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Hi there,
I was just wondering.. is it stressful on the other fish when a fish dies in the aquarium? I had a fish die last night, and as soon as I noticed it, I very quickly got him out of the tank..I just didn't know if there are any effects on the other fish when this happens?

It is stressful if the other fish are affected by whatever killed the victim, or if the dead fish affects water quality. Another stress point is the net or hand going into the tank to remove the dead fish. One last hitch is that many species form associations or travel in groups, and the loss of a fish affects this. Even just one fish dying can upset an aquarium in quite a few different ways, and even set off a chain reaction. Be sure to keep an eye out for any problems with your other critters.

Do you know what killed your fish last night?

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Yeah.. I'm in I think the midddle of the cycling process and it was a neon tetra..he looked so weak and I knew he wouldn't make it much longer..the other fish are acting pretty active still (swimming around, eating when fed) so I don't know if that means that its okay. However, the one that passed away, the other one that were identical to the other fish thath died is still alive..so I hope that he don't feel lonely..but I've heard that tetras go well together anyhow.. I will get a school of the same type after this tank finishes cycling so I hope that will help!

In the case of an established couple (i.e. angelfish pairs) I think it is stressful on the partner. I am losing one right now (and did in the same manner once before about 3 years ago) and the female (the healthy one) seems "upset". She lingers by the sick male's side. When this happened to me before (and it is a mystery illness that I am trying to figure out what it is and how to cure it) and the one passed away, the remaining fish was very "sad" or "down". I immediately bought a new partner and they paired right up. It is quite obvious to me that there is an attachment between tank mates.

Putting aside the issues of water quality and mated pairs, I'm guessing that most of the fish in my tanks have only one thought when a tankmate dies:

"DINNER!!!!"