If you like fish, surely you have an aquarium, and if that's the case, chances are you've already had the bad time of seeing one of your pets die. Well then, worry no more, because on our site we will help you understand why fish are dying and what you should do to minimize the chances of this happening. To happen again.
A he althy, colorful and full of life aquarium is all you need in your home to relax and feel some peace from time to time, so the best thing you can do to thank your pets for this benefit is to take care of them properly. Taking good care of your fish involves much more than monitoring their diet; a clean environment, water control, temperature, light inputs and other aspects are basic for the correct maintenance of an aquarium.
If you want to know in detail what are the main causes of fish death in aquariums and what you should do To improve the quality of life of your favorite swimmers, keep reading and discover why aquarium fish die.
Stressed and sick fish
Fish are very sensitive animals and one of the most common causes of death in aquariums is due to diseases, caused among other things by the stress they suffer.
Sick fishWhen you go to buy your pets from a specialized store, you must be very attentive to the most common symptoms that tell you that a fish is stressed or sick.
The visible disease features to look for are:
- White spots on the skin
- Picked Fins
- Dirty Aquarium
- Low movement
- Fish swimming sideways
- Fish floating upside down
If you see that any of the fish you want to buy have any of these characteristics, we recommend that you do not buy them. Even though not all fish show these symptoms, if they share the tank with sick conspecifics, chances are they are all infected.
The fish self-shock
Another important aspect that you must take into account so that your fish do not stressed and sick, it is the transfer from the store to the home aquarium. Later we will talk about the water issue, but as for the transfer we recommend you go directly home after buying the fish and of course, avoid shaking the bag with the animals inside.
Another reason that generates a lot of stress in the fish is the conglomeration of individuals When there are many fish concentrated in small dimensions, it can give the event that they hit each other, hurting each other and raising their stress level considerably.
Your fish tank may be large enough, but be careful when cleaning and changing the water, because this is when the fish tend to gather in buckets or the space of your aquarium is reduced by loss of water. Prevent this situation from lasting too long, since these clashes between fish and the stress that this entails for our pets, can favor the appearance of other diseases.
Sensitive animals
Precious but very delicate. Avoid at all costs that your fish suffer episodes of stress, in this way you will prevent the appearance of other diseases and more importantly, their premature death.
If you have visited the aquarium in your city, you have surely seen the warning notices that say "do not hit the glass" and"do not take flash photos" , as we recommend applying these same rules to your home aquarium.
As we have already said, fish are very sensitive and skittish animals, so hitting the glass of their fish tank constantly is not good for their he alth, remember that the more stress they suffer, the more chances of developing diseases and dying. As for the flashes we apply the same rule: avoid scaring your fish. As long as your quality of life is optimal, your hope of survival will increase.
Water: The world of fish
Another cause of death of fish in the aquarium is directly related to their livelihood: water. Improper treatment of water, both in terms of temperature, cleaning and adaptation, can be deadly for our pets, so review this section carefully about what you need to know to handle the water in your fish tank.
Ammonia and oxygen control
Two factors that are very present in the life of our fish, oxygen it is life, and although ammonia is not death, it is very close to it. Ammonia poisoning and drowning from lack of oxygen are two of the most common causes of fish death in aquariums.
To prevent your fish from drowning, keep in mind that the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in aquarium water is limited. Check carefully the number and size of fish you can have according to the size of your aquarium.
The excrement of the fish, the decomposition of the food and the death of living beings inside the aquarium, give off ammonia, so if you do not want your fish to die sooner than normal, you should keep the tank clean.
To remove the excess of this toxic waste, it will be enough to do partial water changes on a regular basis and have a good filter installed for your aquarium, which, in addition to providing oxygen, is responsible for eliminating all the stagnant ammonia.
Clean water… but not so muchMaintaining the water in an aquarium is not as simple as It seems. In addition to the help provided by a quality filter, the water in an aquarium needs to be renewed from time to time and if we remember that fish are very sensitive animals, this process can be traumatic for them.
When renewing the water in an aquarium, in addition to taking into account what we mentioned about not gathering too many fish in small spaces, you should keep at least 40% of that "old" water and fill with new water. Otherwise, the fish would not adapt to the change and would die. This old water must have been treated to remove as much ammonia as possible in order to mix it with the new one and thus renew the liquid medium of your aquarium.
On the other hand, the new water for the aquarium should never be tap water, the chlorine and lime concentrated in the water, which is harmless to humans, could kill your fish. Always use drinking water and if possible, make sure that it does not contain any type of additives.
Another important aspect is that of using excessively clean materials. Make sure that the buckets where you will pour the water or the fish themselves, have a little of that old water or at least check that they have absolutely no traces of soap or cleaning products. In any case, do not forget that you can never use the same products with which you clean your house to clean your aquarium or the material that is in contact with the fish.
Long live the fish
Despite mastering the arts of fish care, it is possible that one may occasionally die or fall ill without warning. Don't worry about this, sometimes fish die for no apparent reason.
The most important thing is that you take into account the aspects that we have already mentioned and of course, always use common sense. If you know that fish are sensitive and delicate animals but you treat them roughly, maybe you yourself have the answer to the question of why do aquarium fish die
Our latest recommendations are:
- Handle them gently and delicately when changing the water in the fish tank
- If you acquire new fish, introduce them violently into the aquarium
- If you have visitors or small children at home, prevent them from hitting the glass of your aquarium
- Do not overdo it with the amount of food that increases the level of ammonia and the appearance of bacteria in the water
- Do not mix incompatible fish within the same aquarium
- See the recommended water, temperature, light level, and oxygen level specifications for the types of fish you want to keep
- If you are going to decorate your aquarium, buy quality objects and verify that they are suitable for aquariums and do not contain contaminating agents
