The untimely deaths of our fishy friends, what we can learn...

My recent loss of my favorite little clownfish that ate out of my fingers gave me an idea for this slightly more morbid thread. I hate loosing fish. There are some losses that we just can't prevent. Fish do die of old age for sure. But how often if we are honest with ourselves is it something preventable or bad husbandry or laziness that leads to another one "biting the dust" I would say mine have been due to newbee mistakes and impatience. SO lets hear the sad stories maybe these will keep a loss from happening due to newness or simple mistakes that are easy to avoid.
***This thread is not to judge others, or make them feel any worse for the mistakes they have made... lets face it loosing a fishy friend is bad enough, let us be kind and not rub others wounds in saltwater ***

Heidi

 

I will go first..

I got 2 clowns together they were my first fish and one dies the next day. He had been sick. I could have avoided this loss by simply not buying the darker clown. He seemed "Just not right" but on an impulse I bought him anyway... and alas a day later he was dead. After this time I have had each of my fish quarantined with medications before I have placed them in my main tank. So I do not risk making other fish sick and I do not have to deal with the quick loss of a sick fish.

We replaced him.. This past month my family and I was on vacation and while we were gone "Nemo" jumped. So sad cause he ate out of my hand I have since covered the entire top of my tank as their were some place where a sneaky fish could slip out if spooked etc. A screen that doesn't cover the entire top is no good for keeping fish in... you MUST COver the WHOLE top... I am lucky to have only lost the one fish as I keep Wrasse and other prone to jumping fishes, luck has been on my side up until now.

I got a beautiful Midas blenny (third fish ever) and about a week later he looked like he had ich. So I took him out of the DT and put him qt. He was too stressed and died in an hour after I caught him. Sadly I think he would have made it if I would have left him alone. Now, I don't pull fish with 2 spots if ich. I wait a few days and feed heavy with garlic as long as the fish seem otherwise heathy. Medication and my QT are now kept for new fish, and fish that seem to ... be very very sick, like easy to catch sick.

Hoping these things help new people not make the same sad mistakes.
Heidi

RIP Mr. Midas Blenny (Dec. 2010)


RIP "The Nemom(number 1)" Aug. 2011


RIP Darker Clownfish in back (Dec. 2010)​

 

I lost a sailfin tang to a newbie mistake a little over 10 years ago when i first started to get into saltwater. I didn't realize that salinity changed when the water got hotter, and I mixed my saltwater cold. Found him dead the next morning and checked my SG. Way to high needless to say.

 

I had a pair of FireFish in the 90G down at my clothing store. They were my first of this type of goby and I loved them dearly. I would give them extra special snacks at each feeding.
About a month back I was in a hurry to get something which I was taking to a friend, out of the tank. This was in the evening but the actinics were still on and the fish were still awake.
When the Firefish saw me at the tank they assumed it was feeding time and came to their usual feeding spot at the surface. But when I plunged my hand in to grab a fistfull of caulerpa they spooked and took off. I assumed they had darted down behind the rock work and left the shop.
The next day at feeding time they didn't appear so after I finished feeding I went to the back of the tank to see if they were in their usual sleeping spots.
That's when I found one dried out on the carpet. I was sad and mad at myself but relieved I couldn't find the other one on the floor.
Later that day business was slow so I figured I would trim back the caulerpa. I grabbed a bucket I keep behind the tank for maintenance and that is when I found the other. He had jumped as well be instead of surfing carpet had landed in the bucket. This made me terribly sad because there was just enough water in there that his death had to be prolonged.

 

A year ago I lost my first firefish by leaving the lid open while acclimating a clown gobie. After dinner, couldn't find "Dish the fish" (2 yr old named it). The floating bag must've spooked it & later found it 6 feet away under the coat rack, dry.

Last two days I lost my green mandarin. Had a full month & noticed his tail fin looked ragged. I thought it may be due to low nutrition. So, I went & got copepods. Added most to my display tank & the rest to my sump. A week later its behavior was sluggish. Thinking it depleted the pods I easily caught him & placed him in the sump (for my buffet). Next day, couldn't find & still can't (I rummaged). The next day one of my new firefish (love them!) was floating on the sand. Parameters were fine. I have no idea about the last 2.

 

i lost my canary wrasse due to my cover having gaps.

 

I lost my first firefish in a tank that had a small hole in the top of the tank - he found the one hole and jumped out.

 

to stick with the Clown theme. I had purchased two after my tank cycled (29G BC). the gap between the main area and the back filtration has a few inches of air. One of my clowns jumped and I found it in the return section. Unfortunately I had been moving some bioballs around and I had dropped a couple handfuls into that area intending on coming back and taking them out.

Sadly with the balls in this area there was not enough room to really get into the water. Sadly fish would have been fine if I had not been too lazy to get them out right away.

I have since built a plexi barrier to divide the tank from the back sections.

 

this is freshwater but my foot long bullhead catfish it took ich and hole in head to take him out. the funny thing about him is that i bought him for five dollars and by the time he died he has eaten at least 60 dollars worth of fish. i miss him

 

never had a problem with my firefish, just traded him in. Two B/W clowns to ich, a reg clown to ich, and a sunkist skunk clown to ich :/.