Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => The Emergency Room => Topic started by: adenann on January 07, 2017, 06:25:53 PM

Title: Unexpected Demise
Post by: adenann on January 07, 2017, 06:25:53 PM
Hello All  :wave:

Up until this afternoon, everything has been going swimmingly ( :rotfl: ) with our tank so I've had no need to post anything but .....

I always have a roll-call every morning at feeding time and today was no different from any other.  All present and correct and looking fit and healthy.

When I came to do the weekly water change this afternoon, one of the Gourami was out of the water, lying on top of a piece of plant décor that was above the water level.  She (I think it was a she) was just about breathing but, when I put her back in the water, had lost all balance control and swam lethargically around on one side.  After about half an hour she just gave up and died :(.

Attached are a couple of photos.  One showing that, on the side that was uppermost and totally out of the water when I found her, there was a quite raised red mark.  The other photo shows that her other side looked perfectly normal.

Quite early on, 1st December, we had a Gourami that was a bit of a jumper and got in the pump housing and drowned.

I'm not sure if this latest one was part of a bit of chasing around that I noticed yesterday.  I have more or less discounted this as I've seen it before and, in the past, after a couple of days everything calms down again.

Could it be that she jumped out of the water and got caught between the décor and the top of the tank and then got burnt by the lights?  Otherwise I've no explanation as to why this one died so suddenly after being OK this morning.

The remaining four Gourami and all our other stock look fine, for now.

Water parameters are all OK; NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 20 (Quite good for round here as off-the-tap it runs about 30-40), pH 7.5 and CL2 0.

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what might have gone wrong with the little feller-ess?
Title: Re: Unexpected Demise
Post by: Sue on January 07, 2017, 06:43:39 PM
Most fish will jump if startled, so it could well be that something surprised this particular fish and as you speculate, it could have jumped into a position where it couldn't get back into the water.

The photos don't look like a sick fish. I'd be inclined to just put it down to being spooked, something that could happen to any fish. A couple of weeks ago I found a dried up hengel's rasbora on the floor which must have jumped out during a water change  :(
Title: Re: Unexpected Demise
Post by: fcmf on January 07, 2017, 07:19:12 PM
Very sorry to read about this. :'(

Like Sue, I think the fish looks healthy. I suspect this is most likely an injury either incurred through the chasing - I had a tetra which got stuck behind the filter and I'm almost certain that this must have taken place during the frenzied chasing/mating episodes despite this not having happened in the previous 21 months - or afterwards when she landed into the position you found her in, perhaps hitting herself off the lights. By the time of her getting back into the water, either this may have had an effect on her swimbladder or nervous system or possibly the injured area impaired her ability to use her fin on that side.
Title: Re: Unexpected Demise
Post by: adenann on January 07, 2017, 07:56:17 PM
Thanks @Sue & @fcmf

The speed with which this all happened had got me puzzled as to how this could be down to sickness.

I'll just have to be especially vigilant for the next few days and hope this was a one -off.
Title: Re: Unexpected Demise
Post by: fcmf on January 07, 2017, 08:07:13 PM
It really doesn't sound as though it was sickness.

Having said that, as Sue will tell you from her extensive experience, some fish can be very good at hiding their illness so as to keep it hidden from predators and the rest of the shoal who may try to attack it for being the weakest and potentially putting them in a vulnerable position in the event of predators. I don't think this was the case here, though. Fish can also recuperate quickly almost as though nothing was ever wrong. Like humans, they can seem to be on the mend from being gravely ill, then suddenly die - a reason why I always recommend being cautious and not breathing a sigh of relief too soon.
Title: Re: Unexpected Demise
Post by: Littlefish on January 07, 2017, 09:31:48 PM
@adenann sorry to hear about the unexpected demise.
Jumpy fish are something that make me a bit nervous, especially in my planted tanks where it is not always easy to count the inhabitants. I keep a very close eye on my silver hatchets, what with them being specifically designed for it.
Unfortuanately sometimes these things happen, and with the best will in the world, it can't always be stopped. It is also quite frustrating when fish perish and you can't get to the bottom of the reason for it. Again, sometimes these things happen, although it doesn't make it any less sad.
I hope that this was a one off demise and I hope that the rest of your fishy friends are all doing well and remain healthy.