No, he wasn't sick. He was the best eater and the most aggressive fish in my tank. He was completely fat. Him getting stuck is the only thing I can come up with as I could barely pull him out with the tongs I use to reach the bottom of my tank. I don't have any diseases in the tank and he had no markings on him. He wasn't a delicate fish like a copperband or something, even though regals can be tough to keep. Nothing had changed with him.

He would have been able to breathe still, but would have been extremely stressed being in there. I was working all night and found him in the morning so he could have been in there for more than half a day. Such a stupid way to lose a fish.