Dead firefish :(

VReeftanks · 10/06/2017, 08:40 AM

Hi guys
So I had a Firefish die today which was very unfortunate and he/she was one of my favourite fish. Im very confused as the fish had been in the aquarium for around 5 months and was eating fine, I did found however that the past couple of weeks that it had been hiding more than usual only occasionally coming out for food every once in a while so I was slightly worried but when it came out it still looked healthy so i assumed it was just being shy. The only critters in the tank are 1 red legged hermit crab, 2 Percula Clowns both of which are fairy large, and 1 Royale gramma which is also rather large. When first added the Firefish did suffer from some bullying from the royal gramma however that stopped after around 2 weeks then it left it alone. Im very baffled of why and how it died my levels are all in a good range and the fish showed no sign of disease. I found it with its stomach missing as if it had been eaten.

Any suggestions on how it could've died would be very welcome as Im rather confused atm.

dublo8 · 10/06/2017, 12:56 PM

Firefish are the only fish that I have had trouble with. I have been in this hobby for a very long time and it's the only fish that I can't keep for an extended period of time. It always seems to be a random death as well.

slief · 10/06/2017, 01:00 PM

I stopped buying fire fish years ago because I've never had long term success with them despite having a very healthy and well fed 700 gallon system that has been up and running since 1997.. I have no issues with any other fish but I've always found fire fish to be a tough fish to keep long term.

xCry0x · 10/06/2017, 01:30 PM

Ditto with firefish -- my gut is that they are easily stressed and it eventually wears them down and they die.

The times I see them the happiest is when they are the -only- fish in the tank. Or the other fish is also a particularly docile fish, such as a mandarine.

The 2 fire fish I had both hid the majority of the day. The one that hid the most died first followed by the second relatively shortly after.

VReeftanks · 10/06/2017, 02:50 PM

Ah ok I see, it seems that Firefish can be a bit finicky then. Ill steer clear of them for now then.
Thanks for the reply's guys.

chem-e · 10/07/2017, 12:26 AM

It was probably your royal gramma that picked on it. I've gone thru 2 firefishes that died from my tailspot blenny. I would've never thought that the tailspot would be a bully but it just had a thing for fire fish. Once something bullies it, the fire fish stresses out and isn't able to eat.

10/06/2017, 08:40 AM	#1
VReeftanks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 4	Dead firefish :( Hi guys So I had a Firefish die today which was very unfortunate and he/she was one of my favourite fish. Im very confused as the fish had been in the aquarium for around 5 months and was eating fine, I did found however that the past couple of weeks that it had been hiding more than usual only occasionally coming out for food every once in a while so I was slightly worried but when it came out it still looked healthy so i assumed it was just being shy. The only critters in the tank are 1 red legged hermit crab, 2 Percula Clowns both of which are fairy large, and 1 Royale gramma which is also rather large. When first added the Firefish did suffer from some bullying from the royal gramma however that stopped after around 2 weeks then it left it alone. Im very baffled of why and how it died my levels are all in a good range and the fish showed no sign of disease. I found it with its stomach missing as if it had been eaten. Any suggestions on how it could've died would be very welcome as Im rather confused atm.

10/06/2017, 12:56 PM	#2
dublo8 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Morgan Hill, Ca Posts: 3,225	Firefish are the only fish that I have had trouble with. I have been in this hobby for a very long time and it's the only fish that I can't keep for an extended period of time. It always seems to be a random death as well. __________________ 10g IM fusion. Zoa and SPS dominant, Apex monitored, Ai Prime, MP10, sicce return.

10/06/2017, 01:00 PM	#3
slief RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 14,173	I stopped buying fire fish years ago because I've never had long term success with them despite having a very healthy and well fed 700 gallon system that has been up and running since 1997.. I have no issues with any other fish but I've always found fire fish to be a tough fish to keep long term. __________________ Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476

10/06/2017, 01:30 PM	#4
xCry0x Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Martinez, CA Posts: 1,116	Ditto with firefish -- my gut is that they are easily stressed and it eventually wears them down and they die. The times I see them the happiest is when they are the -only- fish in the tank. Or the other fish is also a particularly docile fish, such as a mandarine. The 2 fire fish I had both hid the majority of the day. The one that hid the most died first followed by the second relatively shortly after. __________________ Red Sea Max 250

10/07/2017, 12:26 AM	#6
chem-e Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1,350	It was probably your royal gramma that picked on it. I've gone thru 2 firefishes that died from my tailspot blenny. I would've never thought that the tailspot would be a bully but it just had a thing for fire fish. Once something bullies it, the fire fish stresses out and isn't able to eat. __________________ "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: Elos [~] 70 powered by Profilux

10/06/2017, 02:50 PM	#5
VReeftanks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 4	Ah ok I see, it seems that Firefish can be a bit finicky then. Ill steer clear of them for now then. Thanks for the reply's guys.