# Other Aquarium Forums > Fish Care, Nutrition and Water Management >  Small Fish Stuck At Bigger Fish's Mouth. What Should i Do?

## marle

Hi guys, this is the situation. I tried pulling the smaller fish out but it's stuck.

Any ideas what i should do or should i just leave it? I am worried the bigger fish might die because it does not seem to be able to eat.

Thank you.

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## RonWill

Stucked???!!! The smaller fish looks like a _Corydoras hastatus_ and if it's indeed a cory that has erected it's pectoral fins, then it's pretty much jammed in there.

*What* you need to do depends on *who* you'd want to save...

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## marle

The hastatus is pretty much dead I guess. The bigger fish can't eat now. Any idea on how I can remove the Cory?

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## RonWill

Die or dead, either way you know now, to mix larger & pygmy fishes is a boo boo combination.

To save the glutton (what is it anyway??), hold it securely in a towel to minimize movement and injury (to you and the fish). Use a scissor with fine tapered blades and slip it in till you feel the hastatus's pectoral fins (yes, both have to go). Cut off pectorals or cut up body, whichever deemed necessary. Remove carcass, look at it, learn from it and move on.

Keep the glut in a smaller tank and dose with anti-bacterial meds for a day or two and observe it's conditions. To trigger feeding, bribe with live foods.

Get an assistant for the task if pride allows and don't forget to update post-op results.

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## marle

> Die or dead, either way you know now, to mix larger & pygmy fishes is a boo boo combination.
> 
> To save the glutton (what is it anyway??), hold it securely in a towel to minimize movement and injury (to you and the fish). Use a scissor with fine tapered blades and slip it in till you feel the hastatus's pectoral fins (yes, both have to go). Cut off pectorals or cut up body, whichever deemed necessary. Remove carcass, look at it, learn from it and move on.
> 
> Keep the glut in a smaller tank and dose with anti-bacterial meds for a day or two and observe it's conditions. To trigger feeding, bribe with live foods.
> 
> Get an assistant for the task if pride allows and don't forget to update post-op results.


Thanks for the advice. The glutton is an N.Adoketa from the dwarf cichlid species.

This operation is of extreme difficulty due to the size of the fish. I was unable to do so. The cory's body was split into 2 but the top of the cory is still stuck inside. It was extremely difficult to hold the fish securely. I had a pair of tweezers but boy was it hard to get it in as it struggled, wiggled and kept moving. My tweezers were quite sharp and it might injure the fish accidentally. Seeing that the fish was suffering, and i could not progress, i placed it back in the tank.

I probably need an assistant like what you had mentioned to hold it firmly.  :Crying:

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## RonWill

Towel the glut and hold it down on it's side with your palm, against a flat surface (eg. table top or equivalent, at comfortable height). Dummy flat, head/mouth facing right, if you're right handed, as if you're de-boning a fish.

Cutting up the hastatus and leaving half inside won't help much if the pectoral fins aren't removed. These lodged pieces might cause further injuries to the _Nannacara_'s mouth and start an infection. The carcass will rot and don't expect it to just pop out by itself.

If you can, splice the upper half of the _hastatus_ length-wise, into smaller pieces or whatever size you can manage.

Traumatic experience, no? Who said fish-keeping isn't exciting and yes, having the right tools will help, including a sharp pair of manicure scissors  :Grin:

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## marle

> Towel the glut and hold it down on it's side with your palm, against a flat surface (eg. table top or equivalent, at comfortable height). Dummy flat, head/mouth facing right, if you're right handed, as if you're de-boning a fish.
> 
> Cutting up the hastatus and leaving half inside won't help much if the pectoral fins aren't removed. These lodged pieces might cause further injuries to the _Nannacara_'s mouth and start an infection. The carcass will rot and don't expect it to just pop out by itself.
> 
> If you can, splice the upper half of the _hastatus_ length-wise, into smaller pieces or whatever size you can manage.
> 
> Traumatic experience, no? Who said fish-keeping isn't exciting and yes, having the right tools will help, including a sharp pair of manicure scissors


Thanks. I'll keep you posted. I'll try it again later today. Let it rest for now

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## limz_777

you might want to try some transmore , calm fish might be easier to work with

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## marle

Ah! Its done! Heeded ronwill's advice. Held the fish tight between 2 towels, squeezed the cheecks slightly and open the fish's mouth. Yes, it wriggled and struggled, put the pinchers in and removed the remaining half of the cory's body.

It was instant relief for me and hopefully the fish. Now the fish is suffering a clamped fin on its side.. hopefully it'll recover. 

The stuck remnants of the cory.

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## RonWill

Well done! Give yourself a pat on the back for not killing the glut!!  :Grin: 

Let it recover in a hospital/quarantine tank with anti-bacteria meds plus gentle aeration. All should be ok. Now you can look forward to enjoying the holidays.

