How do you deal with fish death?

[AlexR]

I've been keeping salt water tanks for over 20 years now and still find myself thinking about how i should feel when a fish dies.

I moved into a new house about 5 years ago and set up a new 125g aquarium.

Ive set up everything to automate as much as possible. I have the RODI setup using a zone valve connected to the tsunami ATO and am using a reef angel controller for all else.

I have basically let my tank cycle for over 4 years. Yes i know that excessive... But i just let it work as a refugium for w long while. The tank has some algae issues at the moment i am dealing with. Am doing bi-weekly water changes now.

I recently started stocking the tank with inhabitants. Got a cleanup crew of over 200 various snails/hermits and a half dozen emerald crabs.

So far i have added several fish which are all doing great except for a blonde naso tang. It was eating well for a week and looked great, but just today i noticed it was not swimming around. Found it hiding in some rock formations and struggling to stay upright. Its still alive but looks like it wont last long.

I understand a 125g is on the small side for a naso tang. The tang is about 2" now and i planned on relocating him to a larger tank when he grew bigger. I wanted him to fatten up on the caulerpai have growing on my rocks.

I put several other fish in at the same time which are all doing well, including a powder brown tang and a flame hawk.

I cant help but to feel bad even though i know its out of my control. I have setup everything the best way i can and do my best to keep all my water parameters at peak levels. It feels like i could always do more.

How yo do feel when a fish dies? I cant be the only one that feel like i'm doing something wrong.. Even after all this time.

[sde1500]

Hated losing them when I was stocking my tank. Lost a few, and it bugged me. I can't say it made me feel the same as losing my cat or dog would. But it is still a living creature I am trying to care for so it bothered me.

[AlexR]

Originally Posted by sde1500

Hated losing them when I was stocking my tank. Lost a few, and it bugged me. I can't say it made me feel the same as losing my cat or dog would. But it is still a living creature I am trying to care for so it bothered me.

My acclimation process is basically floating the bags for about 30 minutes for temp to match, draining the bag water as much as possible while still keeping the fish wet and letting them free gracefully without a net. I do this because i have done dripping before and it seems to only stress the fish more and casualty rate has been higher that way for me. I find reducing stress and letting fish free to hide and swim yields better results.


I have had a bengai cardinal, watchman goby and a mandarin alive in my tank for 4 years now. That was all my inhabitants before i decided to stock it.

I am waiting even longer to start putting in any corals. I want all fish to be alive and well for at least 2 months and i want my algae to lessen before i add any corals. I figure a few months for the cleanup crew should be sufficient. I'm also having a hard time calibrating my PH probe. Goes from 7.5 to 8.0, while tests show upwards of 8.4 at the same time. I do have a grounding probe in my refugium and display just to be on the same side. My salinity probe is working fine.

I need to work out all these kinks before i add anything else.

Gah!! i hate it when a fish dies. I feel so guilty.

[RioReefr]

Originally Posted by AlexR

How yo do feel when a fish dies? I cant be the only one that feel like i'm doing something wrong.. Even after all this time.

Personally, I treat my fish like pets and I give them names. I want to "try" to make their lives pleasant (considering they have to live a glass-box) by making the water parameters stable and the water clean.

That being said, my favorite fish was a Flame Hawkfish. I liked how his eyes moved independently and he would take frozen shrimp out of my fingertips. As he grew older, he started swimming more at the top and sometimes I would hear splashes (as he was jumping out the water) and I have an open-top. Anyway, one night a (Thursday night), he was splashing more than usual. So I said to myself -- "this Saturday morning I am going to home-store to by some mesh to cover the tank so he doesn't jump out". Sure enough, that next morning I found outside the aquarium and on the floor. My stomach sunk and felt horrible that whole day. I sincerely felt "very sad" but worse it could have been prevented if I would have been more pro-active than reactive.

To cope with the loss, the next day I went to the LFS and purchased a Lawnmower Blenny and he also is amusing to watch though not as "cool" as the Hawkfish.

So, the moral of the story: If you see something wrong, don't wait. Fix it before you regret it. Most home stores are open late and a lot of things can be bought and delivered the next day. If something dies, replace it with something else sooner than later. Emotional distress is real.

