Can a fish die from stress?

[2latinaz]

I finally stocked my 55gal. One oranda, one black moor and one ryukin.

Unfortunately, the ryukin died yesterday. Though, I'm not sure why.
He/She was acting lethargic while the other two were happily swimming around. I noticed that he wasn't that active in the petstore bag either. I should mention that the ryukin was bought from a different petstore.

Could it be that he was just too stressed out? I did manage to feed him some veggies and pellets and he pooed. I loved his calico coloring and really wanted him to make it

Ammonia: 0, Nitrites: 0, and Nitrates 20ppm

 

[fshfanatic]

Sure it can, just like any other animal I suppose.. It would be called a cardiac arrest.

 

[Khemul]

Yes.

More often it seems to weaken the fish (indirectly killing them), but in some cases it can outright kill the fish.
It could also be a number of things; acclimation method, difference in water it was in and water it is in, disease, or even just simply bad stock of fish. From the sound of it it may well have been bad stock and/or disease combined with stress.

 

[2latinaz]

Shame, he was really gorgeous. I've been to two other pet stores since then in order to get a replacement, but I wasn't too impressed with their stock and cleanliness. So I'm off to another about 30 mins away. Lesson learned.

Something that annoyed me about the petstore that I got him from was that the fish guy pointed at the price tag and asked me if I had read the information on it. I've been keeping fish for 10 years and did more than enough research, so I said no. I could tell he was annoyed, but before he could jump on me, I told him that I had a cycled 55 gallon and that only three fish would call it home. So I got my fish and notice a man and his 5 year old daughter with 2 black mollies and a tiny net frantically looking at the petfood. No idea why the employee didn't get on him

 

[garyfla]

Hi
I worked in a Petshop for a while nad was absolutely amazed at the general LACK of knowledge of people who wanted to keep fish lol
I always tried to help out with stocking ideas but found the average buyer was put off by my attemps. So eventually i just shutup and got the nets.lol
Some of the questions asked.
How many GF can I keep in a" bowl'??
What kinds of coral can I keep with GF.?
If I add a couple of plants do i still need to filter??
There were many others but those stick in my mind as requiring a book for an adequet answer.
I vote GF as the world most" abused " animal though Bettas are right up ther also .
Be grateful you had a clerk who was interested enough to point out some basics of fishkeeping.
he must be new as that attitude is quickly beaten out of you !!! gary

 

[jpappy789]

I would also venture to guess that "stress" would also put a strain on a fish's immune system as well making them more susceptible to disease.

Another silent killer is just poor stock whether it be genetic or because the fish was already kept in poor conditions and thus was stressed before it even got into your care. Add in the process of acclimating to a new environment and that could definitely be what happened.

 

[Kashta]

It's always sad to lose a great fish like that. Hope you find another you like just as much.

How are the other two doing?

 

[SickBum]

Stress is a made up concept. It's really just a general catchall symptom of specific behavior, which is not lethargy, but escape behavior or hide behavior.

If he was active in the store and not active in the bag you suffocated him due to not having enough air in the bag. If he was inactive in the store you should not have bought him, he was probably on the verge of death already.

 

[jpappy789]

Stress is a made up concept. It's really just a general catchall symptom of specific behavior, which is not lethargy, but escape behavior or hide behavior.

If he was active in the store and not active in the bag you suffocated him due to not having enough air in the bag. If he was inactive in the store you should not have bought him, he was probably on the verge of death already.

That is not entirely true.

http://physrev.physiology.org/content/77/3/591.short
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/095980309190019G
http://ces3.ca.uky.edu/westkentucky...AC 474 The Role of Stress in Fish Disease.pdf
http://www.springerlink.com/content/06701t3w57576868/

There is quite a bit of research on stress and fish, especially pertaining to aquaculture. The specifics leading to the response may vary but it does not just lie in their perceived behavior. There are definite, physiological changes that occur as well which can be detrimental.