Fishes Gone AWOL - Help!?

patsheridan · Jul 29, 2016

I've lost (literally) two fishes in the past three weeks or so: one Dwarf Flame Angel and one Foxface. Both were about 1.5 to 2".

I got them roughly at the same time (about a month ago), and added them to the tank (75g mixed reef) along with a Spotted Bristletooth Tang. The existing tankmates are a couple of smallish Clowns, a Solar Wrasse, a Firefish, Watchmen Goby, Lawnmower Blenny, a Flame Hawk and assorted clean-up crew.

The Spotted Bristletooth has spent the majority of his time (at least when I am home) hiding in the background, and the Flame Hawk seems as shy as they come. I have not seen any aggression from any tank mate toward another, but the Foxface just disappeared about 3 weeks ago, and the Flame Angel just a few days ago. And by disappeared I mean that one day I just sort of noticed that I did not see them, and looked and looked but could not find them anywhere. Gone.

I do have one Carpet Anem., but he has gotten a couple fishes in the past and I have seen the results of a half-eaten victim still attached to the Carpet in the morning, and have seen nothing to suggest this is what has happened to these recent two. Also, open top on the tank covered with egg-crate, with some openings thru which a fish could go, but I have checked the floor around the tank with no luck.

Any thoughts????

Humblefish · Jul 29, 2016

What kind of CUC do you have? Larger hermits and nassarius snails can make a quick meal out of a dead fish. The Spotted Bristletooth hiding all the time is not a good sign, as staying out of light is a symptom of marine velvet disease.

USMC 4 LIFE · Jul 29, 2016

Maybe they jumped out? I had a reef tank 5 years ago and my diamond spotted goby and eel both jumped out of my tank. Never knew what happened to them until I broke down the tank and found them behind the stand.

patsheridan · Jul 29, 2016

CUC equals a couple Emerald Crabs, couple shrimps, some miniature lobster-looking thing, some small sand crabs. I can see the CUC eating the remains, and I have a good amount of live rock that I am not inclined to tear down looking for these guys, but my question would be why would they die. They were both active and eating. Wondering if I have a murderer in the gang of tankmates.

Don't know if the Foxface and/or Angel are jumpers, but I haven't seen them laying around the base anywhere.

Humblefish · Jul 30, 2016

patsheridan said:
some miniature lobster-looking thing, some small sand crabs.

These could both be a problem, ambushing your fish at night as they sleep. Need to know exactly what both are.

eatbreakfast · Jul 31, 2016

A carpet anemone can eat a 4" fish in about 15min. That would be my number one suspect. Their grazing nature makes them easy victims if they were to investigate the carpet for food.

PupChow · Aug 1, 2016

My vote is also the carpet anemone followed by clean up by the mini-lobster-looking thing. Sorry for your losses...

Lionfish Lair · Aug 1, 2016

Over the years, I've lost pretty big fish, never to be seen again. Like whole seahorses and such without anything in there to eat them besides your average population of bristleworms.

patsheridan · Aug 1, 2016

Thanks all for your help and suggestions. I have had the lobster-looking thing the whole time I have had the tank (I inherited it when I got the tank used from a buddy, hence not knowing what it is) and have never had fish loss like these two recently. So I am going to err on the side of the darned Anemone, which I like but which, it seems, I have no choice but to remove. Happy to donate to anyone in the Bay Area who might want it.

TCFletch · Aug 1, 2016

I'm not sure if it was this forum or another one, but a reefer found her Dory fish in the overflow box! Was rescued and doing well. Did you check there?