My Poor Otto R.i.p

[brads]

I'm not happy, I did a gravel vac the other day and I hadn't seen one of my ottos for a couple of days. I thought it might have been hideing behind some leaves but started to get worried out him.
So tonight I lifted up my rocks and ornements and found him dead under my ship wreck.
My tank has been running five months now and this is the first fish I have lost............I am so gutted my Mrs thinks I'm mad.
It looks as though my first loss was my fault.

 

[vinylman]

How long have you had the Oto?. Newly-introduced ones can die for no apparent reason.

 

[brads]

Nah it must have been me, I've had him for three months and he looked healthy as does everthing else in the tank. Their is no way of him getting under the wreck so I think I must of put it on top of him when I did my grvel vac

 

[kribensis12]

You'd be supprised were dead fish can end up. I had a dead mollie that was under a piece if slate. Dont know how it got there, but it did.

 

[wendyngd]

You'd be supprised were dead fish can end up. I had a dead mollie that was under a piece if slate. Dont know how it got there, but it did.

Sorry for your loss. It's never easy losing a fishy friend, but the first one I lost--a precious betta pal, devastated me. I even stopped officially naming them when I started to lose more here and there along the way.

Don't beat yourself up! I'm sure you did the best you could. And we have this forum so we learn together and support one another. If Mrs. can't relate to the loss, ask her if she's ever had any kind of pet she loved and to think of how difficult it was/is to lose them.

You're both in my prayers.

Wendy

 

[celaeno]

did you give the otto a proper burial?

 

[chibi]

It most likely wasn't your fault by gravel vacing. Unless you throw something on top of them, moving it back in place shouldn't crush them. Since it's in water, if you let go of it, when it falls back into place it goes in slower motion than if it were on land. It could've just died and was pushed by other fish or just kind of scooted up under the fish. Sorry about your loss! As it was said, newer tanks have tendencies to kill new fish unexpectantly.

 

[stang1]

So sorry for your loss.
You really shouldn't blame yourself, we've all had it happen at some point.

 

[Castellop123]

...

 

[brads]

Cheers people

 

[gpgscott]

You sound like a very concerned and fastidious keeper. It is more likely that this particular fish was weaker than the rest and was disturbed by the necessary tank cleaning, as someone said earlier its hard to believe the positions you find them in. Its almost impossible to place something on top of them as when the rock etc goes down it displaces water which naturally moves this fish along with the displaced water. You are not a fish killer. Scott