Do you think that no matter how we try, we still lose fish?

[Utar]

I have experience in the hobby that helps me to keep fish alive and hopefully thriving. But over time I still lose fish, not many.

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

yes. over time fish bloodlines are being inbred over and over again. and hey I killed my first betta sorority in 2 months. now I am able to care for such a mess.

 

[SAChichlidLover]

I have experience in the hobby that helps me to keep fish alive and hopefully thriving. But over time I still lose fish, not many.

Honestly sometimes losing fish is inevitable, it’s very situational though for most fish but for some they are so intensively farmed or inbred that they develop lots of internal problems and genetic diseases, I recently lost my two male dwarf gourami after 7 months of good water, feeding etc and they looked perfectly healthy untill a day beforehand when they got the infamous iridovirus bloat.. The best bet for keeping fish alive is by mimicking natural conditions and keeping them in a clean environment. Feeding them good quality food with variety is also a huge factor in keeping fish healthy. Unfortunately we can’t see a lot of genetic diseases or internal problems untill it’s too late so getting fish from a reputable supplier is also the best bet

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes. Usually, when the aquarist is very experienced but fish still die, it is due to genetics, not the aquarist.

When Dwarf Gourami’s die, aquarists feel bad because they did everything right and it still died. But usually the fish died from major genetic issues.

That was just an example, but it apply’s to most inbred fish.

 

[SAChichlidLover]

Yes. Usually, when the aquarist is very experienced but fish still die, it is due to genetics, not the aquarist.

When Dwarf Gourami’s die, aquarists feel bad because they did everything right and it still died. But usually the fish died from major genetic issues.

That was just an example, but it apply’s to most inbred fish.

Couldnt of said it better!

 

[Fishfinder1973]

I introduced 18 otos and lost 7 within 2 days.That’s otos for you

 

[Utar]

Yes, I agree that fish farms over breed and produce genetically inferior fish that no matter how much care and attention the fish will die.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I introduced 18 otos and lost 7 within 2 days.That’s otos for you

Adding so many fish at once is a gamble as the beneficial biology may not reproduce fast enough to compensate for the sudden increase in ammonia. It's always better to just add a few fish at a time.

Yes, I agree that fish farms over breed and produce genetically inferior fish that no matter how much care and attention the fish will die.

We might partially blame shorter life spans on genetics as the result of inbreeding, but this also happens in nature. But lets not overlook that in spite of what we think we know, many fish are killed with kindness. Often the result of overfeeding (Are You Overfeeding Your Fish) and/or feeding improper types of food. It's an easy trap to fall into.
And also lets consider that nature can be very cruel. I've seen it published that well kept tropical fish can live 15-20 years. Much less likely in the wild with predators and man and then there's nature...the rainy season with floods and pools that dry up killing thousands.
And then there's water quality. Aquarium fish live constantly in varying degrees of polluted water...while water in nature is constantly being renewed.
Many, many variables and the best we can do is the best we can do to take care of our finned friends.
AND YES, I lose fish too!!!

 

[itiwhetu]

We all loose fish from time to time. A problem with aquarists often is that they loose a fish and then immediately think disease. They then treat their tank and put the other fish under stress, this is why I keep medications away from my tanks. If a fish dies in your tank it doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong in the tank.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

I agree,we shouldn’t just treat the tank the minute a fish dies.
Fish can be starved during transit or stressed because they are in holding tanks with no cover.
A shame really,and the best we can do is give them a good home when we buy them.
That’s my opinion anyway.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Yes.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I introduced 18 otos and lost 7 within 2 days.That’s otos for you

That was what happened to me, except with Panda Cory's.

 

[jams]

There was a discussion on another forum about the health of fish and issues we encounter. When we bring home a fish and have a disease or worst yet a death. We all try to figure out the issue and our first thought is we did something wrong.
This Quote "Most fish that die soon after arrival are carrying their deaths within." This really made sense to me. There are so many variables that are out of our control from the breeding method to water quality and the stress caused during the travel and acclimation from tank to tank.. And yes of course we could have made a mistake but the percentage of that is very small. So, Ultimately its a roll of the dice.
Just my .02.

 

[kribensis12]

It will always happen. There are so many factors that its impossible to not loose fish.

Sometimes, healthy fish just die. In the same way that healthy people can get cancer, have an aneurysm and or a heart attack.

Control what you can control and understand that there are things beyond your control.

 

[fish48]

Yes. Usually, when the aquarist is very experienced but fish still die, it is due to genetics, not the aquarist.

When Dwarf Gourami’s die, aquarists feel bad because they did everything right and it still died. But usually the fish died from major genetic issues.

That was just an example, but it apply’s to most inbred fish.

A very experienced aquarist would know that there fish didn't die due to genetics.
A inexperienced aquarist will blame it on genetics. when a fish becomes ill or dies try and find out why the fish died because most fish deaths in the home aquarium has very little to do with genetics