# Sudden death



## Cato (Dec 18, 2012)

I went to sleep last night with two of my Oscars cleaning and rearranging their tank as if they were preparing to spawn.
I got up this morning to a very sick fish. the male was upside down with a distended belly. He was dead within two hours. 

I started to do my own little autopsy but I wouldn't have gotten much info unless he swallowed gravel or something easy like that. 
This guy has been with me for 5 years.

The female seems ok (she bit me when I was doing a water change), but she keeps searching the tank for him. While he was still alive she was making those Oscar gestures to him like she was comforting him.
*tired​


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

What's your cleaning schedule? Do you vacuum your gravel?

Sometimes disturbing gravel that hasn't moved in a long time can lead to explosions of ammonia, nitrite, hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg stuff), etc. from sequestered anaerobic nitrifying bacteria. I wiped out an entire colony of shrimp by vacuuming some mold off of substrate I hadn't disturbed in close to a year.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

im sorry to hear about the Oscar.i had fishs for years to and lost them.i know its hurt.


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## Cato (Dec 18, 2012)

Gizmo said:


> What's your cleaning schedule? Do you vacuum your gravel?
> 
> Sometimes disturbing gravel that hasn't moved in a long time can lead to explosions of ammonia, nitrite, hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg stuff), etc. from sequestered anaerobic nitrifying bacteria. I wiped out an entire colony of shrimp by vacuuming some mold off of substrate I hadn't disturbed in close to a year.


I did an ammonia test just this afternoon and it came out negative. 
Of course that is at least 24 hours after he died.
No weird smells either.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Very sorry to hear of your loss.Some fish come and go all to quickly,but when one hangs around for years the thought of them dying becomes more distant(I have some 8 yrs old to me). 
I'm curious what you fed?I've read many reports that live food often is a problem.Many feed "smaller" live food they culture themselves for that reason.Keeping up with an oscar would be nearly impossible.
Often "feeder fish" are riddled with disease or even bacteria that once introduced or ingested are far from healthy for fish or aquarium.Did you supplement with a "prepared " food.Many don't use;flakes or pellets but alot of them have "nutritional traces " that help keep fish healthy.
again I'm sorry,and possibly old age or natural life span took place.Hope your other is not to lonely(they really do make friends/companions with the ones they live with.)


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

I would say if you checked your ammonia level 24 hours after the Oscar died and it was ok then I would say it was ok then.have you checked all your tests on the water?i would carry some water to your pet store and let them test it.is your other Oscar doing alright?hope it is.


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## Cato (Dec 18, 2012)

rtmaston said:


> I would say if you checked your ammonia level 24 hours after the Oscar died and it was ok then I would say it was ok then.have you checked all your tests on the water?i would carry some water to your pet store and let them test it.is your other Oscar doing alright?hope it is.


She's fine. She even bit me yesterday!
*flaming


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## GreenyFunkyMonkey (Nov 27, 2012)

Gizmo said:


> What's your cleaning schedule? Do you vacuum your gravel?
> 
> Sometimes disturbing gravel that hasn't moved in a long time can lead to explosions of ammonia, nitrite, hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg stuff), etc. from sequestered anaerobic nitrifying bacteria. I wiped out an entire colony of shrimp by vacuuming some mold off of substrate I hadn't disturbed in close to a year.


Sometimes if you have a planted aquarium and have older plants, sulfur can build up in the soil from natural decay of roots and stuff. When it comes in contact with the fish, it can burn them something awful and kill them. I have no clue if this is your problem, but I was adding to Gizmo's post above.


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