Dead fish in the rock work...

rbryn · 11/12/2014, 10:10 AM

Sooo I have a quandary... had a blue Chromis die and get stuck deep in the rock work. There is no human way possible to retrieve this corpse without tearing apart all the rock work (about 80lbs of liverock) and disturbing everything. Do I leave it and let the CUC feast on it and hope the tank will regulate everything or tear all the rock work apart.

Tank Specs (water quality measured this morning)
Newly cycled 120gl
40gl sump
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5

3dees · 11/12/2014, 10:38 AM

I lost a royal gramma in my 120. never saw where it died. my cuc did the job. a small fish in a 120 shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep up on your wc's.

ReefKeep66 · 11/12/2014, 10:39 AM

How long has it already been dead in there? You might see a little spike in ammoina. But then again, a small chromis in a 120g might not cause too much of a problem.

Nina51 · 11/12/2014, 10:39 AM

go have a cup of coffee. by the time you get back, your cuc will have full tummies.

toothybugs · 11/12/2014, 10:56 AM

Wouldn't worry about it. I had a trio of fish pass away from a bum heater a few weeks ago and I never saw a spike in anything. CUC did the job fast.

There's a good chance by the time you read this you'll have less than half a fish left anyway.

cloak · 11/12/2014, 11:26 AM

Like mentioned above, your CUC will probably dispose of the body, but you might want to use a power head and see if you can dislodge the corpse first.
I would much rather remove anything that has died than just leave it there, CUC or not.

lagatbezan · 11/12/2014, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cloak

Like mentioned above, your CUC will probably dispose of the body, but you might want to use a power head and see if you can dislodge the corpse first.
I would much rather remove anything that has died than just leave it there, CUC or not.

+1.
Personally my main concern would be why the fish died in the first place.

gone fishin · 11/12/2014, 11:05 PM

You should be fine. But, if at all possible I try to remove them.

TwistedMind · 11/13/2014, 05:19 AM

Same problem, wife texted me telling me my potters angelfish wasn't looking so hot, 6 hours later she texted me saying he was dead and stuck in the rocks with no way to retrieve. 3 hours later I got home, checked where he died and my clean up crew was going to town on him.

Suck I lost a 80 dollar fish, but my clean up crew made short work of him, he was nothing but bones this morning. I'll monitor ammonia for the next few days but I'm notnotworried. I lost a fat blue reef chromis couldn't find his corpse and I only registered a .25 ppm ammonia spike that was gone 12 hours later. You have built a ecosystem, now let it work for you.

MiracleFish · 11/13/2014, 05:33 PM

I lost a yellow headed watchman in my 6g... Yeah.. Lost.. I havent found his skeleton either yet LOL

Phosphates read .05ppm

Nitrates read 0ppm

I don't worry about anything. Tank runs on its own.

kmbyrnes · 11/15/2014, 05:49 AM

Sorry for your loss, but I doubt it will cause water issues.
I recently lost some fish during a tank move. Yesterday I found the full skeleton of my large Clarkii stuck against the powerhead intake. Not a bit of flesh left on the it.
No ammonia spike.

Teenreefer15 · 11/15/2014, 09:44 AM

This shouldn't be a problem, your CUC should clear it up within a day or two.

11/12/2014, 10:10 AM	#1
rbryn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 18	Dead fish in the rock work... Sooo I have a quandary... had a blue Chromis die and get stuck deep in the rock work. There is no human way possible to retrieve this corpse without tearing apart all the rock work (about 80lbs of liverock) and disturbing everything. Do I leave it and let the CUC feast on it and hope the tank will regulate everything or tear all the rock work apart. Tank Specs (water quality measured this morning) Newly cycled 120gl 40gl sump Ammonia 0 Nitrites 0 Nitrates 5

11/12/2014, 10:39 AM	#4
Nina51 biggliest cofveve champ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 5th floor, Illinois, gewgaw expert Posts: 3,506	go have a cup of coffee. by the time you get back, your cuc will have full tummies. __________________ of all the things i've lost, i miss my gary the most. Never hold your farts in. They travel up your spine into your brain, and that is where crappy ideas come from. Current Tank Info: i gave my reef away and i feel like a bird out of a cage!!

11/12/2014, 11:05 PM	#8
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	You should be fine. But, if at all possible I try to remove them. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

11/15/2014, 05:49 AM	#11
kmbyrnes Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Mesa AZ Posts: 2,055	Sorry for your loss, but I doubt it will cause water issues. I recently lost some fish during a tank move. Yesterday I found the full skeleton of my large Clarkii stuck against the powerhead intake. Not a bit of flesh left on the it. No ammonia spike. __________________ 125g Mixed Reef 5/26/2015; 350 Butterfly Dominated FOWLR 11/26/2015 - 11/17/20217 & 07/31/18 to ??? ; 100g Mixed Reef 11/16/2013 to 06/16/2017 Current Tank Info: Too small

11/12/2014, 10:38 AM	#2
3dees Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chicago burbs Posts: 793	I lost a royal gramma in my 120. never saw where it died. my cuc did the job. a small fish in a 120 shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep up on your wc's.

11/12/2014, 10:39 AM	#3
ReefKeep66 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: The great state of Georgia Posts: 549	How long has it already been dead in there? You might see a little spike in ammoina. But then again, a small chromis in a 120g might not cause too much of a problem.

11/12/2014, 10:56 AM	#5
toothybugs In Memoriam Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: The smallest county in Illinois Posts: 1,986	Wouldn't worry about it. I had a trio of fish pass away from a bum heater a few weeks ago and I never saw a spike in anything. CUC did the job fast. There's a good chance by the time you read this you'll have less than half a fish left anyway.

11/12/2014, 11:26 AM	#6
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Like mentioned above, your CUC will probably dispose of the body, but you might want to use a power head and see if you can dislodge the corpse first. I would much rather remove anything that has died than just leave it there, CUC or not.

11/13/2014, 05:19 AM	#9
TwistedMind Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 122	Same problem, wife texted me telling me my potters angelfish wasn't looking so hot, 6 hours later she texted me saying he was dead and stuck in the rocks with no way to retrieve. 3 hours later I got home, checked where he died and my clean up crew was going to town on him. Suck I lost a 80 dollar fish, but my clean up crew made short work of him, he was nothing but bones this morning. I'll monitor ammonia for the next few days but I'm notnotworried. I lost a fat blue reef chromis couldn't find his corpse and I only registered a .25 ppm ammonia spike that was gone 12 hours later. You have built a ecosystem, now let it work for you.

11/13/2014, 05:33 PM	#10
MiracleFish Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 307	I lost a yellow headed watchman in my 6g... Yeah.. Lost.. I havent found his skeleton either yet LOL Phosphates read .05ppm Nitrates read 0ppm I don't worry about anything. Tank runs on its own.

11/15/2014, 09:44 AM	#12
Teenreefer15 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: New Jersey Posts: 479	This shouldn't be a problem, your CUC should clear it up within a day or two.