Fish Disappearing

[Yolofly]

Hi All,

My name is Carlos and I'm new to the hobby. Currently I have a 45 g tank with a 10 g sump with a clone ocean 100 g protein skimmer and 40 pounds of live rock. The tank have been running for 8 months now, so is fully cycle. I have live stock and a couple of corals.
Fish
Foxface 2"
Scopas Tang 1"
Sailfin Tang 1.5"
Falcon Hawkfish 1"
2 clowns
Corals

2 anemones (green bubble tip)
and starburst poly

I know is a lot of fish for that tank, but is temporary, I'm in the cycle state of my 75 g tank. Now my situation, before the hawkfish I bought a yellow prawn goby and he, somehow when thru the overflow pipping and to the sock in the sump and die. I when and cover the overflow, and bought a diamond watchman goby and have been looking for it for the pass 2 months, check around to see if he jump out of the tank, I didn't find anything, relocated the rocks around and check the sand and nothing, is like he disappear "in thin air"; beside him, I lost two Banggai Cardinals too. What do you guys think can be the problem? Thanks

 

[Mhart032]

im not saying this is the case.. but just my experience with gobys.. Gobys can hide and stay hidden for a while. I once had a pistol and pink diamond goby pair, i went to sell them when i broke the tank down during an upgrade, all i could find was the shrimp. so i thought well he died and something ate it and never thought twice about it. fast forward 3 weeks later in the new tank low and behold the goby came out and was sifting sand... mind you my whole tank minus the sand was in a 55gal tub for 2= weeks and i never saw him not once.

 

[Reefer1978]

Do you QT your fish? If no, and you just add them to the tank, new fish could die and get eaten by cleanup crew before you even see them dead.

 

[Yolofly]

im not saying this is the case.. but just my experience with gobys.. Gobys can hide and stay hidden for a while. I once had a pistol and pink diamond goby pair, i went to sell them when i broke the tank down during an upgrade, all i could find was the shrimp. so i thought well he died and something ate it and never thought twice about it. fast forward 3 weeks later in the new tank low and behold the goby came out and was sifting sand... mind you my whole tank minus the sand was in a 55gal tub for 2= weeks and i never saw him not once.

Hi Mhart032, that what I was thinking too, I have been reading all about goby from reef2reef thread for months, but my concerns started when my Banggai Cardinals disappear as well.

 

[Yolofly]

Do you QT your fish? If no, and you just add them to the tank, new fish could die and get eaten by cleanup crew before you even see them dead.

Hi there, Yes I have a QT and I QT my fish for a week. Even thou my Fish store QT there fish and coral for a week before selling. I didn't know the cleanup crew can eat dead fish.

 

[Mr Fishface]

I have had this happen too. Various fish just.... Disappear. I bought a naso tang once, rather small. Maybe inch and a half or so. Swimming around day 1, went to bed... Next day gone. Looked on the floor, picked up tank decorations, nothing. No bones or anything. Only thing i can think is the mass of bristle worms ate him up. Odd though for sure!

 

[W1ngz]

Two separate QT for just 1 week each isn't sufficient. 30 days at least even if it's just observation. Don't count the QT the store did. You have no way of controlling cross contamination or knowing for certain what medications or treatments they used.

Fish stores sometimes use just enough medications like copper to manage diseases, but not enough to eradicate it.

Bangaii cardinals aren't that good at hiding, certainly not as good as gobies. If the fish are dying, disease is definitely one possibility.

I would extend your QT period to 30 days or more, and keep a close watch on other fish already in the tank. If diseased fish were introduced it's likely all the fish in the tank now have it.

 

[Yolofly]

I have had this happen too. Various fish just.... Disappear. I bought a naso tang once, rather small. Maybe inch and a half or so. Swimming around day 1, went to bed... Next day gone. Looked on the floor, picked up tank decorations, nothing. No bones or anything. Only thing i can think is the mass of bristle worms ate him up. Odd though for sure!

Really odd, and I even have sit down and watch the tank for half hour and so, just to see if I see them around.

 

[Yolofly]

Two separate QT for just 1 week each isn't sufficient. 30 days at least even if it's just observation. Don't count the QT the store did. You have no way of controlling cross contamination or knowing for certain what medications or treatments they used.

Fish stores sometimes use just enough medications like copper to manage diseases, but not enough to eradicate it.

Bangaii cardinals aren't that good at hiding, certainly not as good as gobies. If the fish are dying, disease is definitely one possibility.

I would extend your QT period to 30 days or more, and keep a close watch on other fish already in the tank. If diseased fish were introduced it's likely all the fish in the tank now have it.

Thanks for the information of the QT, most of the time I leave them a week with medication and if they look fine in that time I will introduced to the tank. Now I know I need to wait a little longer. After the disappearing on the other fish I have been checking my fish everyday, so far they look fine and have been eating like crazy, specially the sailfin tang.

 

[W1ngz]

If you can get some good clear pictures of the fish, it may be worth it to share them, perhaps some people more experienced with diseases will see something. One week of any medication is really only enough to suppress a health issue.

Not surprising that a dead fish would disappear though, if you have crabs, snails, bristle worms and any other cleanup crew, they can get rid of the evidence overnight.

 

[Yolofly]

If you can get some good clear pictures of the fish, it may be worth it to share them, perhaps some people more experienced with diseases will see something.

Not surprising that a dead fish would disappear though, if you have crabs, snails, bristle worms and any other cleanup crew, they can get rid of the evidence overnight.

Yes I will post photos when I get out of work. I do have a big cleanup crew, snails, crabs and bristle in my tank. Never thought they would eat a fish that fast