One Of Those Days When You Lose A Favourite Fish...

I know she was 'only' a guppy. But she was my family's favourite. She was one of our first and survived the cycle start through ammonia and nitrite... then she got ill with a parasite and I put her in a hospital tank after two younger females died and she was being harassed by the males.

She recovered in the hospital tank and was eating well. Her water came from the main tank at every change so I knew she'd be used to the water.

By the time I returned her from the hospital tank to the main tank tonight, the males had all been moved and she ate dinner fine and swam around with her pregnant belly.

At 00H00 I found her dead at the bottom of the tank. The water parameters did not look terrible and everyone else was fine... stress from being added back to a tank full of little fry? Or maybe she died happy amongst her girlfriends. Maybe she died after giving birth to some fry after holding them in while in the hospital tank.

I'll tell my young daughters she died after giving birth... She held out till she could give her babies to the others to look after...

I can't help but feel that I killed her by removing her from ther hospital tank...

 

my condolences, I lost a pickerel in a 10 gallon (Before I knew he got huge) I thought him tricks like in water flips, out of water flips, nose stands, tail stands, and sit (It was weird).

 

Yeah I’m fighting with this now. My 10 year old goldfish is not doing well and it’s been a constant reminder at the back of my mind.

 

my condolences, I lost a pickerel in a 10 gallon (Before I knew he got huge) I thought him tricks like in water flips, out of water flips, nose stands, tail stands, and sit (It was weird).

I need a :mind_blown: emoji, right now.
Not to derail this thread, but there's so much in this statement that doesn't even remotely in any possible way resemble my paradigm of aquarium keeping. I don't even know what question to ask.
PLEASE say you have videos!!
Or, admit you're yanking our collective chain and put me out of my misery!

 

I need a :mind_blown: emoji, right now.
Not to derail this thread, but there's so much in this statement that doesn't even remotely in any possible way resemble my paradigm of aquarium keeping. I don't even know what question to ask.
PLEASE say you have videos!!
Or, admit you're yanking our collective chain and put me out of my misery!

I have vid of in water flips. Give me a day and I can send it to you.

 

I have vid of in water flips. Give me a day and I can send it to you.

(Me too!! Better yet, make a separate thread for your crazy fish.)

 

Sorry for your loss, it doesn't sound like there was much you could do. Its hardest on the young ones.
As far as the video PLEASE post it, I also want to see it.

 

It seems she died from a number of potential factors...
My failure to re-aclimatise her to the main tank...
Being pregnant for too long - stress, illness, etc.

I wasn't aware of extended pregnancy being an issue for live bearers, especially guppies... I feel like I let her down... so much I still have to learn.

-G

 

IM very sorry for your loss.

 

It seems she died from a number of potential factors...
My failure to re-aclimatise her to the main tank...
Being pregnant for too long - stress, illness, etc.

I wasn't aware of extended pregnancy being an issue for live bearers, especially guppies... I feel like I let her down... so much I still have to learn.

-G

Honestly, you have detailed one of the worst issues with dealing with a fish dying... That issue is simply "why?" I don't think it's fair, or correct, to blame yourself as it could have been a massive amount of possibilities that you had no control over. Sure, there may have been a single thing you could have done, and you can spend weeks worrying about it, but most of the time there isn't anything you could have done differently. I don't think you could have done much else in this case, it's really not fair to blame yourself. You treated her, she seemed better, so you moved her back. There are so many possibilities on what actually caused her death, and personally I would lean towards the cause of, she was still sick and there was little you could do. I am so very sorry for your loss, and I hope you can forgive yourself because I truly do not believe it was your fault.

 

yukondog 2211Nighthawk bitseriously love you guys❤️❤️

 

Don’t ever feel bad about loving a livebearer and being sad when it dies. My profile pic is Kevin the balloon molly, and he was basically another member of the family. We had a funeral outside when he died. No fish is ‘just a livebearer’. They are all special, no matter what their lifespan or care level is