Fish faceplanted, tore its own head off, dying as we speak, help please.

I am shaking and I do not know what to do. Someone, please help.

I woke up today, went to feed my fish, and found her faceplanted into the gravel. I thought it was just a disease or something. No.

I moved her body with the fishnet and this is when I saw the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my 18 years on this planet and 2 years with tanks.

My fish was faceplanted into the ground, but her head was on a 90-degree tilt from her body, buried into the ground. I can see her insides and body and blood and flesh.

She is still breathing.

What do I do? I am literally so grossed out and I'm shaking and I have to go to work and I am just not okay. Someone, please help.

She has no tankmates, water parameters were fine yesterday. I am too scared to touch the tank right now. Someone please help.

 

I am shaking and I do not know what to do. Someone, please help.

I woke up today, went to feed my fish, and found her faceplanted into the gravel. I thought it was just a disease or something. No.

I moved her body with the fishnet and this is when I saw the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my 18 years on this planet and 2 years with tanks.

My fish was faceplanted into the ground, but her head was on a 90-degree tilt from her body, buried into the ground. I can see her insides and body and blood and flesh.

She is still breathing.

What do I do? I am literally so grossed out and I'm shaking and I have to go to work and I am just not okay. Someone, please help.

She has no tankmates, water parameters were fine yesterday. I am too scared to touch the tank right now. Someone please help.

What kind of fish, image of tank?

 

It is a betta fish. Thank you so much for the response. Here is a photo of the tank. You can even see the fish a little in the bottom right hand corner.

 

Picture will help. Hard to just guess.

 

Unfortunately yes we need a picture of the fish so sorry this happened to you

 

Well you put it in water right? That’s the first thing so it can breathe. I’m sorry but from your description it sounds like the most reasonable option is to euthanize. Clove oil is a good way for a peaceful passing

 

Picture will help. Hard to just guess.

Ok, she has passed. How do I remove her? Her head is literally almost split off from her body.

 

Ok, she has passed. How do I remove her? Her head is literally almost split off from her body.

Did you put her in the display tank? Net her out and bury I would say, and try to get any blood/reminance out of the water...

 

Well you put it in water right? That’s the first thing so it can breathe. I’m sorry but from your description it sounds like the most reasonable option is to euthanize. Clove oil is a good way for a peaceful passing

She just stopped breathing. Her gills have stopped moving. I really hope her nervous system doesent start to kick in. Ive had fish flap around after they have died because of what im assuming is a response from their nervous system.

Did you put her in the display tank? Net her out and bury I would say, and try to get any blood/reminance out of the water...

This is her home tank. The smaller tanks all have other fish in them. I am worried that I will get guts and stuff everywhere. Very gross scene.

 

She just stopped breathing. Her gills have stopped moving. I really hope her nervous system doesent start to kick in. Ive had fish flap around after they have died because of what im assuming is a response from their nervous system.

Sorry about this. RIP little betta

 

I am really angry about this. This fish was practically my child, and to watch her die like this is honestly just so saddening. Now I have to remove her body from the water.

 

This is her home tank. The smaller tanks all have other fish in them. I am worried that I will get guts and stuff everywhere. Very gross scene.

Yeah, well, you will have to. We all had to remove half eaten or otherwise badly roughed up dead fish at one point. A few bits left will not be bad, but the longer you wait, the harder it gets.

Sorry for your loss.

 

I am shaking and I do not know what to do. Someone, please help.

I woke up today, went to feed my fish, and found her faceplanted into the gravel. I thought it was just a disease or something. No.

I moved her body with the fishnet and this is when I saw the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my 18 years on this planet and 2 years with tanks.

My fish was faceplanted into the ground, but her head was on a 90-degree tilt from her body, buried into the ground. I can see her insides and body and blood and flesh.

She is still breathing.

What do I do? I am literally so grossed out and I'm shaking and I have to go to work and I am just not okay. Someone, please help.

She has no tankmates, water parameters were fine yesterday. I am too scared to touch the tank right now. Someone please help.

I am afraid that your fish might not make it. Is the head still attached to the body? If so, by how much? Is it almost off?
I am sorry that you'd have to experience this....

 

She just stopped breathing. Her gills have stopped moving. I really hope her nervous system doesent start to kick in. Ive had fish flap around after they have died because of what im assuming is a response from their nervous system.

Im sooooo sorry for your loss!! RI.P. she will cross over the Betta rainbow lake!

 

Yeah, well, you will have to. We all had to remove half eaten or otherwise badly roughed up dead fish at one point. A few bits left will not be bad, but the longer you wait, the harder it gets.

Sorry for your loss.

Okay, thank you. I am going to remove her in a few minutes. I am just mentally preparing.

 

Would still like a picture before you remove. It may tell us what happened to it.

 

I am so sorry you had to go through this and for your loss.
If you want to keep another betta in there or something I would suggest thoroughly cleaning the tank first.
Again, so sorry for your loss. R.I.P. little betta

 

So so sorry for your loss. R.I.P. little fishy

 

Kinda weird that that happened with no other tank mates.

 

Kinda weird that that happened with no other tank mates.

Yea im as concerned as you are.

 

I am shaking and I do not know what to do. Someone, please help.

I woke up today, went to feed my fish, and found her faceplanted into the gravel. I thought it was just a disease or something. No.

I moved her body with the fishnet and this is when I saw the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my 18 years on this planet and 2 years with tanks.

My fish was faceplanted into the ground, but her head was on a 90-degree tilt from her body, buried into the ground. I can see her insides and body and blood and flesh.

She is still breathing.

What do I do? I am literally so grossed out and I'm shaking and I have to go to work and I am just not okay. Someone, please help.

