its more of just a stubborn fish that doesn't want to move, so feel free to move this if I posted it in the wrong place.

I have a bristlenose pleco that has wedged herself in the crevasses of a sunken ship decoration I have and is refusing to budge. I can't tell if she's just stuck (she's nose first in a very narrow spot) or if she just doesn't want to move. I've tried (gently & minimal) poking her with my finger and a toothbrush (sanitized of course, its the one I use only for removing gunk from decorations, lifting the ship out of water briefly, and gently shaking the decoration. She has not budged other than to fan her back fins slightly.

I need to get the decoration out for cleaning, but I obviously can't do that with her still inside... How do I get her to move? I've left the ship upside down in the tank for now, hoping that she'll leave on her own since she's more exposed in the current position, but barring that, what are my options?


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Update:

After 2 hours of sitting the ship upside down with the built in airstone on the ship bubbling into her, she finally moved out of the crevass into a section of the ship that I could get my fingers into better to shoo her out entirely. Finally!


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

glad you got her out hope she is doing ok


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Get rid of that decoration or block that hole with something.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Sadly it's my husband's favorite decoration, so I'm trying to find a way to block some of the tighter areas rather than get rid of it... I definitely don't think she was truly stuck since I watched her swim out of the spot later with zero effort, so she just didn't want to leave it. At least it's not a health risk for her right now, just a severe annoyance for me when trying to clean.

She's completely fine right now and is munching on the underside of some driftwood, no worse from my pokings


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