About to give up!!!

[Johnnyredd]

I am at wits end and Craigslist is looking more and more like a viable option. Right at 600 dollars in missing fish.

We assumed it was a predator crab. We found a menacing looking little fella. We removed it Wednesday.

This morning the last scissortail was missing.

I just pulled and inspected every rock out of the 180 except for the base rocks that are buried or partially buried in sand. I ran my hand around those feeling for holes, etc. Covered two lawn bags laid out.

Nada. Not as much as a dorsal fin or a missing leg.

I come in at 6 am and look with a flashlight. Nothing has been moving except for the nuisance crab, and those things that should be moving. (peppermint shrimp, snails, clownfish hosting the corner of the tank) There is no real pattern to this, we go to bed, wake up and see what's missing. Water parameters are monitored weekly and are as stable as the day is long for the last 5 weeks. (when I started monitoring them) We're down to a foxface, goldhead, clown, two firefish and two bluegreen chromis. All still juveniles.

180, 29 gallon sump, 4 gallon hang on refugium with chaeto and pods.

Anybody got any ideas? This was so relaxing before this started!!!

 

[Marshall O]

My guess at this point is a huge worm. Can you check the tank early AM with a red light?

 

[mfinn]

How long has the tank been setup?

 

[Barky]

what type of fish have you lost? Hard to say with the info. you have given, do you have an over flo what other inhabitants do you have in the tank?

 

[Bradsreeeftank]

That's I was thinking, if you have a overflow, you might see one of the missing fish in there.

 

[BR549]

+1 on the red light. Every reefer should have one. I can't get up at night to pee without shining it my tank. It's amazing what comes out at night.

 

[NanaReefer]

Do you have a cover on the tank? If not got Cats/Dogs? +2 on the red night viewing light. Keep mine next to the tank

 

[Johnnyredd]

Tank went up in june of last year after being moved. It ran for several years before that.

I dont have a red light but use a flashlight and look at the tanks every morning. Nothing.

6 dispar antheas
1 ignutus anthea
4 blue green chromis
2 firefish
3 scissortail
1 flame fin tang
1 engineer goby
1 lawnmower blenny
2 cherub angels
1 royal gramma
1 flasher wrasse
1 orange clown

Over the course of ownership. At one point we had a carpet in the tank. Moved it to "stop the insanity" and have watched the livestock diminish down to 6 fish left since that time.

I assure you none of these are in the overflow, sump, or fuge.

 

[Johnnyredd]

Do you have a cover on the tank? If not got Cats/Dogs? +2 on the red night viewing light. Keep mine next to the tank

180. Full canopy. Black mesh stapled on the back to prevent jumpers. No pets in the house.

 

[dougers31]

You don't by chance have any large (5+ inches) starfish do you? Otherwise it sounds like a mantis shrimp but you probably would have seen him by now... could be a large nasty worm like someone else mentioned.

 

[dougers31]

Have you tried laying a trap to see if there is something eating your fish?

 

[jedimasterben]

Over the course of ownership. At one point we had a carpet in the tank. Moved it to "stop the insanity" and have watched the livestock diminish down to 6 fish left since that time.

Moved it or removed it?

 

[Johnnyredd]

You don't by chance have any large (5+ inches) starfish do you? Otherwise it sounds like a mantis shrimp but you probably would have seen him by now... could be a large nasty worm like someone else mentioned.

Well. We do have two big and quite lazy brown brittle stars. They never come out of their rock. Unusually enough they are in the middle of the tank, one in front and one in back. They flop their arms out when the blues come on. I target feed krill twice a week.

 

[Johnnyredd]

Moved it or removed it?

It has its own tank on the other side of the room.

 

[Johnnyredd]

Have you tried laying a trap to see if there is something eating your fish?

We did a trap last week. Krill, brine, table shrimp. The cleaner shrimp thought it was a test. The snails just thought it was a buffet. The crab was so wigged out by the assassination attempts that anytime something moved in or out of the tank he was darting back into his hidey-hole. To foil the cleaners I put a tooth pick through the shrimp. They would hang out in the trap and eat.

 

[newjack0000]

Some may not like this but you could try a dead fish in your trap... Every crab I have had always went for a dead fish instantly.

 

[Johnnyredd]

Some may not like this but you could try a dead fish in your trap... Every crab I have had always went for a dead fish instantly.

It would have to be silverside since I am not finding any bodies of the missing... but at this point why the heck not.

 

[Johnnyredd]

I am considering shutting it down tomorrow.

Putting the fish into a 10.

The few rocks with mushrooms, corals, etc. onto the 55. Setting the rest of the rocks on the back porch including those ebedded in the sand. Sifting the sand end to end.

Let it sit until Monday and start over. Yes it's new water and I lose most of my bacteria but hopefully within that 48 hours we find something. Otherwise I can put it up on CL while I have it drained.

 

[newjack0000]

also kill the lights. If you have a red low intence light use it. crabs like the dark.

 

[newjack0000]

apparently I cant edit my post. Meant to add they cant see red light as well so to them its almost dark.