She has no tankmates, water parameters were fine yesterday. I am too scared to touch the tank right now. Someone please help.

I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone here who helped out and gave some kind words. This has been borderline traumatizing. Thank you for your support. I was not expecting this much support considering I am a new member. Thank you all.

On that note, should I disinfect the tank or no?

 

I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone here who helped out and gave some kind words. This has been borderline traumatizing. Thank you for your support. I was not expecting this much support considering I am a new member. Thank you all.

On that note, should I disinfect the tank or no?

A big water change and a thorough gravel vac should be sufficient.

Sorry for your loss.

 

A big water change and a thorough gravel vac should be sufficient.

Sorry for your loss.

Thank you so much. I needed someone to guide me in the right direction.

 

Thank you so much. I needed someone to guide me in the right direction.

I would double-check all decor in the tank for sharp edges whilst you're doing the water change, just in case.

 

Are there other tank mates? If so what are they?

 

Are there other tank mates? If so what are they?

No

 

I am really angry about this. This fish was practically my child, and to watch her die like this is honestly just so saddening. Now I have to remove her body from the water.

See it as a last task of love to her, this is about giving her the final rest.

 

Sorry you had to arrive to that scene. you really should figure out what exactly happened though so it doesnt just repeat itself with another fish.

 

Ya I don’t know guys I mean in my experience fish don’t really have a habit of tearing their own heads off in like some sort of oops thing. Something in that tank caused your fish to do that, I’d really try to figure out what it was. I mean think of the force required for a fish to hit an object and literally tear their heads off. I’m assuming by the OPs reaction that it was pretty severe. My guess is that the fish had some parasite which aggravated it that severely or something scared the heck out of it. I don’t know, my two cents. I’d take the whole tank apart and ya disinfect it for sure unless you can say for certain what it was. I’m sure you don’t want to wake up to fish chainsaw massacre 2.

 

Ya I don’t know guys I mean in my experience fish don’t really have a habit of tearing their own heads off in like some sort of oops thing. Something in that tank caused your fish to do that, I’d really try to figure out what it was. I mean think of the force required for a fish to hit an object and literally tear their heads off. I’m assuming by the OPs reaction that it was pretty severe. My guess is that the fish had some parasite which aggravated it that severely or something scared the **** out of it. I don’t know, my two cents. I’d take the whole tank apart and ya disinfect it for sure unless you can say for certain what it was. I’m sure you don’t want to wake up to fish chainsaw massacre 2.

I didn't get to say anything about that before, but I agree, it is almost impossible for a fish to basically rip off it's own head. Except maybe with body rot, I don't see many situations where that is thinkable.

 

Just saw this. What an awful thing to happen.
I would seriously consider taking down the whole tank, taking everything out and examining it, just in case. Can’t imagine how this could happen, but at least you can get some peace of mind from knowing you’ve looked into everything.

 

Never heard of such a thing. Pictures were repeatedly requested but ignored. Hmm.

 

Never heard of such a thing. Pictures were repeatedly requested but ignored. Hmm.

Not sure if pictures of gore would have helped. I myself would try to get that picture out of my head as fast as possible.
We can all just assume and may never be able to find out what really happened. Water under the bridge.
Clean

 

Never heard of such a thing. Pictures were repeatedly requested but ignored. Hmm.

I does seem pretty impossible for a fish to inflict as much damage on itself as described.

 

Sorry such a terrible thing happened to you.

I once was cleaning the jars of my juvenile male bettas. I use a siphon hose and it works well, usually. One poor boy got too close to the hose and in the blink of an eye he was suctioned to it. I stopped the siphon and took a look. The hose had got stuck to his side and pulled out some of his organs, he was still alive at the time. I ran to the kitchen and got a cup of ice water to euthanize, I couldn't stand watching him suffer. He was gone seconds after being in the ice bath. I was traumatized for a while and became extra careful with the siphon.

I have no idea what happened to your betta. It may have gotten frightened and swam erratically into the substrate or glass, though I wouldn't think that'd be enough force to tear the body like that. Is there any possibility a pet or evil house mate could of got into the tank? That seems more plausible to me. We had a cat once claw a poor pleco to death.

 

I am looking at the photo you posted. Are all the plants real or artificial? I can't imagine the rocks causing this unless one or more have holes in them with sharp edges. In that case the little guy may have gotten curious, stuck his head in and got stuck. Maybe this happened if he tried too hard to get back out.

If the plants are plastic do any of the bigger leaves have sharp edges. I suppose it is possible he sped through them and a leaf sliced him. This is one of those things we may never get to the bottom of.

 

I don't see how a picture would help. Something obviously happened; a parasite or something... but seeing a split open fish does not tell us any more than we already know.

Thoroughly cleaning the tank is the best thing to do right now...

 

“. Is there any possibility a pet or evil house mate could of got into the tank?”


Oh there it is. OP- any roomates or other animals? This makes such sense I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.

And as for pictures- ya I figured the NSFW bit garunteed a pic, was surprised not to see one actually. I think a pic would verify the extent of the damage. Some people have a tendency to exaggerate or whatnot. Not saying that happened here but who knows?

 

“. Is there any possibility a pet or evil house mate could of got into the tank?”


Oh there it is. OP- any roomates or other animals? This makes such sense I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.

And as for pictures- ya I figured the NSFW bit garunteed a pic, was surprised not to see one actually. I think a pic would verify the extent of the damage. Some people have a tendency to exaggerate or whatnot. Not saying that happened here but who knows?

Hey, my bad for not seeing this earlier. No there are no other pets or people in the house. It literally me and mom.

 

Never heard of such a thing. Pictures were repeatedly requested but ignored. Hmm.

I did provide a picture in one of the earlier posts. It was not as close up, but it was a picture.