ANYONE ever have a fish totally disappear?

[Ryan Rioux]

Green , slimy looking , tan strings moving

 

[Chuck Lawson]

My cats won't get into the tank, but they're quite certain that anything on the floor is legally theirs, so for completely missing fish I tend to have them on the list of suspects.

I've got a custom mesh cover coming, but I have had firefish manage to launch themselves through a hole in a 1/4" mesh cover on previous tanks. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been standing there watching it happen.

 

[Kayotic5011]

Came home for lunch ! Checked tank , found my rbta hosting clowns for the first time was amazed . Also the firefish decided to come out .

YAY! two YAYS! lol, Im so happy your fire fish is still there, I was rootin for it. What kind of clowns do you have?....and im not sure what that is coming out of the gravel.

 

[Kayotic5011]

My cats won't get into the tank, but they're quite certain that anything on the floor is legally theirs, so for completely missing fish I tend to have them on the list of suspects.

I've got a custom mesh cover coming, but I have had firefish manage to launch themselves through a hole in a 1/4" mesh cover on previous tanks. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been standing there watching it happen.

what kind of mess did you get? what is it made of and how will it hold to salt creep? Also will the holes be small enough to block light or cast shadows?

 

[Kayotic5011]

Green , slimy looking , tan strings moving

could be a slug or snail egg sack, there are many sea creatures that use gell sacks to protect eggs...some fish will do it for protection too.

 

[Captmcfly]

Had a sand sifting goby go missing found him two days later behind my stand..

 

[Ryan Rioux]

I

YAY! two YAYS! lol, Im so happy your fire fish is still there, I was rootin for it. What kind of clowns do you have?....and im not sure what that is coming out of the gravel.

I have regular ocellaris. Clowns . They’re tank bred , I think what caused them to go near the nem was they’re afraid of the yellow tang! I wish I had some nice rare clowns but can’t get rid of these guys now . They’ve been around for almost 2 years .

 

[Kayotic5011]

I

I have regular ocellaris. Clowns . They’re tank bred , I think what caused them to go near the nem was they’re afraid of the yellow tang! I wish I had some nice rare clowns but can’t get rid of these guys now . They’ve been around for almost 2 years .

Id be willing to be it was from the tang. I used to get asked all the time "how do I get my fish to school, there just scattered around the tank." 90% of the time that question is for freshwater and there talking about fish like tetra. I would tell them you have to add something that they deem as a predator or something that resembles one....for example if you want your tetra to school in a tank add a fish such as a discus (fish is an example) The reason is, this fish would be viewed as a predator and is part of the cichlid family. Discus are commonly kept with tetra because they are compatible in the sense that they feed primarily on zooplankton and other small aquatic organisms like insects and invertebrates. Wild discus fish tend to forage for food throughout the day rather than eating large portions at any one time, so they will not touch your tetra unless its already dead and they pick on it and they come from the same waters......Its the same for salt too, get a bigger fish to scare the little fish into the anemone lol!

The thing about clowns is the dom always changes sex. You might buy all males when you find some (unless already paired) but one will change to a dom and if that one dies the next in line changes and puts on weight. Some wrasses will do this too.....are your clowns paired? They spawn in anemones as im sure you know, it might be possible that they are looking for a place to get cozy and spawn (though this could still be a while longer yet)

 

[PiscesPower]

Just this past weekend, the Fathead Sunburst anthia in my profile disappeared. I have a lid, he is never skittish. Appeared in perfect health...poof there eating dinner one day, gone the next. I will note however that one of my larger bubble tip anemones had a huge poop over 3 days...It is in a place where the fish rarely goes because of a pair of territorial clowns but who knows, it does usually tuck in on the lower area of the rock that is covered with BTAs. My favorite, and of course most expensive fish...sigh. If it died for some reason I have a very efficient clean up crew and I'm sure I would never know it.

 

[Kayotic5011]

Just this past weekend, the Fathead Sunburst anthia in my profile disappeared. I have a lid, he is never skittish. Appeared in perfect health...poof there eating dinner one day, gone the next. I will note however that one of my larger bubble tip anemones had a huge poop over 3 days...It is in a place where the fish rarely goes because of a pair of territorial clowns but who knows, it does usually tuck in on the lower area of the rock that is covered with BTAs. My favorite, and of course most expensive fish...sigh. If it died for some reason I have a very efficient clean up crew and I'm sure I would never know it.

I feel my opinion is unlikely but as I have mentioned before in this thread I had some saddle back clowns that would take any new arrival to the tank and hold on to it pushing it into the carpet anemone feeding it...I know your FatHeat wasnt new and very aware of the clowns but maybe it got to close and got pushed in by one?

