Strange but true - how my gourami became stuck in a hole, and how I overcame this bizarre problem: Strange but True
Tales of Mad fish

There are plenty of stupid fish around - with the main aim to commit suicide it seems. If you don't believe me, some other people have had also had nutty fish experiences....

Shane Larson with a curoious Platy...

"I had an unusual experience with one of my Sunset Fire Platys. It was more my fault really, but still unusual. I have a 10 gallon tank that i bought for myself and i've had trouble keeping it clean. I kept eight Platys, including my one Sunset Fire. The tank was extremely filthy, alot of floating debree, so i took off the bottom part of the filter to collect more waste. My curious little fish swam and got sucked inside the tube!! He was stuck there for a good 5 minutes. I finally noticed one of the fish was missing and sure enough, he was wedged inside the filter tube. I quickly turned it off and disassembled the filter. I managed to finally get him out and he swam back into the tank."

Sarah Donovan and another mad fish tale...

"I've just read about your gourami getting stuck in a hole. I had a bitterling that did exactly the same thing. It sounds like I did the same as you - waiting to see if he could somehow wriggle out, and when he didn't, I used the same pinch/push that you did. I think mine had got himself more wedged in than yours, because he'd actually rubbed away the flesh above and below his jaw, giving him a distinctly odd profile. He recovered, though, and lived for another year, but he always retained the odd shape. He was a mad fish, but also showed a certain native cunning. He worked out that after feeding time, when the food had sunk to the bottom, if he nipped the fins of my (lovely) weather loach, he'd do a quick wriggle and stir up all the food, making it available (to the bitterling). "


Shantelle Novak and a Algae Eater turned Flying Fish...

My funny fish story is about my algae eater named Vac - short for vaccuum cleaner. I have a small 5 gallon tank, and was fairly new at the time - the most important bit of information relative to this story, is that I had yet to buy a proper lid (Hey! it wasn't my fault, funds were low!). One night, I was trying to get to sleep when I heard a splash (the tank is in my room) I got up to see what the matter was, and everything looked fine. When I went back to bed, I heard some banging around on the floor by the tank. I got up again to see what happened and I found the algae eater on the floor! He wasn`t moving and I assumed he was dead. I sat down, not knowing what to do. Then suddenly, he flipped. He is a very acrobatic and energetic fish. I quickly scooped him up, using a pail and a net and put him back into the water. He swam around for a while and then seemed fine. After I calmed down from such a shock, I went back to bed. The next night, I didn`t hear him, but he jumped out again. I didn`t find him until around supper time the next day. I guess he tried to commit suicide the first time, and I saved him, but he tried it again. What a nutty fish! I then got a new algae eater and named him Vac Junior because he was quite smaller than the first. So far, he doesn`t seem like the type to commit suicide. I sure hope not because I don`t want to deal with that ordeal again!

If any else wants to contribute to these fish tales, please do so. Just contact me and leave your name, email address and your story.