Scissortail Dart Fish

[Martyfish]

I'm a new aquarium owner and I lost 2 of my scissortails and found them in my over flow. I need to know what to do. I'm affraid to pull away the sponge filter at the bottom of the overflow, because I think my fish will be sucked into the filtering
system. What should I do, is it safe for them to be in there, how fast do I need to get them out and how do I prevent this
from happening again. Thanks in advance Martyfish

 

[Lynden]

Depending on the design of your overflow, the dartfish should be fine in it for a good while, that is if they are swimming freely and not stuck to anything. Use this time to think of a good way to get them out; perhaps pulling the sponge away, then instantly netting the fish will work?

To prevent this from happening in the future, try placing a screen over the overflow intake.

 

[SkiFletch]

If you do use a screen slant it back towards the water. In case a fish does flop on to it, the slant will roll it back into the water.