Very Sad: Favorite fish died

[SusanKay]

I'm hoping someone can help make me feel a little better. My favorite fish that I have had for three years just died. He was a Mandarin Goby.

Although I don't know the specific cause, I suspect it was due to a bubble tipped anemone sting. I didn't actually see it happen. When I approached my tank, I saw that my mandarin was floating sideways in a semi-paralyzed state and barely swimming. I immediately suspected that my anemeone must have stung him and I quickly placed him in a small bowl along with aquarium water. He went through bouts of being really calm to swimming frantically in circle within the bowl. I really though he was going to make it.

My question is.. Did he die from the anemone sting or the fact that he was in a separate bowl? I felt that I definitely needed to separate him from the tank. Otherwise he would have floated into the anemone.

I am beating myself up with the idea that maybe he could have recovered from the sting... But my placing him in the bowl caused him to go into shock and die! Do most fish die from anemone stings?

I have been crying for hours over this fish. It's amazing how a person can become so attached to fish.

Thanks for your help,
Susan

 

[LLLosingit]

Sometimes there is nothing you can do, if he was already having that much troublethen putting him in the bowl could not have done any harm.
Most likley if left in the tank he would have been picked at until he passed.

I bought a Copperband Butterfly and he ate frozen Mysis after being in the tank a couple of hours and I was thrilled to death, only to have him stop eating a few days later.... I tried everything I could think of to get him to eat but after a couple more days he started to really struggle just trying to stay upright in the current so I pulled him out and put him in a small tank to try and help but it was to late.
He looked heathly but wasted away.
Sometimes I just want to give up on keeping fish and stick to corals

 

[SusanKay]

Yeah, I suppose there was nothing I could do... It's very sad to lose your favorite fish.

I wish I had a better understanding of how anemone nematocysts work....Can fish die from a really bad sting? I always assumed that the anemone had to eat the fish in order to kill it and that merely stinging the fish would not be enough. That is why I assumed that I some how played a part in the fishes death by putting him in a bowl...

I think in some ways I agree with you about sticking with corals. I've had my reef tank set up for several years. My anemome is thriving, along with all of the corals.

Thanks for writing to me. I didn't think anyone would be up this late! :lol: