ANYONE ever have a fish totally disappear?

[Eric Finney]

I have had two firefish vanish as well as a green clown goby. The tank they were in ALWAYS had a screen top from day one.

 

[GordyP]

i Recently added two fire fish to the tank with lights off to help them acclimate but my gold rimmed tang chased them relentlessly and they disappeared for a couple of days. Finally caught them coming out of Their hideout under a rock that had been excavated by a gobi. Seem a little happier but still make for their bolt hole at the first sign of trouble!
Give it some time and I’m sure it will reappear

 

[NanoCrazed]

Went away for a 4 day biz trip, lost a yellow eye tang into thin air

 

[Dburr1014]

I had a fire fish jump when I was at work. Found him on the floor behind the tank covered in dust. I grabbed tank water in a glass to wash him and it was still alive. I will never know how long he was there until I rescued him.

 

[etmanning1]

I recently got a diamond goby, went into the tank and didn’t see him until a week later when he was out looking happy and sifting sand... weird...

 

[Steve509]

I lost a blue chromis about 6 months in to my previous tank. He was being picked on by the other chromis and my clownfish on and off for a couple of days. Everything looked fine before work one morning and when I got home he was just gone.

 

[Ferrell]

I purchased a watchman goby with a pistol shrimp about 2 months or so ago and I’ve seen him maybe 5 times and briefly I might add. One time it was so long I thought that he was a goner and resigned myself that the fact he was gone, next thing you know, Walter popped his head out. Still quit skidish I might add

 

[Andrewalex11]

I've seen fish vanish a lot through my experience reefing in my own hobby and professionally for a short time. I could sit here and take guesses all day on why your goby has dissapeared into thin air a good one would probably be that he didn't adjust well considering he dissapeared within 2 hours and might have just died, stiffened up, and got sucked underneath a rock or became someone's dinner; and I top of that the quickly decaying corpse being which also is probably being feasted on will make the probability of ever finding the fish near impossible. It's the perfect crime. BUT then again I could be wrong and most likely I am.

In my opinion: Good practice with the firefish goby (standard type) is to have around 3 in your tank and no less, they will probably come out and swim a bit more and be less likely to stress out all alone which could lead to sickness, or a suicidal jump out of your system.

 

[Forsaken77]

First, you check to see if another fish has a big belly. Then you check behind your tank or under a radiator. Last, but not least, the overflow, sock or sump.

Every time I had a fish disappear (if they weren't eaten), I found it months or years later, when I moved the tank. And because my tank was up against a wall with a baseboard radiator, they were always under there, behind the tank. Now I always leave my tank about a foot from the wall so I can get back there if need be.

 

[Forsaken77]

Oh, btw... There is a company on Amazon that makes overflow covers. If you search for overflow cover, it'll list the seller. The sellers name is there company. You just google them and they can make you anything. They do specialize in the corner flows though and look like they were made for the tank.

 

[nickenayat]

I added a regular firefish yesterday to my DT . 2 hours after he was added he disappeared and I haven’t been able to find him since !!!! Checked around entire tank ! Checked overflow . My only thought is he’s hiding in the rocks somewhere .

The only two times my fish disappeared the same day as adding it was because it was under sever stress and died within two more days.

 

[SaltEverywhere]

 

[Leaellynasaura]

I had a bully male molly picking on other fish so I put him part of the sump for a time out and he jumped over the wall into the return pump section. I could not find the body. He did clog the return pump, but after power cycling it a few times it ran clean. I was worried that I could not find his body so I took apart the return pump, but there was no trace. I must have literally turned him into a puree.

 

[tonkaoz]

Check your overflows. I lost 2 clowns and thats where thwy were