How long were you gone? Most healthy tropical fish in a good aquarium environment can go for around a week without food. Algae-eaters may be an exception if you don't have enough algae in the tank for them to eat. Plus, any sick fish can easily become prey to others; tropical fish are mostly carnivores by nature.
 

---

i hate when my fish die
 

---

Yesterday we had a funeral service for a goldfish that belonged to my six-year-old daughter Hannah. She won it at a carnival recently, and it never really adapted to the non-carny life. When we looked in the goldfish bowl yesterday, it was clear that her now-floating fishy had seen better days.

So I took her to a nearby pond, and we had a brief but touching ceremony which ended with her plopping the ex-fish into the water. I asked her if she wanted to wish him well wherever he's going, and she responded, "I wish he could go to Disney World and have a chance to ride all the rides."

Not a bad thought, really. After all, who wouldn't want a quick spin through the Haunted Mansion after they pass away?
 

---