Fish Missing

Darbna · Oct 3, 2016

So I had over the last week or so, a diamond Goby, Clown Fish, and mystery Wrasse go missing. Obviously something is eating them, but I still cant find any remains of them. I have 2 bubble tip Nems, a pistol shrimp, 2 coral banded shrimp, Sally light-foot crab. Those are the only things I can think of that may of got them. I have a few other fish but none are predatory. Sail-fin tang, Powder Blue, the other half of the clown fish pair, a few anthias and a Sail-fin Blenny. Not sure what to make of it but I figured I would throw it out there to see if anyone has encountered it before. None of them jumped, I have a canopy on top and no fish in the socks in the sump. I'm clueless.

JaimeAdams · Oct 3, 2016

How old is the tank? Have you added any live rock in the last couple of months? How big is the Sally crab? They have certainly been blamed for catching and eating fish in the past.

Darbna · Oct 3, 2016

Tank is about 8 months old. No new live rock since the day it was aquascaped. My first thought was a Eunice but I think I can rule it out. Lightfoot is about 4 inches or so from foot to foot. Cant see him getting a clown or goby that big, and the tank stays fed so he def eats his share.

Reeferdood · Oct 3, 2016

Agree about the Sally Lightfoot, another thing to consider would be your rockwork. My aquascaping has all types of caves and other hiding spots that could easily hide a fish or two...

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 3, 2016

Wrasses and gobies can easily jump out if harassed. I had a diamond goby jump out years ago. I knew he was missing but could never find him UNTIL I moved and saw his black decaying body behind the stand.

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 3, 2016

The clown fish is a mystery for me.

USMC 4 LIFE · Oct 3, 2016

How big is your tank? Checked the overflow box and sump yet?

Darbna · Oct 3, 2016

USMC 4 LIFE said:
How big is your tank? Checked the overflow box and sump yet?

Its a 125. Ya been through all of it, sump, socks, etc. , shined a flashlight around the rock work during the day and night. I am completely clueless.

Darbna · Oct 3, 2016

Reeferdood said:
Agree about the Sally Lightfoot, another thing to consider would be your rockwork. My aquascaping has all types of caves and other hiding spots that could easily hide a fish or two...

Up until he was missing, the clown would just swim around the top of the tank, the whole parameter. Never hid in the rocks once. All Be it, I guess he can, but I would figure I would of seen him by now, tank isnt all that big that I wouldn't see one of the three sometime or another. None come out at feeding time either so that makes me think they are gone into the Bermuda triangle, lol.

webbl19 · Oct 3, 2016

I've had the same thing happen to me with fish disappearing. One of them was a diamond goby and I had a engineer goby, both like magicians. Never found them on the floor or nothing. I have dogs so I assumed they jumped and got eaten. I had a lid with my diamond goby though, so I dunno where he went. Never found any bones or nothing when I switched tanks.

Can a CUC work that fast maybe? Pick a dead fish clean in a couple hours? I bet they can, my crabs and nassuris snails are savages and they go crazy.

webbl19 · Oct 3, 2016

I also had a blue damsel that was getting picked on by a couple others, I had a odd number, well I came back from a camping trip and figured he'd gotten eaten, but 2 days later I found him swimming around in my overflow box. I tried my best to capture him and save him, but he eluded all my efforts, so he saved himself I guess. He's nice and healthy in my sump now. I need to take him to the LFS.

eatbreakfast · Oct 4, 2016

Microfauna and scavengers can make quick work of dead fish, finishing them up in just a few hours.

Having a canopy is no guarantee against jumping. If there is an opening as small as a half inch is enough for the fish you lost to escape, particularly with prolific jumpers as mystery wrasses, diamond gobies, and clownfish.

4FordFamily · Oct 4, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
Microfauna and scavengers can make quick work of dead fish, finishing them up in just a few hours.

Having a canopy is no guarantee against jumping. If there is an opening as small as a half inch is enough for the fish you lost to escape, particularly with prolific jumpers as mystery wrasses, diamond gobies, and clownfish.

X2 all four of my tanks have canopies and I've had many fish somehow leap out.

Could well be that they're dying and something is recovering them.