Can Fish Choke On Their Food?

[Akasha72]

I've just given my fish some frozen blood worms that I'd allowed to defrost and one of my female sunset platies has just died suddenly.

I put them into the tank using a syringe so I could squirt it in different directions so they all got a chance to get some. The platy went up and started eating with the rest then she just darted to the bottom and keeled over gasping. She got herself inbetween a plant and the glass and died in a matter of moments.

Could she have choked on a bloodworm? Nothing else makes sense.

Checked the water and everything looks fine ... I just don't understand

Any idea's guys?

 

[nurglespuss]

Yep, could well have choked or got the food caught somewhere that resulted in choking (or the bloodworms were too large?)..

it happens sometimes, I've seen it with goldfish and cichlids in particular (usually gobbling gravel with food).

 

[soybean]

I've had a neon choke on a dried bloodworm.

 

[moochy13]

one of my cories once gobbled a bloodworm, but instead of going into its belly it came half out of its gills, with the other half still hanging out of its mouth like a tongue. not much you can do other than keep your fingers crossed.

made me worry, but he sorted himself, and it looked quite funny.

 

[Akasha72]

thanks that puts my mind a rest. Horrible thing to watch though, hope I never have to see anything like it again

My other female sunset platy is heavily pregnant again ... would be nice to think I could rescue the odd baby before they become food now.

I'm upset now

 

[Proxo]

River Monsters explains all, roughly 35sec > Click Here

 

[Akasha72]

Thanks Proxo but the warning before the start put me off watching it lol

The female platy that died was one of a pair of females and a male bought together. Since she died the other female and male have taken themselves off and into hiding. When she was dead (I was getting my net out to catch her) the other two went up to her body and tried to nudge her. It was so sad ... even one of the neons tried it too. Instinct says that they know a tank mate has died and now they're grieving. And they say fish have short memories ... I don't believe it now.

 

[soybean]

...Dead fish are edible!

 

[HayzH]

My Betta got a mini pellet stuck this morning..he was kinda shaking his head to get it out.Then it came out with a bit of flake and small pieces....like he'd vomitted it up.

 

[soybean]

My Betta got a mini pellet stuck this morning..he was kinda shaking his head to get it out.Then it came out with a bit of flake and small pieces....like he'd vomitted it up.

Don't feed him for a day or two, it won't do him any harm, just in case he's getting a bit clogged up.

 

[Akasha72]

...Dead fish are edible!

I know they'll eat them but they wern't nipping at the body it was as if they were trying to tell her to get up and move! They're still hiding under the filter where they've been since I fished her out. I've even turned the light off to try and coax them out but there's still no sign of them

Now I'm left wondering if I should attempt a rescue of any babies the other may have or go to the lfs next week and get another female or leave things alone and keep an eye on my male ... decisions decisions

 

[MBOU]

i had a customer come in and slap a big dead oscar down on the desk with a "you sold me this fish 3 weeks ago and now its dead.... what you going to do about it?" routine...

Checked it over best i could and couldnt see anything wrong, apparently it was ok one minute, then started thrashing about and just died... his water was (for a change) spot on!

Only when i thought to check its gills for flukes did i see something odd, i tought it was odd that Oscars were bright yellow in their gills.... so i opened its mouth to find a Yellow Lab jammed in there, its fins locked through the gills of the Oscar.. it choked to death on its sneaky snack...

Needless to say the customer got sent packing, id only refused to sell him some yellow labs the week before as they arent suitable tank mates. I guess he found out the hard way...

-----

That said... the most ironic thing (and it really upset me!) was one of the 5 red belly piranha babies (the size of a 5p coin) choked to death on a bit of mini bloodworm

 

[HayzH]

My Betta got a mini pellet stuck this morning..he was kinda shaking his head to get it out.Then it came out with a bit of flake and small pieces....like he'd vomitted it up.

Don't feed him for a day or two, it won't do him any harm, just in case he's getting a bit clogged up.

he ate WAY too much this morning..and his belly is huge. at one point he had 2 pellets in there at once..he is suffering finrot atm....but still has a great apetite

 

[Akasha72]

it's really upset me that this has happened as I feel responsable. I gave them the blood worms for a change, and I know they really like them and I've noticed since they've been having them a couple of times a week that they're colour seems to be brighter somehow. I thought I was doing something good and now I feel like I've killed a fish

 

[soybean]

it's really upset me that this has happened as I feel responsable. I gave them the blood worms for a change, and I know they really like them and I've noticed since they've been having them a couple of times a week that they're colour seems to be brighter somehow. I thought I was doing something good and now I feel like I've killed a fish

It is a shame when you lose a fish, but unfortunately it's one of those things that happens. You didn't do anything wrong, and it's not like you could perform the heimlich manoeuvre on it. I lost an oto this evening so I'm down to 5. No signs of illness, feeding well yesterday - no idea what happened. Thought about it for about 3 seconds while scooping it out, wrapping it in a tissue and binning it - no point dwelling on something if there's nothing that could've been done.

And if I'd left it in overnight, it would've started to break down, and any nudges from fish would've turned into nibbles. There's been many a carcass stripped overnight over the years!

The platys are not grieving or mourning. If anything they might be a bit spooked by the net appearing. They'll be fine.

Add another female now you're down to one of each.