Dead fish = plant food?

[nAmYzArC]

Assuming a planted tank with a low bioload, would leaving a dead fish
in there be all that bad? wouldn't the plants use the decomposing fish
as fertilizer?
I noticed a dead oto in my tank yesterday. I didn't fish it out right
away, but returned about 3 hours later to remove it but it was gone. I
assume the currents must have taken it into a more densly planted
section of the tank.
Thoughts?

[carlrs]

On May 23, 10:35 am, nAmYzArC > wrote:
> Assuming a planted tank with a low bioload, would leaving a dead fish
> in there be all that bad? wouldn't the plants use the decomposing fish
> as fertilizer?
> I noticed a dead oto in my tank yesterday. I didn't fish it out right
> away, but returned about 3 hours later to remove it but it was gone. I
> assume the currents must have taken it into a more densly planted
> section of the tank.
> Thoughts?

I have arrived at aquarium service clients homes or offices where they
never noticed a dead fish on multiple occasions and found the fish
'conumed' by plecs and bacteria with no noticable change in ammonia
and nitrite levels in low bio load, well filtered, and often planted
tanks.
In a smaller tank with high bio load and marginal filtration I would
take out a dead fish immediately.

Carl
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