Just an observation

buzz763 · Post by **buzz763** » 10 Jan 2006, 23:38

I have been a member of this sight for a little while now and I have to laugh everytime someone posts about a dead fish, they always write my water parameters are perfect! Hmm? Makes you wonder. Now I know it is possible to lose fish in ideal conditions but this often. I highly doubt it. Now if people would be more honest someone may be able to help.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 11 Jan 2006, 12:04

Whilst I agree that water quality is OFTEN a cause for fish death, it's not ALWAYS - and more importantly, it's not always the current owners water quality that is the cause of death.

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Mats

Post by **medaka** » 11 Jan 2006, 19:43

Remind's me about a retailer who replied when I asked him the simple question, whats your waters ph? ( I was only enquireing
prior to a possible purchase)
he replied "What do you mean? there is nothing wrong with my water; its crystal clear".
Upon which I walked out without buying; Informing him in the process that "Vodka's crystal clear"
I don't believe he understood that comment!

TalenT · Post by **TalenT** » 11 Jan 2006, 20:55

Water paremeters might also be good at the time of the testing of the water, but maybe it wasn't good a couple of days/weeks ago when the problem with the fish was initiated.

drpleco · Post by **drpleco** » 11 Jan 2006, 22:08

I suspect that we get a lot of the tough cases here that kill fish in good conditions. If it's as easy as diagnosing bad water conditions, a person wouldn't have to ask about that.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 12 Jan 2006, 15:00

There are few distinct possibilities for "not water related death" are:
1. Sick, unhealthy fish at purchase. If the new owner doesn't use correct (or any) medication, the fish may well die directly as a cause of the illness that it already carried, for example from long transport or other mistreatment by previous carers.
2. Starvation. Certainly with some Loricariidae species, the fish not eating is a very likely scenario. In this case, the water MAY go bad because the owner is adding food that doesn't get eaten, but if there are other possible consumers of that food, there will be not water quality problems.
3. pH or other water parameter shock. If the pH or hardness is noticably differet between the old and new tank, the fish may well suffer irrepairable damage - but without any indication of the "original" water parameters, it's not easy to tell that this is the problem.
4. Other fish injuring the new fish - this may cause bad water eventually, but the death is not caused by bad water.

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Mats