The only sure things in life are death and taxes, and one day it’s inevitable you’ll have to deal with a dead fish of your own. Here are some considerations.
WORDS: NATHAN HILL
Yeah, it’s dead
If your fish is definitely dead, remove it at once. Don’t leave it in the tank where it can decompose and pollute your water. Worse, depending what it died of, it might still be highly infectious, and the natural in-tank cannibalism that occurs could easily spread that disease to other fish (fish TB, Mycobacterium, is a classic example of this).
Kid gloves
Unless it’s obvious exactly how your fish died, treat your tank like a potential unknown hazard. Although reassuringly rare, some diseases in fish (like the dreaded fish TB) are zoonotic, able to transfer from fish to human.
Don’t reach in and grab the cadaver by hand (sharp spines, riddled with bacteria, could potentially pierce your skin). Use a long-handled net to lift the body, and try to avoid handling it directly. If you have some, use latex gloves to move the body from net to a jiffy bag, or just tip the dead fish directly into one. It’s advised that you wash your hands with soapy water and sterilise your net before using it again—placing a net in boiling water for 30 seconds will destroy most aquarium microorganisms.
Get it on ice
If you’re unsure why your fish died, or if it’s a new arrival and you need to consider getting it refunded or replaced, the next step is to freeze the body. This is essential if you intend to take it further with your supplier. If you purchased a faulty toaster, you wouldn’t throw it away and then demand that the retailer replace it without returning it, and by the same token, if your fish is faulty, the body will be essential evidence of a possible fault when you come to make a claim. No fish often means no replacement.
Of course, if it’s just an old fish that has expired after 20 years of hard service, or if you know why it died, you should look to dispose of it instead.
Take photos. So many photos
Either you or someone you know will have a smartphone, so put it to use in gathering as much information as you can about the tank. Try to get shots of the other fish in the tank (they may be able to indicate a disease), shots of the filter, shots of plants and substrate. Without going as far as to actually turn over all the stones, leave no stone unturned in this harvesting of evidence—whoever you consult later on in the investigation will be grateful for the images.
Test your parameters
A death can be a sign of a fault in the ecosystem of your aquarium, so investigate all
