How long can a fish live out of water?

[perfectdark]

Well I can tell you this, longer than 5 minutes.
I went to feed my fish last night and both my Midas Blenny and my Ocellaris know when its time to eat, they get very excited. On my way over to the tank I swore that I saw both fish in there. But I got distracted for about 3 seconds when I knocked something off a table on my way over. I approached the tank and heard a 2 small thud type noises. I thought nothing of it until I looked in the tank and saw that the blenny was no where to be found. My first thought was that it jumped out but a quick look around I didnt see it. So I continued to feed my fish hoping she would come out and get some food. She didnt, and I continued to feed my fish in my QT now. Still looking around now nervously wondering if she really did jump out. After about 5 minutes and no signs of her in her LR hiding places I really started the search. I dismissed it at first but the last place I thought of was underneath the table my tank is on. I look under and..... WHAT

there she is glistening on my carpet. I quickly reached under and swiped her up, she was covered in dog hair !!! kinda not funny at the time but now I think about it and I laughed. I quickly placed her back into my tank hair and all. And she laid down in my hand for about 3 minutes just breathing heavily. Then she swam all disoriented to the bottom of the tank for about 5 minutes. After that she was in her little hole again in the LR and looking fine. This morning she appeared to be herself again. This time I completly covered the tank with plexiglass. Any way just thought I would share. She took a 3' fall from the tank to the floor and survived 5 minutes out of water... WOW tough little fish.

 

[wfd1008]

you should name it Houdini.

 

[renogaw]

i had a chromis on the floor for who knows how long. it survived as well

 

[think_tink13]

My puffer wasn't so lucky =( My mother in law heard something around 6am but didn't think anything of it. Our tank doesn't get fed until about 4 in the afternoon. So by then it was way too late to do anything when we found him.
I miss my puffer =(
We have since put a cover.

 

[candycane]

Air begins burning it's gills immediately after it exits the water. I have always looked for fish stores when I buy fish that will put a holding container IN the water and chase the fish in to it so that it never touches air.

 

[the egregious]

Yeah I think they can even survive longer than that. Last year when I was changing my aquascape I was taking the LR out and placing it in my other tank which was empty, no water, and I noticed That a damsel was missing. The LR was out of the water for an easy 30 minutes and when I put a large porous piece back in he swam right out of it. He is alive today.

 

[alix2.0]

Originally Posted by The Egregious
http:///forum/post/2521822
Yeah I think they can even survive longer than that. Last year when I was changing my aquascape I was taking the LR out and placing it in my other tank which was empty, no water, and I noticed That a damsel was missing. The LR was out of the water for an easy 30 minutes and when I put a large porous piece back in he swam right out of it. He is alive today.
yeah, there are even people that have gotten fish as hitchhikers in LR shipments. crazy that that can live so long is such little water.
PD, thats crazy! glad she lived!

 

[mugg1977]

I had the same thing happen to a RG three years ago! I was "re-scaping" my 55, aka removing two 3-stripe damsels, and set all the rock on my kitchen counter, after removingt he corals of course! About 5 minutes into the frantic net swinging in the tank a heard something flopping in the kitchen. I thought that my dog had gotten into soemthing again, and sure enough, he had. When I walked into the kitchen, I see my 15lb Cav laying on the floor, staring at the 3" RG flopping on the floor between his paws! All invloved are fine to this day! (I dismantled the 55 a year ago when I moved and was back visiting this weekend and the RG is still kickin in one of my buddie's tanks!)

 

[phelpz]

I found a freshwater fish on the floor once that was completely dried up, and my brother put it back in the tank and it was just fine.
Had to of been longer than 5 minutes. Probably more like 10. At least since it wasnt wet anymore.

 

[peef]

Thats funny (since she lived) I can see you when you found her being like OH SHI.......... bah hahaha. Glad she pulled through!

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by peef
http:///forum/post/2522599
Thats funny (since she lived) I can see you when you found her being like OH SHI.......... bah hahaha. Glad she pulled through!
Yep among other things I blurted out... What was kinda funny too, was while I tried to be gentle in getting her out I was also panicing. So as I was getting her out from underneath the table I rolled her like a tootsie roll till she got out. Making all the hair on her that she accumulated matted. LOL she looked like my grandmothers upper lip. HA HA HA

 

[halostalker]

lmao

 

[interex]

many many years ago i had an oscar.......I came home one night and found him on my carpet dry as can be i was so mad and it was very late so i just put him back in the tank thinking i would clean it all up in the morning when i got up he was swimming great and eating like normal. it was crazy.

 

[peef]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
http:///forum/post/2522608
Yep among other things I blurted out... What was kinda funny too, was while I tried to be gentle in getting her out I was also panicing. So as I was getting her out from underneath the table I rolled her like a tootsie roll till she got out. Making all the hair on her that she accumulated matted. LOL she looked like my grandmothers upper lip. HA HA HA

ah hahaha

 

[cowfishrule]

i had an ocell live outside of water for more than 20 min.
when he went back in, he dropped like a rock to the bottom and just lay there.
by morning, he was as if nothing ever happened.