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You have done everything in your knowledge and power to keep your fish safe and healthy.
You have researched fish species before purchasing, regularly cycle the tank, perform regular water changes, manage light in and around your aquarium, and so on.
But even after so many preparations and measurements, you still found that your aquarium fish died overnight.
You know nothing about why your fish are dying one by one without any rhyme or reason.
Don’t stress yourself! It is a common occurrence among new fish owners to encounter such problems.
We’re here to help you. In this brief guide, we’ll let you know why your fish keep dying even when the water is fine.
What should you do to prevent sudden deaths?
Reasons Why Fish Keep Dying Even When Water Is Fine
Just because your water looks fine and clean doesn’t ensure the safety of your beloved fish.
Fish can meet their ends even in the finest-looking water.
There is always a reason why your fish die all of a sudden, even in fine, clean water.
The following can be the reasons why your fish keep dying even when the water is fine.
1. The Temperature Of Water Isn’t Suitable For Your Fish
Generally, fish owners obtained fish from water or gas-works, where they are either bred in warm or tepid water.
It is vital to know whether your fish is cold-bred or warm-bred before placing them in a tank or bowl.
If you place a cold-bred fish in warm water, it would undoubtedly kill the small, cute creature.
Similarly, placing a warm-bred fish in cold water will result in the fish’s sudden death.
In “Hardwicke’s Science-gossip, volume 20”, W. Finch wrote in answer to Mr. Easton’s query that cold-bred fish should be placed in cold water, while warm-bred fish should be placed in warm water.
Hardwick’s Science-Gossip was a well-known and popular-science magazine.
This science magazine was published regularly from 1865 to 1902.
What Should You Do?
Ask the pet store from where you bought your fish and find out whether your fish is cold-bred or warm-bred. After discovering their breed type, maintain the water temperature accordingly.
2. Your Might Have Placed Your Fish In A Room Where Gas Is Burning
In “Hardwicke’s Science-gossip, Volume 20”, W. Finch also wrote in an answer to Mr. Easton’s query that fish should not be placed in a room where gas is burnt.
There is reasonable evidence to suggest that burning gas is terrible for overall fish health.
What Should You Do?
You can have the best fish tanks that will be able to withstand a reasonable amount of heat without being affected, but problems may arise over time and could affect your fish.
To ensure your fish’s health, it is best to keep your tank away from the immediate ambient heat, simply change the room and place the fish where there is no gas burnt.
3. You Frequently Move Your Fish From One Vessel To Another
Whether your glasshouse has native fish, tropical fish, or common goldfish, they all are delicate, fragile creatures.
Too much handling or moving could cause their sudden death.
W. Finch also mentioned in the reply to Mr. Easton that frequently changing the water may perhaps be partly the reason why fish die even when the water is clean.
What Should You Do?
Don’t move your beloved fish unnecessarily. Don’t be paranoid and only change the water once a week.
If you’re using a large tank aquarium, change the water once in five or six months.
4. You Might Have Overstocked Your Aquarium
Overstocking your aquarium could also be a prime reason why your fish keep dying.
New fish owners mistakenly overcrowd their aquariums.
What happens is that when you overcrowded your aquarium, there is no amount of aeration and no reduction of temperature that will keep the water in a wholesome condition.
In such a case, obviously, there will be some fish that will die shortly due to less aeration or reduction of temperature.
What Should You Do?
Let’s suppose you are using a 5-gallon water-size tank aquarium.
Then you should keep from six to eight fish in it depending on their size.
But if you are using a 10–gallon aquarium, you can easily place 12 to 14 fish in it. More than this, and you’ll suffocate your fish.
5. Irregular Aeration Of Water
In the book “Transactions of the American Fisheries Society”, by the American Fisheries Society, experts elucidate how aeration could be a significant factor in your fish’s sudden death.
Irregular aeration of water is a very common happening among no experienced individuals.
Regularity in aerating the water is a must thing if you want your fish healthy and safe.
Oxygen is as essential for fish as it is for human beings.
Irregular aeration of water could hinder your fish’s breathing and can result in sudden death.
What Should You Do?
Filters, powerheads, air stones, and aerating decorations are what could help you properly aerate your tank aquarium.
All these devices can assist you in maintaining and increasing aquarium aeration.
You can easily buy filters, air stones, and other aerating decorations for amazon or other online shopping platforms.
Buy and use whatever product you are comfortable using and provide your fish with the much-needed oxygen.
6. You Might Be Overfeeding Your Fish
In the book “Boys’ Life”, Billie Spencer stated that more fish die from overfeeding than from any other causes such as temperature, aeration, rough handling, etc.
What Should You Do?
According to Billie Spencer, only the amount of food your beloved, little pet can finish in five minutes should be fed.
You should only feed your fish once a day, preferably in the morning.
Knowing what your fish consume naturally will also help you to feed them appropriately. Do they eat plants, meat, or both?
To Sum Up
To sum up, only clear and clean water doesn’t necessitate that your fish is healthy and safe. Sometimes a little negligence from your side can cause the fish to die suddenly.
Observing fish in an aquarium is a soothing, calm, and exciting activity. We can spend a couple of hours observing our cute little pets in their glasshouses.
As much as observing them behind the glass is amusing, witnessing their death is equally devastating and mortifying. No fish hobbyist wants to attend the funeral of their beloved fish.
Therefore, research well and collected all the necessary information about fish breeds, aquarium set-up, and maintenance.
Zoey is a long-time pet owner and animal rights advocate, a vital part of Purrfect n’ Pawesome. She shares her unique experiences and learnings with her readers to enhance their understanding of pet behavior and nutrition. Along with being an active pet writer, she volunteers at multiple animal shelters, rescue centres with some bespokenly awesome pets.
Zoey has a lot to share when raising the pets and spending life being their true friends. She has a quite pampered Persian cat and a Ragdoll, whom she loves the most. Readout her blogs to know more about being a responsible parent to your beloved pets.
“I love to be around cats and dogs; that’s my passion and my trick to get away from all the negativity and soaking in unconditional love and affection. Being attached to this platform gives me the reason to be vocal about pet love, care, and nurturing. Although I am not an expert or veterinarian by any means, I have a lot of experience and learnings to share with my fellow readers.”
