Just how stupid are fish? A sad tale....

[ReeferBob]

I found my Copper Band Butterfly that I got 3 months ago wedged in the coral, dead. It was very healthy and active always coming to the glass when someone walked by. Lots of personality. Just decided I guess to see if he could pick at something in a piece of coral and got stuck. I am not sure how long he was there he still looked good, just dead. I got him out but he was really wedged in there.

I lost a really nice healthy clown a few years ago to jumping in the overflow and getting stuck.

Anyone lose a fish like this?

 

[Ruben's Reef]

My firefish just suicide. Don’t know how he got thru the egg crate top cover and was on the floor. That’s sad.

 

[RobM]

I tried a Copper Band Butterfly once.. he seemed "stupid" compared to my other fish. He would attempt to eat things and frequently miss. Not sure if I just got a bad one or what but probably won't try again.

 

[Left Coast DJ]

At least fish don't eat Tide pods!

 

[Fallguy44]

At least fish don't eat Tide pods!

Or snort condoms.... (That is the latest one apparently)

 

[Ulee]

SW fish are intelligent, but their bodies are limited.

 

[saltyhog]

I lost two pretty expensive wrasses because they jumped in the over flow and when they went down the primary drain they gut stuck in the gate valve and died. I had turned down my return pump a little and had to close the gate valve a little on my Beananimal . Previously any fish that went down the drain ended up in the sump unharmed. I have since fixed that problem!

CBB aren't accurate at pecking out of the water column but it's not lack of intelligence. They're engineered to drag worms/feather dusters/etc. out of tight places. They can learn to eat well out of the water column but it's not natural for them.

 

[Fumanchu]

Sadly I know your pain I've had a couple of jumpers myself . Sorry bro

 

[sstanley223]

This one jumped last week... I'm heartbroken. Wanted to give up on the tank

 

[HB AL]

Technically they never evolved to live in a small glass box. I wouldn't blame the fish when they die in your tank from anything they did.

 

[botheboss]

I’ve just recently had a rabbit fish get stuck to a powerhead 3 different times. The last time was fatal. I’ve also had tangs eat fresh super glue from gluing corals down. They swam around for a few days with their mouths glued shut but thankfully it came off.

 

[twpilot]

Technically they never evolved to live in a small glass box. I wouldn't blame the fish when they die in your tank from anything they did.

yes have to agree ..stupid fish..?????..maybe stupid humans for thinking we can keep a fish in a glass box..it works but not all the time ...they are not in there natural environment ..the ocean. i love my fish and corals but I also understand that i'm there caretaker now and have to do the best I can for them....even in there natural habitat they can die and they do... but I'm sure not as much as when we keep them in a tank... sorry for the rant but i goes the how stupid are fish thing got me going

 

[ca1ore]

Oh I think fish are pretty stupid ..... doesn't mean plenty of humans aren't also. My favored trick to curbing aggression towards a new fish is to tape a mirror to one end of the tank; which keeps the tangs busy for days. Smart enough to figure out I supply the food, but that's about it. BTW, to the OP, fish may have been on it's way out already and just wedged itself in to die. I've had that happen a few times.

 

[HB AL]

I’ve just recently had a rabbit fish get stuck to a powerhead 3 different times. The last time was fatal. I’ve also had tangs eat fresh super glue from gluing corals down. They swam around for a few days with their mouths glued shut but thankfully it came off.

I have a 6 inch gold spot rabbit fish. Sleeps suck on to one of the power heads every night, or wonders the the rank a while. Made me think he's the smarrtest out of the 15 fish I have and they are all the very smart

 

[rkpetersen]

I have two wrasses that are in a competition to see who can commit suicide first. Lineatus Fairy Wrasse and Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse. So far the score is tied, each has jumped out of the tank FOUR times. This is a tank with a lid, mind you. They wait until I take the lid off for feeding or maintenance to make their moves. And I have saved their miserable worthless lives each and every time. I got so paranoid, I installed a makeshift plastic mesh netting between the back of the tank and the wall. Of course neither of them has jumped at all since I installed that net.