fish eating dead fish?

[Nathan Manship]

Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days and had a
friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home I noticed
that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had died. The
rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk botia and
a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying fish and
can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and everything?
I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in case he
was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it possible for
the others to eat bones and all?

Thanks in advance

[Billy]

"Nathan Manship" > wrote in message
...
> Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days
> and had a
> friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home
> I noticed
> that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had
> died. The
> rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk
> botia and
> a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying
> fish and
> can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and
> everything?
> I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in
> case he
> was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it
> possible for
> the others to eat bones and all?
>
> Thanks in advance
>

It's certainly possible, but usually in cases like this I find a tiny
crunchy-snack behind the tank when I move it months later. <g>

[Justin Boucher]

I had a rainbow shark become the vicitm of such an occurance. But I don't
recall enough tank mates present to consume the fish in the amount of time
available.

I pretty much resigned it "divine assention". Laugh if you may, chasitse me
for being sacreligious if you feel. I see it as a very comical, but easy
explaination.

Justin

"Billy" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Nathan Manship" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days
> > and had a
> > friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home
> > I noticed
> > that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had
> > died. The
> > rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk
> > botia and
> > a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying
> > fish and
> > can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and
> > everything?
> > I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in
> > case he
> > was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it
> > possible for
> > the others to eat bones and all?
> >
> > Thanks in advance
> >
>
> It's certainly possible, but usually in cases like this I find a tiny
> crunchy-snack behind the tank when I move it months later. <g>
>
>

[NetMax]

"Nathan Manship" > wrote in message
...
> Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days and
> had a
> friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home I
> noticed
> that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had died.
> The
> rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk
> botia and
> a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying
> fish and
> can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and
> everything?
> I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in
> case he
> was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it possible
> for
> the others to eat bones and all?
>
> Thanks in advance


Decomposing bodies manage to get wedged into the most unlikely locations
(including filter intakes, under stones, driftwood etc, outside the tank
somewhere (ie: they swam upstream into a powerfilter and then jumped
out)).

If you are satisfied that this is not the case, then consider that a
decomposing fish will be mostly consumed in 2 days (depends on
voraciousness of tank-mates), leaving loose inedibles (scales & fins) to
vanish into the gravel, and a thin skeleton of cartilage (head, spinal
cord and caudal fin) to vanish into the tank somewhere. After a few more
days, the skeletal remains will further break apart, making location and
recognition even more impossible. Corys and Plecos tend to leave behind
more forensic evidence, but most everyone else in the under 2.5-3"
category will (in your elapsed 6 days) be mostly gone (except perhaps a
tiny skull somewhere).

...and then there is always teleportation theories ;~)
--
www.NetMax.tk

[John Thomas]

Nathan Manship wrote:
> Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days and had a
> friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home I noticed
> that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had died. The
> rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk botia and
> a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying fish and
> can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and everything?
> I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in case he
> was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it possible for
> the others to eat bones and all?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>
If you have inverts like Apple Snails or Ghost Shrimp, they'll clean
every last bit up in a half day or so.

[~Roy~]

They do it in Wal Mart and Petco every day............

==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

[Ozdude]

"John Thomas" > wrote in message ...

> If you have inverts like Apple Snails or Ghost Shrimp, they'll clean every
> last bit up in a half day or so.

I think this explains the complete disappearance of 2 Neons, 1 BAT and 2
Hockey (Tetras) in recent times.

Oz

[Brad]

I should change this subject to Fish Eating Life Fish...

Hi. I've got a 150G 8' aquarium.

I started out with 10 young angels about the size of quarters or so,
obtained from a friend who helped get me started with this hobby. Being a
complete novice at this, I'm pleased to say I've not lost any fish to my own
actions (except for one cardinal tetra that I accidentally flipped out of
the tank to an inaccessible area - oops).

Added 8 cories to clean up the gravel bottom of the tank.

Algae set in, so I got a couple of 3-4" plecos. Wow, did they do a job on
the algae! I am a little worried they're not getting enough to eat, now,
though I do throw in algae wafers nightly...

Then, I added 13 roberts tetras to get the angels schooling, and for their
mild coloration and schooling.

