My Red Devil Killed himself last night and i dont know why!

[Peaches]

Satan, My Red Devil, Killed himself this morning at 3am I woke up cause i heard some thumping and i thought it was my dog doing something but once i woke up i heard splashing also. So i turn my light on and hes over there just slapping himself against the floor of the tank and trying to jump out but is hitting the top and the filter really hard and hes does this like 7- 10 times after i get up. Theres nothing i can do but watch and im like wtf is your problem?! well he then lies on the bottom of the tank and just starts breathing really heavy and all and dies. I dont know what happend i mean he was fine yesterday and last night when i went to bed i had fed him 2 times that day like i usually do and he had ate like he ususally did, I was just like something possessed him last night. I had him 2 months. I got him from my ex boyfriend who got him from a friend but he already had an Oscar and S. American Cichlid so he gave him to me. What could have happend to him?

[josh_shilling]

I would first check to see if any of your heaters, filters, anything like that have an electrical malfunction, and check the water temperature.

Otherwise, the fish could have been startled by something and perhaps been injured bad enough to kill it by jumping and hitting the lid. This is pretty unlikely though.

Another possibility would be some kind of toxin in the water.

It could be something else, but I would check out these items.

[Peaches]

My heaters and filters and all were working fine. The water temp was what it usually is between 70 and 75 It was Dark so i dont understand what would have startled him Oreo never messes with the tank or anything. The water was fine too. it had been about a month or so since i last cleaned it and the water was still clear and there was a lil alge growth on the walls but not enough to hurt him. Someone was telling me that they knew someone who had a Red Devil and it did the same thing and died and they read that sometimes if they dont have a mate they will do this, and she got a pair of Devils and they are doing great. But i dont know.

[djfungus]

What was the size of your tank? Do you have a test kit to test the water perameters?

The water temp was low, it should be around 78 but I don't think it was low enough to cause the death like that. I might be wrong though?

Another thing is, depending on the size of your RD, monthly cleaning may not be enough. Weekly water changes will keep your water in check because most cichlids are messy fish.

Thats a strange thing that happened. I'm sorry for the loss :(

[evilxyardxgnome]

I would just your water parameters. They may have caused a lot of stress on your fish. Maybe a higher PH, or ammonia level.

[Enzo Torino]

Can fish have heart attacks?

[aiwen]

I agree, check the water parameters. I would reccommend doing a 25-40% weekly water change from now on. Just cause the water is clean doesn't prove anything. 2 toxins, ammonia and nitrite, are clear, and they are deadly to fish when enough is compiled. He probably died from ammonia poisoning, but that is uncommon in cichlids.

[DewDropPony]

maybe his girlfriend broke up with him.