 

[Ryan Rioux]

Id be willing to be it was from the tang. I used to get asked all the time "how do I get my fish to school, there just scattered around the tank." 90% of the time that question is for freshwater and there talking about fish like tetra. I would tell them you have to add something that they deem as a predator or something that resembles one....for example if you want your tetra to school in a tank add a fish such as a discus (fish is an example) The reason is, this fish would be viewed as a predator and is part of the cichlid family. Discus are commonly kept with tetra because they are compatible in the sense that they feed primarily on zooplankton and other small aquatic organisms like insects and invertebrates. Wild discus fish tend to forage for food throughout the day rather than eating large portions at any one time, so they will not touch your tetra unless its already dead and they pick on it and they come from the same waters......Its the same for salt too, get a bigger fish to scare the little fish into the anemone lol!

The thing about clowns is the dom always changes sex. You might buy all males when you find some (unless already paired) but one will change to a dom and if that one dies the next in line changes and puts on weight. Some wrasses will do this too.....are your clowns paired? They spawn in anemones as im sure you know, it might be possible that they are looking for a place to get cozy and spawn (though this could still be a while longer yet)

My clowns are paired . They’ve never mated but they are paired . I’ve had them for a year and a half though most of there life was in a 20 long , they stood relatively small but since adding to a 50 cube they have already shown growth again . Also why does my female clown keep diving down to the bottom of the anenome towards the mouth .

 

[Ryan Rioux]

 

[Mark Waltermire]

I had a mandarin goby that I put in the tank and never saw again. I have a cover on the tank so he didn't jump. Never went in overflow, and I check all my filter socks before removing them to ensure no caught fishes. Never found a skeleton or anything.

 

[PiscesPower]

I feel my opinion is unlikely but as I have mentioned before in this thread I had some saddle back clowns that would take any new arrival to the tank and hold on to it pushing it into the carpet anemone feeding it...I know your FatHeat wasnt new and very aware of the clowns but maybe it got to close and got pushed in by one?

Would not surprise me at all. It is a mated pair of Mocha Ocellaris (laid eggs again today), and the anemone, that I think could have eaten it, is her favorite place to hang out. The anthia was pretty chill and its one of the few fish she was never aggressive to. Probably sizing it up for a meal. "Pink and yellow looks pretty tasty for you my lovely Rainbow friend. I will lull it into a false sense of security and then invite it in for a nightcap". (I completely anthropomorphize my fish.)

 

[Kayotic5011]

I had a mandarin goby that I put in the tank and never saw again. I have a cover on the tank so he didn't jump. Never went in overflow, and I check all my filter socks before removing them to ensure no caught fishes. Never found a skeleton or anything.

Ninja Vanish!

 

[Kayotic5011]

Would not surprise me at all. It is a mated pair of Mocha Ocellaris (laid eggs again today), and the anemone, that I think could have eaten it, is her favorite place to hang out. The anthia was pretty chill and its one of the few fish she was never aggressive to. Probably sizing it up for a meal. "Pink and yellow looks pretty tasty for you my lovely Rainbow friend. I will lull it into a false sense of security and then invite it in for a nightcap". (I completely anthropomorphize my fish.)

Thats great! I do that with my pistol shrimp "Clamps" "Let me give'em the clamps boss!"

As for your clowns you said it right there "It is a mated pair of Mocha Ocellaris (laid eggs again today), and the anemone, that I think could have eaten it, is her favorite place to hang out." That to me says that clown was being protective and what could have usually been a chill mutual friendship, (you mind me ill mind you and we both be happy kind of thing) took a sad turn when the FatHead was doing it normal routine and the clown having laid eggs might have gotten protective.

 

[PiscesPower]

In my tank I do assume that if anything goes missing the anemones are probably to blame. LOL. 13 of them and counting...

 

[Kayotic5011]

Beautiful Clowns, what color to them. Fish usually never stop growing but will slow and can slow to the point where it looks as if nothing is happening, but as you stated once added to something bigger there rate will pick up again. Ive seen some rather big clowns.

As for the female darting to the mouth I believe this is a habit they show to stimulate the anemone for feeding. The mouth is a bare spot it might be easier for her to rest there, though I kind of think they prefer the tentacles. I just had a pair of maroon clowns and a white and red BTA and she would grab a large mouth full of mysis shrimp and hual butt for the anemones mouth spitting its mouth full out before coming back to get her fill....sadly I lost the pair and the BTA....but I do believe her actions keep the anemone aware of the fish and the fact it wants to feed it...kinda how a pistol shrimp keeps one feeler on the goby, lets him know whats up.

 

[Kayotic5011]

In my tank I do assume that if anything goes missing the anemones are probably to blame. LOL. 13 of them and counting...

woah! awesome and yes Id say thats safe to say

 

[Kayotic5011]

This clown attacked my hand and anything in it every time I had to enter the tank, constantly too. Bite After Bite After Bite lol. I didn't have them with an anemone for the first bit of having them, but the absolutely second that fish darted to my had it noticed that anemone and tired to get in it while it was in my hand, then started biting me double time lol. It was rather aggressive to me....nothing else not even the maile...but me just my hand lol.