This last go-round I added some plants, 28 cardinal tetras, and 3 longer,
larger fish (forget their name, from about 2/3 back, in the middle of their
sides, there's a black stripe to their tailfin, which follows the top
portion of the bottom half of their tailfin. Underneath the black stripe on
their tailfin (only) is a bold red stripe).

Anyway, at some point my wife counted only 9 angels (by this time their
bodies are about 1.5" tall). Sure enough, one jumped out of the tank and
transformed itself into a fish chip.

Later, my wife noticed we had fewer cardinals. Sure enough, about 10
disappeared. We believe the angels ate them. They kept disappearing so we
scooped up the remaining cardinals and put them in the 10G quarantine tank.
I don't think they're very happy there (it's a barren but life-supporting
environment).

Brad.

"Nathan Manship" > wrote in message
...
> Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days and had a
> friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home I
> noticed
> that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had died. The
> rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk botia
> and
> a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying fish
> and
> can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and
> everything?
> I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in case
> he
> was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it possible
> for
> the others to eat bones and all?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>

[Gill Passman]

"John Thomas" > wrote in message ...
> Nathan Manship wrote:
> > Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days and had
a
> > friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home I
noticed
> > that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had died. The
> > rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk botia
and
> > a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying fish
and
> > can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and
everything?
> > I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in case
he
> > was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it possible
for
> > the others to eat bones and all?
> >
> > Thanks in advance
> >
> >
> If you have inverts like Apple Snails or Ghost Shrimp, they'll clean
> every last bit up in a half day or so.

I can search for hours for a missing fish....thankfully doesn't happen too
often....Usually I cannot find them until I sit and watch the Clown
Loaches....then one always gives itself away furtively nibbling at something
at the back of the tank at which point I can remove the dead fish....so Yes,
fish do eat dead fish....

[Billy]

"Brad" > wrote in message
...
>I should change this subject to Fish Eating Life Fish...

Many people tend to forget that Angels are cichlids, and prone to
cichlid behavior. Angels will frequently eat live snack-sized fish
like the smaller tetras, though they're not guaranteed to do so. I
bought my Angels very small, and raised them in a community tank, and
they get along fine with a variety of small fish.


billy

[Rich]

"John Thomas" > wrote in message ...
> Nathan Manship wrote:
>> Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days and had
>> a
>> friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home I
>> noticed
>> that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had died. The
>> rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk botia
>> and
>> a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying fish
>> and
>> can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and
>> everything?
>> I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in case
>> he
>> was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it possible
>> for
>> the others to eat bones and all?
>>
>> Thanks in advance
>>
>>
> If you have inverts like Apple Snails or Ghost Shrimp, they'll clean every
> last bit up in a half day or so.

My Plec and ghost shrimps leave just a small skeleton on 2 hours. I hate to
see this so remove dying and dead fish if I'm quick enough. I particularly
hate the way my ghost shrimps seem to sense a sick fish and wait like
vultures. Twice I've seen them start on almost dead fish whilst its still
moving... they drag it off into the weeds... horrible !

[Billy]

"Rich" > wrote in message
...
> moving... they drag it off into the weeds... horrible !

Not horrible, it's called "nature". <g>

[[email protected]]

I had a mid sized angelfish disappearing on me overnight.

[Dick]

On Fri, 8 Apr 2005 23:03:41 -0600, "Nathan Manship"
> wrote:

>Can other fish eat a dead fish completely? I was gone for 4 days and had a
>friend feeding my fish everyday. A couple of days after I got home I noticed
>that my dwarf gourami was gone, and my friend said no fish had died. The
>rest of my tank is 2 mollies, 3 swordtails, 2 bala sharks, a skunk botia and
>a pleco in a 29 gallon. I have looked everywhere to find a decaying fish and
>can find nothing. Would the others be able to eat the bones and everything?
>I took in a water sample(recommended by LFS)to check for ammonia in case he
>was decaying somewhere, but everything is good they say. Is it possible for
>the others to eat bones and all?
>
>Thanks in advance
>

I don't recall ever finding a dead fish eaten until this morning. I
barely could recognize the remains as a black molly. The tail was
gone and 1/2 inch of tail was just skeleton. So, if a few days had
passed, I might have thought it was MIA (missing in action)

dick