disection

[Peachtree Discus]

after a fish dies - how long do you have (to disect for microscope viewing)before the body is worthless? in addition, what sort of autopsy should be performed?

[pcsb23]

If you are only wanting to examine the organs then as long as the fish is kept cold, not frozen, you have a little time, maybe a day or two. If you are wanting to look for parasites then you have no time at all, they will leave a dead fish in a heartbeat.

If you have the facilities to do bacterial cultures then I believe you need a fresh kill.

[Peachtree Discus]

thanks for the reply. this is the 2nd veteran fish that i have lost over the past month. They were both older, but i doubt they would die so close together. i found him yesterday (suprise) and i am sure it is somewhere around 24 hours since he :angel:. i intended to look for some parasite or to determine the cause of death.

[Roxanne]

Hi Wes

Sorry for your loss...how old were they? You could always scope the water for a look see too. I found more in my water than I did in poop:)

Rox