How do you deal with fish death?
- Thread starter AlexR
- Start date
laverda
Well-known member
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
Premium Member
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.
swhobbie1
New member
I have learned a lot over the years with this hobby but recently learned that like designing technology solutions it is a very good idea to build redundancies in our reefs. I did a WC. Before going to bed I was thinking how beautiful the tank looked that night. Next morning I get up, then realize one by one every fish in my tank is dead. I had them for 3 to 15 years , all dead. I’m not sure what caused it - either a contaminant in the boxed ocean water I used or perhaps the PH was very high leading to ammonia or something. I realized my Apex looked like it was working but was not doing any alerts- no audible, no email, no txt so no warning of a problem. I promptly bought a seneye monitor which duplicates some of what my apex does but also alerts for ammonia. Had tanks for decades and never had this problem. Never want to wake up to that sight again. I put a $5k generator on my house for that 15 year old clownfish I started back into the hobby with. Never like to see a fish die but some are more special than others.
laverda
Well-known member
I don't know where you are getting your information but I have a Bengai Cardinal that is 11 years old and still very healthy. I have 4 fish 22-27 years old currently. When fish die of old age you can see it coming they start looking like an old fish. They slow down, lose weight, their colors fade and their fins become tattered. It does not happen overnight, if you are paying attenion to their condition. I have a wrasse that is going through it now. It looks like an old fish! It still eats and I make sure it gets extra food, but I know it will not be around in a month or two and I will be sad.
AlexR
Premium Member
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
i would be skeptical of that information.
honestly, i think many of the estimates we see for fish longevity are based on poor husbandry, or not knowing how old the fish you got was.
i know some clownfish and tangs old enough to graduate from college, and even allegedly fragile fish like Orange Spotted Filefish (Oxymonacanthus longirostris) should live at least 4 or 5 years in captivity.
AlexR
Premium Member
Unlike many other species of marine fish, the Banggai cardinalfish lacks a planktonic stage in its life history. The species has a short lifespan, reaching around 4 years in optimal conditions in captivity, and perhaps 1 to 2 years in the wild.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banggai_cardinalfish#Ecology
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banggai_cardinalfish#Ecology
MondoBongo
Obligate Feeder Obsessed
yeah, i read the link. the information is not exactly hard to find.
but i'm still highly skeptical of it. in fact, i've never seen any information on how those longevity statistics were collected. were they actual studies? if so, what were their controls? how did they identify and track individuals? how did they account for their variables?
i tend to think most of those estimates are about 15 - 20% lower than they should be.
-edit- i tried to hit their citation link, but it 404s.
AlexR
Premium Member
While I tend to agree with you.
This makes me feel better about the fish's death so I'll go with it.
My live stock was added a couple months ago.
The cardinal was acting sluggish for a little while, about a week or so.
At times is looked weak. But was still eating good.
Then i found it jammed inside a crevice like it got stuck there, where it was dead.
laverda
Well-known member
Clearly that info is wrong as both mine are much older with my female being 11 years in my care and still looking good. She eas fully grown when I got her so probably 12 years old. My best guess is my name is at least 7 years old. I know other people yhat have had them 6+7 years as well.
reret10
New member
I once won a goldfish at the school carnival in 1st grade. Being a kid, I kept him in a big bowl with a bunch of plants. I had that fish for 13 years and it died 2 days after I graduated high school. I'm not too emotional of a person but I think I cried more that day than any other time in my life. Something about marking the end of my childhood and such.
I also have a Bangaii Cardinal that's at least 6 years old so they have to live a bit longer than that!
I also have a Bangaii Cardinal that's at least 6 years old so they have to live a bit longer than that!
This might be a bit off topic, but I was wondering if anyone found it very odd and sad at the same time that we engage in a conversation about Fish Grieving, but no one talks about the children all over the world dying because they don't have food, medicine, shelter. Etc. Maybe my visits to Ukrainian Orphananges, while being valiantly run for almost nothing have changed my view.
But let's get back to earth. Do you propose to shed a tear for a fish you bought causing it to be recklessly plucked from the ocean to be sold you and others. You SHOULD have cried the day you bought it, because that is effectively when you sentanced it to death.
But I am still in the hobby in a new way.
1-Man made rock or substitute (anything except actual harvested live rock)
2-Captive bread fish only.
3-Only commercially grown corals and frags. Frag and share as many as you can to keep the DNA cooking.
I feel much better doing it this way.
But let's get back to earth. Do you propose to shed a tear for a fish you bought causing it to be recklessly plucked from the ocean to be sold you and others. You SHOULD have cried the day you bought it, because that is effectively when you sentanced it to death.
But I am still in the hobby in a new way.
1-Man made rock or substitute (anything except actual harvested live rock)
2-Captive bread fish only.
3-Only commercially grown corals and frags. Frag and share as many as you can to keep the DNA cooking.
I feel much better doing it this way.
AlexR
Premium Member
Some people (like me) enjoy this hobby to get their minds off of other things. That's what hobbies tend to be for for some people.
Usually responsible adults who already have a ton on their plate to deal with.
Throwing guilt trips around saying a pet your responsible for should not be thought about because children are dying and people are starving is ridiculous imo.
Just saying. Your post is totally uncalled for and is just plain wrong in a hobbyist forum for salt water aquarium hobbyists.
Usually responsible adults who already have a ton on their plate to deal with.
Throwing guilt trips around saying a pet your responsible for should not be thought about because children are dying and people are starving is ridiculous imo.
Just saying. Your post is totally uncalled for and is just plain wrong in a hobbyist forum for salt water aquarium hobbyists.
hkgar
Active member
+1
I tend to not get attached to the fish I keep. I also no longer name them (which my wife thinks is weird since they are our pets).
I think it's because I worked at a local fish store for 14 years of my life and I saw lots of fish die during my time there. Cleaning out the dead fish from the tanks every morning before the store opened was just another part of the job so I guess it sort of numbed me to fish deaths as it was a daily occurrence.
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