# Blue Dolphin died suddenly



## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Hi all,

I am just looking for a resolution to this if one exists.

One of my Blue Dolphins was looking a little suspect this afternoon - just sitting very quietly in a hiding spot at the bottom of the tank whilst the other fish were scooting around everywhere. When the fish in question moved it would be very small distances before it stopped again.
It then just flipped out and died - 24 hours ago, the fish was fine.
Any ideas what might have happened?

Other information;
- I added 3 Blue Dolphins to my tank a week ago along with a colony consisting of 4 other fish.
- There is a pair of Green Terrors in the tank.
- The tank is 55 Gallons/210 Litres.
- Water quality is fine - PH of about 7.6-7.8 no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. I did a 50% water change yesterday.
- As luck would have it, the Green Terror laid eggs 2hrs after I added these fish last week. Whilst I have the female isolated, occasionally some of the fry swim through the barrier and the male Green Terror aggressively chases all other fish away trying to protect the fry (until eaten).

I would have thought stress would have been a reasonable explanation, but all the other fish are looking fine.

Any insight as to what happened would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tejay


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## Catfish Dan (Apr 12, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your Blue Dolphin. This happened to us recently; we added a group of female P. phenochilus into our species only tank. The next day the male stopped eating, and the day after that he died. We suspected illness from the new group but it happened so quickly. It's been over a month now and all of the girls are doing fine.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

First the tank isn't big enough for a pair of Green Terrors, let alone the other fish, so you are going to have to figure out what to do with the tank.

Second, if a fish is hit hard enough in the right spot, internal damage can be done that will kill the fish, and there is no visible signs. Internal Parasites can sometimes do the same, fish looks fine until a day, or couple days before death, and then it drops. I can't say which it is for you. A 55 gallon is too small to keep Blue Dolphins as well.


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks for the replies.

Fogelhund - Yes that sounds very plausible as the male green terror has been ramming some of the other fish when some fry manage to get through the barrier I have setup. Thanks for that.

I am conscious of the issue with the mix of fish and the tank size. The person I have purchased the fish from seems very knowledgeable and was not pushy with the sale. When I asked she said because they are small they will grow according to their environment/tank size.

So I will see how things go, but more than ready to return/donate some of the fish back to the shop if it ends up been impractical.

Thanks for your help


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## iridextr (Feb 8, 2013)

Fish won't have their growth stunted like that from a small tank. I don't know why people still throw that idea around.. there are fish called "tank busters" for a reason. What you do with the situation is another story, but don't expect your fish to just be dwarfs because they're in a small tank.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Tejay said:


> When I asked she said because they are small they will grow according to their environment/tank size.


This fallacy on it's own is good enough reason to seek advice from other sources.


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Sure, thanks, I understand the concern.
At the moment they are all small and get along just fine (aside from the breeding issues). So this is a decision for a latter date.

I think the Green Terrors are really Gold Saum which takes the pressure off a bit.

So I understand the concerns, but by the time this becomes a problem I will probably have many more tanks anyway


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

But couldn't the same thing happen again...given you have more of the same fish in the tank as before?


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## ITALIAN926 (Jul 31, 2012)

My brother once had a snakehead that he put into like a 30 gallon hexagon. This thing grew longer than the tank and couldnt be remain straight.


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## Kaenon (Dec 12, 2012)

ITALIAN926 said:


> My brother once had a snakehead that he put into like a 30 gallon hexagon. This thing grew longer than the tank and couldnt be remain straight.


Isn't it illegal to keep a snakehead in the US?


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

I learnt my lesson this time... (aside from the fish dying, putting up barriers to isolate the female was a nightmare), when she lays eggs again the eggs and the female are going straight to a separate tank!!


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Kaenon said:


> ITALIAN926 said:
> 
> 
> > My brother once had a snakehead that he put into like a 30 gallon hexagon. This thing grew longer than the tank and couldnt be remain straight.
> ...


I believe most states outlaw them but not all of them. I don't have a state list. But as you know laws don't always stop people from doing illegal things.


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