[sde1500]

I lost a fire fish a few months ago now, after close to 3 years in the tank. That bummed me out, but oddly wasn't as bad as losing a new fish. I cared for it, it did well, and I guess just it was its time to go? IDK. But when they are new and I'm trying to acclimate and maybe QT them, it sucks a lot. I am just about stocked, I have maybe one or two fishes I want to add. But so darn hesitant to pull the trigger mainly because things are going so well with the fish already in the tank.

[AlexR]

Originally Posted by sde1500

I lost a fire fish a few months ago now, after close to 3 years in the tank. That bummed me out, but oddly wasn't as bad as losing a new fish. I cared for it, it did well, and I guess just it was its time to go? IDK. But when they are new and I'm trying to acclimate and maybe QT them, it sucks a lot. I am just about stocked, I have maybe one or two fishes I want to add. But so darn hesitant to pull the trigger mainly because things are going so well with the fish already in the tank.

Similar thing happened to me with a pair of clown fish. I had them for 7 years then all the sudden they both died 1 week apart form each other. It must have just been their time. I had them since they were tiny and they had a pretty long life for a fish. It was sad but not guilty sad.

I feel worse about a fish dying after a week or 2 especially after it was eating well and looked healthy.
As i type this, the blonde naso tang is still tying to hold on.. But i can tell it wont happen.
I would give it a painless death by putting it in a bag and in the freezer but i also want to give him the chance to pull through.

[PCguy21]

Ive lost thousands in fish... and recently lost a flame hawk from a freak ammonia spike and a mimic tang from ich.copper.

Knew i should hsve not used thst copper tang was fine with ich on him until that.

Lost a fmbunch of other salt fish like fire gobies 6 line wrasses those fish i stay away from they just seem fine one dsy then turn lights off and dead for no reason.

The biggest loss i had were my discus fresh water.. i got discus plague a virus thst is near 100% fstal to discus.. the ones thst do get over it are carriers for life and no amount of quarantine can do snything the fish looks healthy and is he just csrries it.

I lost like 20 discus from it in 6 days.... I almost had a heart attack.... i lost my favorite discus recently to a god damn sucker fish who was sucking on him at night.... i was so upset i almost took that sucker fish and stepped on it... but i gave it away to someone.


Recently though my flame hawk i mentioned... that one really hit me.. i named him rodney dangerfield after the comedian... because it looked like him... and he was awsome best personality ever...

I was saying no no no no no no and panicked when i sqe him limp... i was so heart broken..it happend last night.


Im very close to giving up on salt water.... if i csn somejow keep my kole tang and fixface alive and healthy with ich ill be ok... thr otherfish never get it due ti their slime coats.. flame hawk never got ig either. Snd i like thr corals more almost...

Sigh... it sucks man

[alton]

My first fish that I got attached too was a small queen angel my wife bought me for our anniversary that grew and grew. Sounds stupid but i froze him in a zip lock bag and placed him on top in our freezer where I see him for about a year before wife made me through it out. Second fish was a copperband that I kept for 13 years before losing it. I still have no reason to buy another copperband. Some people get really attached to their dogs, I add fish to that list.

[hkgar]

Start by doing TTM for all new fish and at least 2 weeks after that of quarantine. That will help reduce fish death, sure everything ultimately dies but fish can live for several years. You do NOT want to add diseases to your DT.

[AlexR]

Originally Posted by hkgar

Start by doing TTM for all new fish and at least 2 weeks after that of quarantine. That will help reduce fish death, sure everything ultimately dies but fish can live for several years. You do NOT want to add diseases to your DT.

Ich is in just about any tank, no matter how much you do to prevent it. The parasite is dormant until it finds a host it can attach to. Usually a stressed tang.

Anyway that is not why mine is dying. It most likely simply was not going to make it. In my tank or any other.
Another order I received a week earlier was with a flasher wrasse. The wrasse was almost dead and white in color. 2 days later it got its color back and now a few weeks later has fattened up significantly and has even better color then I could have hoped for. The wrasse is eating just about everything I throw at it.

I understand death is a part of this hobby. It’s still never easy. And no matter how much you try to prevent it - it happens.

[lionfish300]

Alex, I have heard that Naso Tang is hard to keep even by the most experience. I was lucking to have keep one from juvy this thing came in light tan and white ugly at it can be. Two plus years later it changed to one of the most beautiful fish with streamers and colorful

[Bary]

When I'm responsible for caretaking a living creature and it dies I take it seriously and feel pretty bad about it.

