What precautions should you take if your fish is about to die?

Usually when a fish is in a death phase they are swimming off balance or just sitting at the bottom of the bowl. This is a pretty good sign that death is imminent. They'll maybe last another 48 hours.

Typically the fish is not eating in this phase. They've got more important things on their mind. So, don't feed it. When they're sick they won't eat and it just clouds the water.

The best thing to do is to change the water. Typically when changing the water you would let your new water sit out for a while (hour or two) to allow it to attain room temperature but in these cases I would say that you need to get the fish out of the bad water as soon as possible. So try and feel the water coming out of the tap and match it up as best you can to the water in the bowl. You can maybe let the new water sit out for twenty minutes.

Make sure you rinse the bowl and stones with water. Do this very thoroughly. I find the best way is to just let the water run in the bowl and overflow in the sink. You can stick your hand in and stir up the stones and wipe the inside of the glass.

Never use any type of soap on the bowl. No washcloths.

Then gently put your fish back in the bowl and new water using a net. Keep an eye on him for a couple of hours and hope for the best.

I've found that a fish has a strong will to live and they'll respond fairly quickly if put back into good water. I've seen them go from near death all the way back to normal within 3-4 days.

And remember....Plants like sunlight. Fish don't.