Dead fish question

babarney · 05/12/2010, 09:34 AM

I have a friend who took down his saltwater tank recently. He had two yellowtail damsels that he was just going to flush down the toilet so I took them from him and put them in my new tank as I figured they would help with my cycle and since they are hardy they might survive the cycle (I know many of you think this is cruel, but he was just going to flush them and I thought I would at least give them a chance to survive). Well one fish died after a few days and I took him out. The other fish was still alive but was not looking so hot. Now it's been almost almost a week since I have seen the fish so I'm sure it's dead but I can't find the carcass anywhere. I moved some rock around and still can't find him. I know these little fish had some good hiding spots because I could hardly ever find them when they were hiding in the rocks. I looked around the tank and under furniture to make sure he didn't jump out and still no luck. Will this spike my ammonia through the roof? Any suggestions on how to find the fish?

jdthomas24 · 05/12/2010, 09:49 AM

if there is wholes in the rock it may have gone in them to die. cleaners wrasses in my tank do that.

Shane Hoffman · 05/12/2010, 09:53 AM

Unless the damsel was very large the body will rot away in a few days. IMO a damsel dying in a large tank (125 plus) wouldnt cause a spike. If its in a new 50ish or less you may see a spike in amonia. I wouldnt worry about finding it. Just let your cycle run it course and dont add anymore fish until ammonia is back at 0 for a few days.

sedor · 05/12/2010, 09:57 AM

Agreed, the fish dying were probably a mixture of the poor care your friend provided, and the environment of a brand new cycling tank. I would hold off on any new fish until the cycle has finished (6 weeks) or your going to become discouraged very early on in this hobby.

babarney · 05/12/2010, 10:03 AM

I wasn't planning on adding fish for at least a month and after my ammonia and nitrite readings were down to 0 for at least a week. The only reason I added these was because he was going to flush them and I've heard of people cycling their tanks with these fish before. My paramaters were ammonia- .75, trites- 0, and trates- 0 on Sunday. I'll check them again tonight to see if those have changed since then. The fish was small, probably about 3/4 of and inch to an inch in size. Thanks for the responses.

05/12/2010, 09:34 AM	#1
babarney Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 126	Dead fish question I have a friend who took down his saltwater tank recently. He had two yellowtail damsels that he was just going to flush down the toilet so I took them from him and put them in my new tank as I figured they would help with my cycle and since they are hardy they might survive the cycle (I know many of you think this is cruel, but he was just going to flush them and I thought I would at least give them a chance to survive). Well one fish died after a few days and I took him out. The other fish was still alive but was not looking so hot. Now it's been almost almost a week since I have seen the fish so I'm sure it's dead but I can't find the carcass anywhere. I moved some rock around and still can't find him. I know these little fish had some good hiding spots because I could hardly ever find them when they were hiding in the rocks. I looked around the tank and under furniture to make sure he didn't jump out and still no luck. Will this spike my ammonia through the roof? Any suggestions on how to find the fish?

05/12/2010, 09:53 AM	#3
Shane Hoffman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: 45 mins from Chicago Posts: 2,009	Unless the damsel was very large the body will rot away in a few days. IMO a damsel dying in a large tank (125 plus) wouldnt cause a spike. If its in a new 50ish or less you may see a spike in amonia. I wouldnt worry about finding it. Just let your cycle run it course and dont add anymore fish until ammonia is back at 0 for a few days. __________________ A wise man once said "Never play leap frog with a unicorn" Current Tank Info: 150 gallon glass with 20 gallon sump, 175lbs of coraline covered live rock, EuroReef skimmer rated for 250gal, 25watt Aqua UV sterilizer, Fluval FX5, Hamilton 3x250watt MH, 160 watt Blue actinic....Mixed reef

05/12/2010, 09:57 AM	#4
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	Agreed, the fish dying were probably a mixture of the poor care your friend provided, and the environment of a brand new cycling tank. I would hold off on any new fish until the cycle has finished (6 weeks) or your going to become discouraged very early on in this hobby. __________________ Ryan

05/12/2010, 10:03 AM	#5
babarney Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 126	I wasn't planning on adding fish for at least a month and after my ammonia and nitrite readings were down to 0 for at least a week. The only reason I added these was because he was going to flush them and I've heard of people cycling their tanks with these fish before. My paramaters were ammonia- .75, trites- 0, and trates- 0 on Sunday. I'll check them again tonight to see if those have changed since then. The fish was small, probably about 3/4 of and inch to an inch in size. Thanks for the responses. Last edited by babarney; 05/12/2010 at 10:23 AM.

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05/12/2010, 09:49 AM	#2
jdthomas24 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Rockwall, Texas Posts: 852	if there is wholes in the rock it may have gone in them to die. cleaners wrasses in my tank do that.