What happens to fish when they die?

[Lola]

My fish are dying but they don't float to the top they are on the gravel... Why is this?

 

[halik]

they ate to much. Think positive, least they wont stay afloat when you flush em ...

 

[Wallydraigle]

Because they only float once the bacteria in them start to break them down and produce gasses making them lighter than water. This will occur quite quickly in warm water. After putrifaction is underway at some point they will actually sink again.

 

[GISTechnician]

What kind of fish are they?

Fish sometimes sink to the bottom when they die.

 

[polypterus]

When I was a kid my goldfish always sank to the bottom when they died.

Or is it sunk?

dc

 

[Amused]

<< Because they only float once the bacteria in them start to break them down and produce gasses making them lighter than water. This will occur quite quickly in warm water. After putrifaction is underway at some point they will actually sink again. >>

 

[TuffGirl]

<< What happens to fish when they die? >>


They go to fish heaven of course.


R.I.P. ActPrincess's fish.

 

[Jzero]

dude, mine get sucked on to the filter intake.

I have a jesus-like catfish. It sat in a crevasse between two rocks for 9-days straight. I never saw it move during that whole 9 days, but the catfish usually moves when I'm not around and the tank light is off. He's a bottom feeder so he doesn't eat with the rest of the fish.
After a week, my gf was poking him and he wasn't moving at all. We even thought we saw some fuzzy stuff growing from his dorsal fin. I really like my catfish and he's kinda big so I didn't have the heart to toss him and just decided to wait until Sunday when I got back from my weekend travels.

I come in on Monday and the catfish was gone! He returned to another favorite place of his, sucked upside-down to the bottom of a rock shelf, back from the dead! Since then he's changed places at least twice a day.

Glad I waited on tossing him....