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## marle

> Well done! Give yourself a pat on the back for not killing the glut!! 
> 
> Let it recover in a hospital/quarantine tank with anti-bacteria meds plus gentle aeration. All should be ok. Now you can look forward to enjoying the holidays.


Thanks Ronwill, the fish's clamped fin is fine now, its swimming well and eating ok. I can finally see it chew its food again. Yesterday, its mouth was still opened permanently.

Happy Lunar New Year to everyone..

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## vannel

I hope to never have to do that. Much worse with it being one of my absolute favourite cories being the victim.

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## barmby

You all very bad. The beast has a name. you all call it 'glutton' = )

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## bernie

Marle, what anti bacteria medicine did you use? Keen to know.

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## marle

> Marle, what anti bacteria medicine did you use? Keen to know.


hi bernie,

i didn't use any medication. I used OF's super natural black water.

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## marle

> You all very bad. The beast has a name. you all call it 'glutton' = )


LOL  :Laughing:  :Laughing:  :Laughing:

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## RonWill

> The beast has a name. you all call it 'glutton' = )


 If not glutton, then it's a classic case of 'biting off more than one can chew'!!  :Grin:

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## Adam_80

Congrats for the operation success! Hope glutton learn it's lesson!! Haha

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## joopsg

Similar situation. But i only managed to remove abt 1/3 of the body.. how ar? I let the fish rest first tomorrow see how.. 

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## RonWill

Another cory vs cichlid episode?? Get a really sharp scissors and a pinsette/tweezer with strong grip, and remove carcass by portion. Remember not to let the glutton dry out.

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## joopsg

Oto vs adoketa. 


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## RonWill

Then not too bad since oto's body not as armored as a cory's. Just don't leave it in there for too long.

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## joopsg

Okay.. hope he will survive tonight.

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## marle

My suggestion is to get it done asap.

1) Hold the fish tight between 2 Wet towels *It will shake violently, your hand must be firm*

2) Squeeze the cheeks slightly to open the fish's mouth. (IMPORTANT STEP before u proceed to 3).)

3) Put the pincers/tweezers in and remove the remaining half of the body. (The body may be stuck from the top, you need to use the pincers to hold the dead body firmly, push it IN, DOWN, Then OUT.)

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## BRy

> My suggestion is to get it done asap.
> 
> 1) Hold the fish tight between 2 Wet towels *It will shake violently, your hand must be firm*
> 
> 2) Squeeze the cheeks slightly to open the fish's mouth. (IMPORTANT STEP before u proceed to 3).)
> 
> 3) Put the pincers/tweezers in and remove the remaining half of the body. (The body may be stuck from the top, you need to use the pincers to hold the dead body firmly, push it IN, DOWN, Then OUT.)



Hey Marle. Thank you for being a solid source of knowledge! I stumbled upon this blog while researching the same issue with my comet gold and oto. I'm confident with the instructions that you have provided, though I have a question regarding the procedure... the oto cat appears to be 3/4 of the way back into the comets 'digestion. How far back is it safe to use scissors and tweezers? Is it possible that the comet will finish consuming the Oto? I have tried the procedure a couple of times without much success, though when I first found the situation the Oto cats tail was out of the comets mouth and now it is much further back. Will the comet finish?

Thanks again for your support!

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## stormhawk

Your goldfish may have a hard time ingesting and digesting the entire Otocinclus, due to the armor plates and the stiff pectoral spines of the Otocinclus, if it has already been swallowed. If you can still see the Oto with part of it still sticking out of the Comet's mouth, then it is likely stuck along the throat of the goldfish. You have to attempt manual removal as mentioned by marle, as soon as possible because this may end up with the death of your goldfish if you are too slow to react.

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## BRy

Thank you Storm! I can see the oto in the comets mouth but it appears that most of it has already passed into the throat area. It appears that it may already be past the point of no return... Do you think it is possible for it to devour the rest of the oto?

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## BRy

A lesson learned that I want to share with others... do your research personally when adding and mixing fish. I have had a few incidents, including mixing oto with comets, where the advice of those working in the fish department at pet smart has been detrimental to my aquarium life. It seems that just because they work in the fish department at pet smart doesn't mean their knowledge extends past their ability to scoop the fish into a plastic bag... do your research!

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## BRy

success! thank you!

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## stormhawk

Congratulations dude. Now make sure you let the Comet recover. Some staff at pet stores etc do not necessarily have the right knowledge, and there are those who will invariably give you the wrong guidance. TBH, goldfish are cold water species that tend to prefer alkaline conditions, whereas Otocinclus are tropical species that prefer slightly acidic conditions. If you need an algae eater for a goldfish tank, you don't need one to be honest. The goldfish themselves are adept algae eaters from time to time, but nothing a handy magnet can't handle if they're on the glass etc. A balanced diet, maintenance regime and good filtration will go a long way to having healthy goldfish.

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## AquaLady

Congrats on saving your fish guys. I hope to have to never go thru this but its a learning experience. 

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