what did this to my firefish??

CrossXchaos

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 27, 2021
Messages
83
Reaction score
88
Location
Ontario
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Could have been a number of things. Bacterial infection from a small nip can kill fish rather quickly or gash from a rock during a chase really to many possible scenarios. Keep in mind that some fish species that have been weakened by infection or illness will hide intill they die or recover. Sorry for the loss
 

Gtinnel

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2020
Messages
21,075
Reaction score
29,650
Location
Charleston, WV
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The odds that it went from perfectly healthy and fine for months to be killed by the clown without you seeing signs of aggression (nipped fins, etc) seems incredibly low. It's not uncommon in this hobby for things to die with no obvious reason. For example I had all of the fish in my 125g tank die within about 2 hours once. All went from seemingly health to dead within 2 hours. To this day I have no clue why.
 
OP
OP
maleks.reef

maleks.reef

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
804
Reaction score
424
Location
United Arab Emirates
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Could have been a number of things. Bacterial infection from a small nip can kill fish rather quickly or gash from a rock during a chase really to many possible scenarios. Keep in mind that some fish species that have been weakened by infection or illness will hide intill they die or recover. Sorry for the loss
I did do a massive clean up the other day, right before it disappeared. I was cleaning the rocks by hand and brushing them, during which i kind of moved the rock that the firefish hides under, could I have squished it or trapped it until it died? Or do you think it would've been able to escape?
 
OP
OP
maleks.reef

maleks.reef

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
804
Reaction score
424
Location
United Arab Emirates
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The odds that it went from perfectly healthy and fine for months to be killed by the clown without you seeing signs of aggression (nipped fins, etc) seems incredibly low. It's not uncommon in this hobby for things to die with no obvious reason. For example I had all of the fish in my 125g tank die within about 2 hours once. All went from seemingly health to dead within 2 hours. To this day I have no clue why.
dang, that sucks. Im very frustrated that i lost 1 fish, cant imagine losing all of them..
The same thing happened to me but with my euphillia. Although i think it is because of rust now.
 

blaxsun

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2020
Messages
26,709
Reaction score
31,131
Location
The Abyss
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not entirely true. GFO is basically rust.
I'm talking about the kind you get from neglecting your equipment, both the direct (definitely not good from an equipment standpoint) and indirect (potential harm to the tank). I've seen situations where a single rusty pump took out an entire coral system.
 

NowGlazeIT

Happy to help, Ask away.
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Messages
6,119
Reaction score
11,438
Location
Coachella Valley
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm talking about the kind you get from neglecting your equipment, both the direct (definitely not good from an equipment standpoint) and indirect (potential harm to the tank). I've seen situations where a single rusty pump took out an entire coral system.
Correct, GFO is pure iron oxide, steel rusting hinges are not
 

homer1475

Figuring out the hobby one coral at a time.
View Badges
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
11,677
Reaction score
18,662
Location
Way upstate NY
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm talking about the kind you get from neglecting your equipment, both the direct (definitely not good from an equipment standpoint) and indirect (potential harm to the tank). I've seen situations where a single rusty pump took out an entire coral system.
I'm certainly not disagreeing with you in any way! Rust in a tank is a bad thing. Just clarifying some rust in a controlled usage, can be a good thing.
 

NowGlazeIT

Happy to help, Ask away.
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Messages
6,119
Reaction score
11,438
Location
Coachella Valley
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
 

Wyvern

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 6, 2021
Messages
370
Reaction score
367
Location
Pinellas FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
A primate is a primate, an ape eating a person is not cannibalism.

And even that is too specific, ‘a fish is a fish’ is like saying ‘mammal is a mammal’.
I'm not going to argue over such trivial matters.

But I've seen same species eat eachother, fish, reptiles, mammals, fresh death is just food, in nature, nothing is wasted.
 

jfoahs04

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 2, 2021
Messages
804
Reaction score
1,436
Location
Boston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the clowns killed it, it may have passed on its own and the likely culprits for eating it once it died are your CUC, cause that's their job

Right. I'd wager that the clown didn't kill it. There are any number of reasons the fish could have died (disease, injury, water chemistry, etc.) and the clown being aggressive is only one of many possible scenarios. The fish was missing for 3 days before the remains turned up. It's not uncommon for a fish (especially a shy fish like a firefish) to hide if it's sick and many fish diseases kill pretty quickly once symptoms show. I think the most likely scenario is that it was sick, hid as it was vulnerable, and died of disease/illness while in hiding. Then the CUC came in and did the work it's supposed to do. But we'll never know. The best thing to do now is scope the tank for visible issues (like the rust), address them, and test the water to try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Keep an eye on other fish to make sure they don't display any signs of disease.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 73 51.8%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 72 51.1%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 36 25.5%
  • None.

    Votes: 31 22.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.4%
Back
Top