Sadness over death of fish.

pseudorand

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It's good we feel sad when our fish dies -- that's how we know we are still human. This is a cruel hobby. Not a one of us has avoided killing a few fish. Feeling bad is what motivates me to do whatever it takes to figure out why, and to do my best not to repeat my mistake.

What makes me sick is the people who just buy a new fish every few months (or weeks) when the last one died because they put no effort into even trying to learn why it died.

At some level it's the same thing. The fish doesn't much care of you feel bad, he's dead either way. But I think it does matter that we care, we feed bad, we recognizing that we directly cause the suffering of other things by participating in the hobby and we do our best to avoid it.

If you ever stop feeling sad when something in your tank dies, it's time to quit the hobby.
 

footgal

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Hey, I’m so sorry for the loss of your fish. I recently lost a cherub angel that I’d had since he was a baby. It was very sudden and completely unexpected, I was shattered and I’m still trying to cope with the loss. He was under a year old and had just reached full maturity, I loved that fish and he was such a great tankmate to all my other critters. I love angelfish, and it broke my heart to come home to a dead fish that had been eating and looking perfect just that morning before I went to school.

I’m sorry for the loss of your fish, just know that it absolutely was not your fault. You didn’t know any better and the LFS steered you the wrong way to make a sale with the dottyback. The guy stacking your rocks was careless which led to the death of the goby, none of that was your fault and you’re taking responsibility anyway which I applaud. I suggest that you do some research and start maintaining the tank on your own, so you are 100% in control of everything. I also believe that this leads to more appreciation of the tank. Restack the rocks so they are very stable, use epoxy like coralcrete if needed. Do your own, extensive, research on a fish before buying it. I’m sure your LFS wouldn’t mind putting a fish on hold for you for a day or two while you research. I’m glad you’re taking matters into your own hands to be better for your fish and that you’re upset about deaths. It shows that you really care. Happy reefing, and good luck!
 

blaxsun

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Everything I put in my tank is already "dead"; I'm just paying to rent the view for an indeterminate time. Sometimes even despite herculean efforts, following any guidance down to a tee and hours and hours of research - crap just happens.

As I posted elsewhere, this year has been an absolute clusterf*ck in terms of obtaining quality fish. Many don't even survive the trip from the distributor to the local store (I've heard horror stories of upwards of 3/4s of fish dying on shipments this year) - and this is before you acclimate, introduce to your new tank mates, etc.

So don't beat yourself up too much - even the experts are having a tough go this year...
 

jesspal

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I feel bad but it doesn't bother me much. I do my best to properly treat them and make sure they are fat and happy. Unfortunately it doesn't always work out that way.
 

Rickybobby

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I hate losing fish. So if I had say a blenny pass. I buy another one eventually and name it after the passed one and carry on the legacy. I have really stepped up my qt regime now to the best of my ability but sometimes it still does happen I want nothing but the best for my animals and I miss the ones that died in my care
 
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