What do I do if a fish dies and I cant find it?

Question
One of my false percula clowns has not looked well for some time now.  He's been kind of off and on.  This morning I found him lying on his side at the bottom of the tank breathing heavily.  After a minute or two, he swam away (but swam kind of sideways) behind the rocks.  I'm afraid he might be dead or dying.

First, is there anything I can do to try and save him?
Second, can it be dangerous to the other fish if they are living with a sick one?
Third, what happens if he dies and I can't find him to take him out of the tank??

Answer
Hello Melinda. If your clown fish is looking that bad he is probably too far gone to save. If you want to try I would say to get him out and put him in a hospital tank.(be sure to check your water quality first if you haven't already to rule out that as being the problem) If you don't have a separate tank to house him in then you might want to destroy him humanely. Putting him in a baggie with some water and putting him in the freezer for a while is just one way to do this. It can be a danger to the other fish if he dies and one of the others starts eating him.(gross, but very common of all fish types to do this)There are a few different infections that a fish can get from eating the remains of a dead fish that are only passed on that way.(example would be an internal fungal infection) If he does end up dying and you can't find him to fish him out than there is really not much you can do. Tearing your tank apart to find him would most likely be more detrimental to your other fish. A small fish decaying in your tank will put off some ammonia so be sure to check your water quality daily. However it is small enough that it should not totally pollute your tank. If you have any crabs,shrimps or snails they will most likely take care of the body and the impact to your water will be very small if any. Some times when a fish is sick and dying it is really hard to figure out exactly why it is happening. If you didn't see any other signs of infection until now then you may never know what it was. More importantly is to watch your other fish closely for any signs of parasites,infection or behavioral changes. Sometimes a fish can suffer from things that are not contagious like problems with their heart,liver or kidneys. Don't panic! We all lose fish from time to time!