[Dmorty217]

I'm not one for naming fish but it bothers me when I lose a fish. You put a lot of time,effort and money into this hobby and its heartbreaking to see it all come crashing down in a fraction of the time that you had invested.

[AlexR]

Originally Posted by Dmorty217

I'm not one for naming fish but it bothers me when I lose a fish. You put a lot of time,effort and money into this hobby and its heartbreaking to see it all come crashing down in a fraction of the time that you had invested.

My kids name all the fish.
I let them know to wait at least 2-3 weeks before naming them.
Never know.

[AlexR]

I must say tho. For all the deaths can can occur, the feeling of having a healthy and happy looking fish is all worth the aggravation and sadness of deaths.

[dkeller_nc]

Originally Posted by AlexR

Ich is in just about any tank, no matter how much you do to prevent it. The parasite is dormant until it finds a host it can attach to. Usually a stressed tang.

That's false, but unfortunately a really common misperception in the hobby. And sadly, consolidation in the wholesaler side of the saltwater fish hobby means that there's a lot more disease to deal with than there was 15 years ago.

[AlexR]

Originally Posted by dkeller_nc

That's false, but unfortunately a really common misperception in the hobby. And sadly, consolidation in the wholesaler side of the saltwater fish hobby means that there's a lot more disease to deal with than there was 15 years ago.

Well whatever the case may be, thank goodness I’ve never had to deal with ich.
My power brown tang looks amazing and is eating everything I throw at it.

Hope it stays that way.

[SereneAquatic]

Our second fish purchase ever was a flame angel. I fell in love with it, but it refused to eat much. We watched it slowly starve over the course of about 6 weeks while doing everything we could to help it. By the time it died, I was a wreck. I still can't bring myself to buy another one, but maybe some day.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[PCguy21]

flame angels went up in price, so did a few other fish i noticed.. they were 60 in petco now 65$.. I had one for like 4 months then i went on vacation and my friend killed it somehow.. im not sure how exactly.. i just havent got myself to buy another one, i probably will if i make my move to my 135g tank.

[hkgar]

Originally Posted by dkeller_nc

That's false, but unfortunately a really common misperception in the hobby. And sadly, consolidation in the wholesaler side of the saltwater fish hobby means that there's a lot more disease to deal with than there was 15 years ago.

Just how does consolidation mean more disease?

[AlexR]

My bengai cardinal was found dead today.
Had that fish for going on 5 years.

[Uncle99]

Originally Posted by dkeller_nc

That's false, but unfortunately a really common misperception in the hobby. And sadly, consolidation in the wholesaler side of the saltwater fish hobby means that there's a lot more disease to deal with than there was 15 years ago.

Good for you!
100% correct.
It may be the most common....

[laverda]

Originally Posted by AlexR

My bengai cardinal was found dead today.
Had that fish for going on 5 years.

That is the problem with not quarantining new arrivals. One fish brings in something and now fish you have had for years are dying. Which fish will be next? No fish go into my display without spending 90 days in my qt first. It really is just a small 50gallon reef tank so I can make sure they are healty first. Much better to lose there than risk the 23 fish in my main tank. I have 1 clown that is over 25 years in my care. Her mate is 2 years younger. My sailfin tang I have had for 24 years. My yellow tang is older although I have had it only 23 years myself. Previous owner said it was 4 years old when I got it naking it 27 years old.

[AlexR]

Originally Posted by laverda

That is the problem with not quarantining new arrivals. One fish brings in something and now fish you have had for years are dying. Which fish will be next? No fish go into my display without spending 90 days in my qt first. It really is just a small 50gallon reef tank so I can make sure they are healty first. Much better to lose there than risk the 23 fish in my main tank. I have 1 clown that is over 25 years in my care. Her mate is 2 years younger. My sailfin tang I have had for 24 years. My yellow tang is older although I have had it only 23 years myself. Previous owner said it was 4 years old when I got it naking it 27 years old.

This has nothing to do with quarantining or not. Although it can for other situations.
I rarely add new fish. Very rarely.

I just looked up the lifespan of the bengai cardinal. Mine was about 5 years in my tank and who knows how old when I got him.
Their lifespan in the wild is about 2 years. In captivity they can live longer but up to around 4 years. So I feel good about giving this fish a nice long life.

[bosshog]

If you’ve got livestock you’ll have dead stock, that’s what my grandfather told me decades ago. Cows, pigs, chickens, fish, feel bad and carry on. Death is a fact of life.