Established Rhomboid Wrasse Disappeared? :(

TWT5011 · May 13, 2016

Went to feed my tank this morn and my favorite female Rhombiod Wrasse (about 3") did not appear. Which is very odd as it's always hungry.
-- 70G tank, mixed reef
-- I saw it yesterday, healthy, swimming and kinda chubby

. Now it's disappeared.
-- I don't see any indication of a jump... tank has a mesh cover. Could it be hiding for some odd reason?
-- I have two smallish emerald crabs... but I'd think the wrasse is too big for any crab.
-- Water quality is just fine. No spikes. Other fish are fine.
-- Have 4 other small fish that are easy going and get along with the wrasse.
-- I searched with a flashlight with no luck... don't see any signs of a dead fish.
-- If it died for some reason overnight, would the crabs and snails finish off the job without me finding any evidence next morn?

Any thought?

Bummed.

Duke4Life · May 13, 2016

It took me a few days to find a flasher wrasse that went missing like yours (minus the crabs). Not a good feeling but wrasses do odd things from time to time. Good luck!

TWT5011 · May 13, 2016

Let me add that I've had the fish just about 1 year.

eliramos · May 13, 2016

My Christmas wrasse disappeared for 3 weeks once and popped up fat and healthy!
Don't lose hope!

Davesgt · May 13, 2016

I have a melanarus wrasse that took a 1 month vacation lol but he showed up healthy and hungry. No idea where he went but I hope it was nice lol

evolved · May 13, 2016

Need a bit more information...
Any recent additions to the tank?
What are the 4 other tankmates?
How good is the tank cover? Are there any gaps/openings?

JakeK · May 13, 2016

In your overflow box?

tswanso3 · May 13, 2016

My wrasses tend to be found in my overflow boxes from time to time.

TWT5011 · May 13, 2016

I checked the overflow...It has a loose cover on it. Not there. Not I sump either. No new fish additions... Current fish are pair of mated clowns, tiny yellow line goby and a yellow Midas blenny. The mesh top is not secured on top but rests on top of magnets that are on the glass. In the mornings, this wrasse would stay in the rocks until I would feed, but as day went on it always was out swimming. I've looked all around the outside of tank to see if it jumped... Nothing.

tswanso3 · May 13, 2016

I've lost a few nice fairy wrasses in my day and if they weren't in the overflow, I usually never saw them again. I hope your situation turns out differently. Any time I lost a fairy wrasse it was the same way, great one day and gone the next.

jetmaker · May 13, 2016

Yeah cuc can eat him over night if he died

eatbreakfast · May 14, 2016

Do you have an anemone? They could make quick work of a fairy wrasse. Cuc could eliminate evidence of a dead one pretty quickly too. It's also possible something spooked it and it found a hiding place deep in the rocks.

TWT5011 · May 14, 2016

I don't have an anemone. I feel like the wrasse is gone for good. I just have that feeling. Not showing up for food and not peeking it's head out of the rocks... not normal for the fish.
Not sure how a seemingly healthy and energetic fish could possibly die overnight. Maybe it will just appear one day?... it could be deep in some rock that I can't see. Who knows.
Thanks for all the input.

Mike_J · May 14, 2016

I had a line spot flasher wrasse once that was the king of the tank and then suddenly vanished, either witness protection program or abducted by aliens, my best guess. It reappeared about a month later like it was never gone. Go figure.

Michael Gray · Feb 13, 2021

very old thread but im in this situation now.. flasher chased every once in awhile for a second but never ambushed or beat up and still always swimming out in open...... i realized wednesday he was not out for food.. i went back on my phone as i was lowering lights and turning up intensity so i had photos of my tank and a video... i saw him monday 2/8 at 6:14pm in a video... LOL well we found him under a rock we see his eye.. hes looking out but hasnt come out since. im hoping he comes out and something scared him.. but im getting worried he wont come out ever again and perish..

Tcook · Feb 13, 2021

I lost my flame for about a week. Checked tank, sump, overflows, ground. Chalked it up to dying and the cuc did their job. At the end of the week I tought to check thoroughly again. I pulled the durso pipe completely out of the overflow box and there she was tucked against the side of the box. I had looked numerous times with a flashlight and never saw her. Keep looking.

Michael Gray · Feb 13, 2021

Tcook said:
I lost my flame for about a week. Checked tank, sump, overflows, ground. Chalked it up to dying and the cuc did their job. At the end of the week I tought to check thoroughly again. I pulled the durso pipe completely out of the overflow box and there she was tucked against the side of the box. I had looked numerous times with a flashlight and never saw her. Keep looking.

oh i see him.. i see his eye looking at me under the base of my rock in small hole.. i know where he is... just wont come out lol

Tcook · Feb 13, 2021

They just go on vacation from time to time

Michael Gray · Feb 13, 2021

Tcook said:
They just go on vacation from time to time

Haha I hope your right. Still under that tiny crevice. Day 5

Michael Gray · Feb 14, 2021

Came out today for food he's out roaming freely. Except his missing one entire pectoral fin. No idea how. Clean off. Nothing. He's swimming fine. Tint wobble but looks perfect otherwise and nobody is chasing him. So no idea what happened why he hid or why he's missing entire pectoral fin