Dead fishes

[Avrilovigne]

Hi fellow reefers, what would you do if you suspect you have dead fish in your reef setup?

Sometimes, fish die in hard to reach places, in between rockwork or are just not visible.

I guess it would be ideal to remove dead fish as they would contribute greatly to NO3.

But then again, is it worth foraging the tank, knocking over corals, stressing other fishes etc just to get the dead fish out?

[julius]

If the dead fish is small, you can leave it there. After a while polychaete worms will consume it

[I love angel]

Best is to take it out. Dead fish means disease. Prevent spreading.

[iskay]

That's why it's always good to have ample clean up crews - nassarius snails, hermit crabs, starfish, etc. They can consume a fish carcass in hard to reach areas.

[kksg2000]

if your tank is mature, shouldn't be a problem.. i think this is the same when you dropped a dead prawn during cycling.

[lazydevil]

I think keeping shrimps is a good too, i seen them eating up the remains of the dead fish.

[plakat]

bristle worm cleans up after everything. Even saw 1 eating bryopsis

[Achilles77]

In most cases the dearly departed will not be seen floating at the surface. If your tank is small and you suspect that one of your loved ones has not made it, I would suggest that you carefully try and get it removed. Its easier when the tank is 2 to 3 feet long and by virtue of the fact that it's a small tank, you run the risk of getting it polluted otherwise.