Not to be gross...but I would genuinely be interested in seeing posted pictures of the autopsy....especially if you think you've found something.

I've not had a large enough fish to perform an autopsy on, but I've often considered it. I have a dissecting microscope for the job. If any of my current fish die mysteriously like that, I'll certainly be having a good look.

I suppose we should be saying "necropsy". Here's a link I found that discussed what you might see and what it might mean:

http://www.koivet.com/handouts/akcanecropsy.doc

I agree with Deb the stomach looks way too big. Either ate too much or too fast.
Kevin

Could have been internal parasites as well. If the fish had the worms all along, there's not much you could have done to see it or do about it. just a thought.

I agree with brad, if you do decide to do a necropsy, please post pics if you're comfortable with it. It's not something you see every day on an aquarium forum is it?

WARNING:
The next post contains gooey photographs . Viewer discretion is advised.

Well autoposy/necropsy (if I can call it that) done. Nothing was found in the stomach. Makes sense to me as the last meal was about 14 hours prior to my finding it. Everything looks to me as it should except for maybe the swim bladder. Interested in others opinions. Look a tad distended? Keep in mind that I froze this guy and then thawed it to do the autopsy, so I'm not sure how much this warm - cold - warm would affect the gas inside. Long story short, it's still a mystery to me. I should do the autopsy right away next time. Next time? Hoping not. Another person today suggested delayed cyanide poisoning. I had this fish 11 months. No sign of distress. Opinions?
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...saAutopsy1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...saAutopsy2.jpg

Thanx much and cheers,

Looks :surprise: healthy...what about the intestine back?

I'm pretty sure that's the intestine laying on the paper towel in front.

BTW, thanx for that link Brad.

When things die, even people, they appear to bloat. Fish are no exception. Although you may never know what caused the dealth of your trigger, I did notice the red ring around the gills of the your trigger by the picture. If not ammonia, I would have suggested it may have been Cyanide Poisoning. They have said the effects depending on the dose can take time. Then again how would you really ever know for sure. However here are some symptoms:

Symptoms of Cyanide poisoning can be difficult to detect, but certain clues can be useful. The effects of cyanide ingestion are very similar to the effects of suffocation. This is because cyanide stops the cells of the body from being able to use oxygen, which all cells need to survive. So the same symptoms that you can get from climbing too high a mountain where the air is too thin also occur with cyanide.

General weakness, confusion, bizarre behavior, excessive sleepiness, coma, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, and seizures all can be seen with cyanide poisoning. Typically, an acute ingestion will have a dramatic, rapid onset immediately affecting the heart and causing sudden collapse. Or it can immediately affect the brain and cause a seizure or coma.

Chronic poisoning (over time) from ingestion or environmental poisoning will have a more gradual onset.
The skin of a cyanide-poisoned person can sometimes be unusually pink or cherry-red because oxygen will stay in the blood and not get into the cells. The person may also be breathing very fast and have either a very fast or very slow heartbeat. Sometimes the person’s breath can smell like bitter almonds, though this can be difficult to detect.