A BAT died and decomposed in my tank for 4 days

[Renmarie93]

I kid you not, can't make this stuff up. Had a 2 bat fiasco in my house 4 days ago. Got the first one to fly out the front door but after hours of searching couldn't find the second.. until just now. It was floating in a back chamber of my 50 gal Waterbox AIO. Which means it died and decomposed for 4 entire days in my water. It smelled rancid but appeared to still be intact for the most part. Coincidentally I just setup a small UV sterilizer in that very same chamber earlier today. What do I even do? A huge water change? Do I need to worry about rabies virus in the water? Has anyone ever seen a clownfish with rabies??

 

[Doctorgori]

Wow, whats up with all the bats in your house? Do I need to send “Wesley Snipes” over?
…my vote is water change using “Holy Water”

 

[Fishy888]

Rabies, even if it could survive in saltwater, needs mammalian hosts. I think your fine just doing a water change, especially if your animals look normal.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Very gross, but probably not worse for the tank than a similarly sized dead fish.

 

[His Coral Highness]

Throw garlic in the tank just in case. You don’t want vampire clownfish

 

[Koh23]

Holly water, garlic, and instead carbon, cross in reactor with high flow.

 

[twentyleagues]

Throw garlic in the tank just in case. You don’t want vampire clownfish

Vampire clownfish! now that's scary! Sharknado move over something worse is coming down the pipe line.

 

[randomfishdude]

I would be terrified to put my hand in the tank if there was a rapid clownfish.

 

[billyocean]

 

[1112-425XL]

Not Fun! Probably nothing a water change can't cure.
But the jokes could last a while.

 

[StatelineReefer]

There's a Bruce Wayne joke here somewhere.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Just when you think you’ve heard it all…

 

[fishguy242]

Water change should do it ...
Holy Bats Batman...

 

[rennjidk]

Can't even have empty sump chambers nowadays without a Spirit Halloween moving in...smh

 

[Dom]

I kid you not, can't make this stuff up. Had a 2 bat fiasco in my house 4 days ago. Got the first one to fly out the front door but after hours of searching couldn't find the second.. until just now. It was floating in a back chamber of my 50 gal Waterbox AIO. Which means it died and decomposed for 4 entire days in my water. It smelled rancid but appeared to still be intact for the most part. Coincidentally I just setup a small UV sterilizer in that very same chamber earlier today. What do I even do? A huge water change? Do I need to worry about rabies virus in the water? Has anyone ever seen a clownfish with rabies??

Maybe a healthy water change, but I wouldn't worry too much. Fish die in tanks all the time and sometimes, those fish are not retrievable. The nitrifying bacteria colony will take care of that. And rabies won't be an issue.

 

[Troylee]

Water change and carbon! Bat wishes to you!

 

[blaxsun]

 

[revhtree]

I’ve heard of batfish before but never….



Ps. Some great info already given in the thread about maybe running some carbon and a water change.

 

[StatelineReefer]

I’ve heard of batfish before but never….



Ps. Some great info already given in the thread about maybe running some carbon and a water change.

And maybe find how these bats are getting in, and stopping that, because prevention is the best step.

 

[revhtree]

And maybe find how these bats are getting in, and stopping that, because prevention is the best step.

Yes!!! My wife would have a melt down!