C/W: Images of Deceased Fish

[Torrey]

We had our first death since Kismet and Karma died last year. Fed the spouse's Memorial tank this morning at 10 am, everyone looked great. Went in at noon to prune plants, and discovered a dead endler female in the top of the plants... and she definitely wasn't there when I fed the tank earlier. Oldest fish in the tank are the original 6 females who are just over a year old.,, rest of fish have been bred in this tank except 3 endler males I introduced after first batch of babies were born. I did treat this area of the tank with H2O2 3 days ago, due to a small patch of cyanobacteria in the hornwort.

Ammonia: 0 ppm

Nitrites: 0 ppm

Nitrates: 0 ppm

pH 7.2

kH ~120 ppm

GH ~75 ppm

Temp: 72.4 F

TDS: 480

This is a 4' tank and approximately 30 gallons. Heavily planted, well established tank since May last year. Has had an on again/off again cyanobacteria issue that is (thank you @Mmiller2001) getting under control as I slowly lower the TDS, remove contaminated plants, siphon out, and spot treat the occasional spot that shows back up in the plants with H2O2. Last H2O2 treatment was Sunday evening.

I don't know if the fish died of natural causes, and was bumped up to the top due to the feeding frenzy earlier, and the camera simply picked up the beginning of decom? Or if the fuzzy growth around the gills and mouth is what killed the fish, and I need to treat the entire tank.

@Colu and @Odd Duck I no longer have a microscope. This tank has been really stable, I really don't want to have to treat if at all possible. I spent the past hour looking for any other fish showing any symptoms, and everyone looks healthy... I do need to trim out about 20% of the plant matter again to see clearly into the majority of the tank.

Nerites and ramshorns are very happy with water quality, and I do pre-emptively treat my fish in quarantine.

What is your opinion? Died of natural causes and I'm seeing fungus or something that set in after the fact?

Or am I looking at cause of death?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Torrey]

This has been my general go to site for diagnosing issues in the past... before I joined the Forum.

[Patrick_G]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:33 PM, Torrey said:

This has been my general go to site for diagnosing issues in the past... before I joined the Forum.

Thanks, great looking site. 

[modified lung]

I've seen osmoregulatory and temperature shock cause exactly that on fish. 

[Torrey]

On 4/6/2022 at 6:22 PM, modified lung said:

I've seen osmoregulatory and temperature shock cause exactly that on fish. 

Not temperature shock, could osmoregulatory have been caused if the fish swam through when I was dosing the plant with H2O2?

[modified lung]

On 4/6/2022 at 5:43 PM, Torrey said:

Not temperature shock, could osmoregulatory have been caused if the fish swam through when I was dosing the plant with H2O2?

The osmoregulatory thing happens because the slime layer dissolves and skin/gill gets damaged.  I could see enough h2o2 doing the same thing.

Edited April 7, 2022 by modified lung

[Colu]

The fungal growth on the gills would be enough to kill your endler it's also possible the fungal growth happen after your fish died in warm water fish decompose really quickly  also did she look pregnant as she could have had complications from giving birth and that what kill her it's difficult to no for sure as your water parameters are fine I wouldn't treat the other fish I would just monitor them for now

Edited April 7, 2022 by Colu

[Torrey]

On 4/6/2022 at 7:27 PM, Colu said:

The fungal growth on the gills would be enough to kill your endler it's also possible the fungal growth happen after your fish died is warm water fish decompose really quickly  also did she look pregnant as she could have had complications from giving birth and that what kill her it's difficult to no for sure as your water parameters are fine I wouldn't treat the other fish I would just monitor them for now

Thank you Colu!!!

Tank is 74 F degrees, and no way to identify for sure which fish this was as I am waiting for my large net from the Co-op to catch and sort over the 100 endlers in the tank... 95% chance she was pregnant, she's the size of my smallest breeding females.

[Odd Duck]

I can’t quite tell, but she looks a little, um, opened up.  If I had to guess, without a microscope, I’d say birthing complications.  I, like @Colu, would watch and wait.