Sometimes we become confused about the immediate status of our pet fish, as to whether the fish is still alive or dead. Sometimes we become so curious to know the immediate status of our fish, because of some behaviors they might be exhibiting. In this article, we will talk about if guppies, plecos and Koi do float or sink when they die.
Do Guppy fish float or sink when they die? When guppy fish dies, bacteria decomposition produces gas in its body, which will make the dead fish bloat and float. At some point, the gasses will evaporate and the dead fish will sink to decompose.
Just like every other animal that lives in the water, or any animal that drowns in water, the body will sometimes bloat.
This bloat is caused by decomposition bacteria, which will make the body produce gas in the vital parts, which in return will make the dead body bloat like a balloon.
in such a case, the body will now begin to float because it’s bloated.
As time goes by, the body will sink to the bottom of the water and will start to decompose.
So, guppy fish and much other fish could float and sink when they die.
Also, it’s not proper to assume that your fish is dead once you see it floating, No, sometimes some fish might want to do that, but you have to check the way they do it.
For instance, if a fish is floating sideways and helplessly, if it is floating helplessly on its back, etc, and not moving its body, even when you poke it, then it’s dead.
Do Fish Float or Sink When They Die?
To give the correct answer to this question, a fish could be able to do both when it dies.
So, if a fish is dead, it could float at first, and then finally sink where it will stay and decompose.
So, a fish could float and sink when it is dead because of the decomposition bacteria which will make the body bloat by forming gas in it.
Do Pleco Fish Float When They Die?
Just like every animal, especially aquatic animals, they will always bloat when they die due to the effect of the decomposition bacteria, which will form a gas that will bloat the body.
So, with the bloating of the body, the body will now become like a bloated balloon, thereby making the dead body of a pleco fish float.
So, pleco fish do float on water when they die and will later sink too.
Do Koi Fish Float When They Die?
Yes, just like every other fish, koi fish will float when they die.
Sometimes, the fish’s body will be slightly denser that it will first sink, then build up gas at the bottom of the water and then float with the help of the bloat, then will later finally sink to decompose properly.
So, koi fish will float when they are dead.
How Long Does It Take For A Dead Fish To Decompose?
For the whole dead body to decompose and be erased, it could take between 7 to 10 days. This will greatly depend on how long your tank has been established. If it is over 6 months, you should not get an ammonia spike from that size of fish
Again it depends on the size of the fish and location too.
If the fish is very big, then it will take some time.
Again if it is in a big water body like a lake or river etc, then the body will decompose faster than if it’s in a tank.
How Long Doe It Take For A Dead Fish To Sink?
Once a fish is dead, it could either float immediately or take some time before building up enough gas to float.
When it floats, it could stay afloat for only a few hours or days, depending on the size of the fish, before the gas dissolves and it will sink.
So, it greatly depends on the actual size of the fish, as smaller fish could sink in a few hours, and Bigger ones could take a few days to do that, so it greatly depends.
