Fish got murdered

Rmahan1997 · Jan 1, 2021

Hello there! I just got done bartending the New Years! Came home and checked my tank. I found one of my clowns murdered, he had his tail bitten down and his fin bitten down.
Tank members
2 emerald craps
4 hermits
Lawnmower
Watchman golby (been in hiding)
I feed my fish a decent amount of frozen meat reef stuff.
My clowns have been chilling together, and the clown that passed away was the bigger of the two.

Biff0rz · Jan 1, 2021

Sounds like one of the emeralds got him. Was he sick?

count krunk · Jan 1, 2021

In the study, with the iron pipe

ThePurple12 · Jan 1, 2021

Another possibility is the fish died and then the hermits got to ’im. Maybe unlikely, but just putting it out there.

CMMorgan · Jan 1, 2021

Rmahan1997 said:
Hello there! I just got done bartending the New Years! Came home and checked my tank. I found one of my clowns murdered, he had his tail bitten down and his fin bitten down.
Tank members
2 emerald craps
4 hermits
Lawnmower
Watchman golby (been in hiding)
I feed my fish a decent amount of frozen meat reef stuff.
My clowns have been chilling together, and the clown that passed away was the bigger of the two.

Maybe he was afraid if fireworks?

Sorry for the loss... but on the upside, you get to shop for fish!!
Welcome to the reef BTW... from one redheaded fish lover to another. Happy New Year!!

Rmahan1997 · Jan 1, 2021

Thank you! My sister and her boss roped me into this! They thought I needed a new hobby after brain surgery

Rmahan1997 · Jan 1, 2021

Biff0rz said:
Sounds like one of the emeralds got him. Was he sick?

Not that I am aware of, he and his buddy have been very active playing in the current. I thought if the emerald got him he would of atleast ate him.

Spieg · Jan 1, 2021

Nothing on your tank's roster should be able to take down a healthy clown... it must have been sick or got sucked into a powerhead or something.

Vette67 · Jan 1, 2021

If your clowns were a pair, then the bigger one was the female. Not likely it was the emerald crab. They are mostly herbivores. Sounds like it maybe died and got picked on by a hermit? The deterioration my not be related to its death, but could have happened after.

vetteguy53081 · Jan 1, 2021

Clown warfare or was getting weak.
Did you notice clown poop if it was white? Did clown have a hazy, milky appearance to it?
Did you see the clowns squabble at any point?

Not the way to start the new year but Happy new year and hopefully things are positive moving forward

Rmahan1997 · Jan 1, 2021

vetteguy53081 said:
Clown warfare or was getting weak.
Did you notice clown poop if it was white? Did clown have a hazy, milky appearance to it?
Did you see the clowns squabble at any point?

Not the way to start the new year but Happy new year and hopefully things are positive moving forward

I don't know if they were a pair, I introduced them at the same time. Sometimes they are on different sides of the tank, sometimes they are close. My dead clown was in a bent position, and no cloudy eyes. I didn't see white clown poop.

Zionas · Jan 1, 2021

Any size difference between the two or weren’t they both purchased very small?

Rmahan1997 · Jan 1, 2021

Zionas said:
Any size difference between the two or weren’t they both purchased very small?

Both are small, not full grown. Just one happened to be bigger (the dead one).

vetteguy53081 · Jan 1, 2021

Generally female is larger than male
If they were both equal size, may have been 2 males at war

Zionas · Jan 1, 2021

Might just be bad luck pairing them.

Sleeping Giant · Jan 1, 2021

My thoughts are with a powerhead, then became food for crabs

CMMorgan · Jan 1, 2021

I second the powerhead theory if he or she was still little. They could have been clowning around (sorry - couldn't resist) and the little thing got too close without realizing it. When I had a canister filter on my first tank, that happened a time or two. Then it was usually a chromis, stuck on the side of the intake... looking helpless.
You have a big ol' tank there with lots of promise. I'd keep an eye on everyone else, check parameters and maybe do a WC for good measure.
Congrats on coming out the good end of brain surgery. I think doctors are onto something when they erect aquariums in the waiting room. Watching the tanks lowers stress. Although calculating the cost raises it, so who knows! Enjoy it for as long as it brings you joy.

ca1ore · Jan 1, 2021

ThePurple12 said:
Another possibility is the fish died and then the hermits got to ’im. Maybe unlikely, but just putting it out there.

Not only do I not think this is unlikely, I think it is actually much more likely than a murder. Although stated as the ‘bigger’ one .... how big are we talking? Scavengers like crabs will make quick work of a small fish corpse ..... starting with the fins.