Fantail with rock in stomach

Question
Hi! Today I noticed that my calico fantail had a rock stuck in its
mouth. Last time this happened, I picked him up his a net and that
scared it out of him. This time, the rock would not come out at all.
When I took my eye off him for a second, I notcied the rock wasn't
in his mouth anymore. I didn't see a rock float to the bottom of the
tank, so I think he swallowed it. My fantail is about 3 inches long. I
can't tell if he swallowed it, because he's very acobatic and he is
upside down a lot. What should I do now, and will he survive?

Thanks

Answer
Hello Justin-

Your little guy should be fine with just one small rock in his belly, it will probably pass through his system if it's fairly small. Some fish even manage to "cough" them back up. I would try feeding your little guy some defrosted peas to help him work on this rock - Hopefully everything will work out.

Hope this was helpful!
-Amber Worman