Sort of a morbid question...

[dixaisy930]

I was wondering if fish look different when they die of different things..i.e. stress, fungus, tramua, ammonia spike, etc?

 

[smb]

Yea they do as far as the symptoms go.

For instance, if there are red streaks on fins it could mean bacterial infection, if there's a grey film on them it could mean external parasite, redness at the base of the fin is probably fin rot, if the body of the fish is a dusty golden it's probably velvet...etc.

Is that what you mean?

 

[dixaisy930]

Well, sort of...but not really..

I meant along the lines of bloating, floating on the top or laying on the bottom. I guess I'm referring to post mordum (after death) signs.

 

[smb]

Oh lol sorry.

yea they do. Ever see a dead fish in a lake? They are floating and bloated or the skin is falling off.

 

[gadazobe]

If you leave a dead fish in your tank you risk an ammonia spike. Also, if it died of some disease and the others eat it they risk getting ill also. Any dead fish should be fished out asap

 

[dixaisy930]

yes, of course...I would never leave a dead fish in the aquarium.

But I assume that some post mordum signs show up right after death. I also realize that most fish look the same after death. I just found it odd that when I've seen dead fish, sometimes they've looked different (eventhough there wasn't a difference in time from when they died and when I saw them, I'm assuming). I just thought that maybe there are certains post mordum signs associated with different reasons for death (i.e. - bulging eyes, floating or sinking, different kinds of discoloration). Thought maybe they would help determine mysterious deaths. When things like humans and other animals besides fish die, there are different "things" that show up depending on how it dies. Maybe I'm just getting to detailed and technical here...I could become a fish homicide detective. B)

lol, I just realized it sounds like I'm killing off hundreds of fish...lol I'm not just talking about my fish, but friends fish...fish in lfs...that sort of thing.

 

[gadazobe]

If the fish is big enough, a post mortum could be carried out but with small fish, it's not always possible. If left in the water for any length of time, all fish will bloat, as will any other carcass - the smaller the carcass the quicker it takes.