I have lost 3 fish in the past couple of months. A Midas Blenny, Barnacle Blenny and a two spot Goby. All were eating and appeared healthy. They had one thing in common. They all hid in the rock at night when lights went out. Is it possible I have a predator in the tank. I haven't seen anything that would murder the unsuspecting fish. There are a few large bristle worms but I doubt it was them.
Fish dieing or being murdered ?
- Thread starter BMan
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
Did you find the bodies fairly early to look for marks?
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Do you have a tang in the tank?
Do you have crabs, serpent/brittle stars the tank?
What kind of hermits are they?
Do you have crabs, serpent/brittle stars the tank?
What kind of hermits are they?
alanbetiger
Active Member
Any spikes in Chemistry or slight clouding of the water? Just mean there might still be a little hope one might be alive. I just saw my second watchman goby for the first time since January...
The water is spot on. No issues with water quality. The fish are in fish heaven. Something killed them one at a time over a two month period. Several weeks apart. It's a mystery. I know this....no more fish purchases until I figure it out.
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Emerald crabs have been known to go rouge on sleeping fish. Not saying yours is doing this.
masssnapz
Active Member
Just last month I found my killer. They're was a gorilla grab that had been growing in my tank for the last few years. Finally figured out it was him by chance. I saw him literally trying to grab fish swimming by the rock work and I narrowed down his hideout. He killed about a dozen fish, the last straw was a 5" copperband and I set up a 4 night sting operation to catch the culprit.
Grey Ghost
Active Member
Have you checked the overflow or sump areas for the missing fish? Blenny's are notorious escape artists.
cloudisback1997
Community Member
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Do you have lid on ur tank? If you can not find there bodies. They could have jumped out.
Update....Every morning before leaving for work, I quickly check the tank to make sure all is well. The lights are still off this early. The other morning I notice a crisp white hole in a rock that wasn't there Just 8 hours prior. I look closer and see there is a crab in the hole, working at digging it deeper. I can see it's not a herbivore because it's claws look too sharp. It's about the diameter of a nickel. I try going after it with a net but it just wedged itself deeper into the hole. I look at the clock. I have 5 minutes before I leave for work. What to do? It will most certainly move to another spot where I will never find it if I just leave it. So....I go into the kitchen knife draw. Pull out a sharp stake knife. Reach in the tank and place the tip of the knife on the back of the crab. 1,2,3...push the knife right through the body of the crab. Dead ! I'll leave it for all the clean-up crew.
I don't know if this little bugger was the demise of my three fish but I suspect it was.
I don't know if this little bugger was the demise of my three fish but I suspect it was.
Killer Karma
Active Member
I suspect it was as well. Currently hunting 3 gorilla crabs in my tank that have eaten all of my snails and several fish. They hid very well congrats on a relatively easy kill
Killer Karma
Active Member
Same description of the ones im fighting. Large pincer grey/black. Skitish and evil
