dying percula in reef

[dhe420]

I have a percula clown that is slowly dying in my 58 gallon reef. I dont relly want to rip the whole thing a part to get him out. How much damage will a decaying fish do to my tank? Is it worth ripping it apart to get it out? Will the clean up crew take care of this problem? Thanks as always....Dave

 

[jbourne2]

dhe420,
Sorry to hear about your clown. :-( I've had a few fish die, some ended up in a spot that I was able to easily get at them without too much movement. But other disappeared never to be seen again. I suppose my cleanup crew got them. I would wait to see if/when he dies, where he ends up, it might not be in a bad spot. If you can't find him one day, keep a close eye on your levels, if you notice them starting to climb, you may need to dig around for him.
JBourne2

 

[jbourne2]

dhe420,
Sorry to hear about your clown. :-( I've had a few fish die, some ended up in a spot that I was able to easily get at them without too much movement. But other disappeared never to be seen again. I suppose my cleanup crew got them. I would wait to see if/when he dies, where he ends up, it might not be in a bad spot. If you can't find him one day, keep a close eye on your levels, if you notice them starting to climb, you may need to dig around for him.
JBourne2

 

[jacksonpt]

Depends on 2 things: first, how big he is, and second, what is he dying from. If it is relatively small, your tank is well established, and you have a few crabs crawling around, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It should break down fast enough (with some help from the crabs) not to cause to much of a problem... but keep an eye on nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. If it is a larger fish that may take a week or longer to break down, I'd take it out. Also, if the fish is dying from a disease or parasite that could possibly be contagous, you might want to remove it immediately.
Just my $.02

 

[krazzydart]

depending on what he is dieing from and all that ..... the thing to do would be to catch it and get it out of their but if you have a fairly big clean up crew, and it dies during the night , it would probally be gone by morning.....

 

[coralbeauty]

I lost a dwarf angel once while on vacation. I came home and found my 3 inch fish 50% gone. I have no idea how many days it had been dead. I took it out and tested my water. The quality had not changed! I have a 55 gallon tank with a good clean up crew!
As other have said it might be fine. HOwever, the risk of spreading the disease is always a worry.
Sorry for your uncoming loss!
Connie

 

[dhe420]

Thanks everyone..... I got him out. He only decomposed a little and i tested my water and did a water change and all is well. Thanks again Dave