NHDude47
New Member
Just a weird case and I'm curious if I should be checking something I'm not thinking of...
Went away for two days for the first time since establishing the tank (50gal) 6 months ago. When I came back my flametail had disappeared without a trace and I haven't seen him almost a week later. He's presumed dead because they don't borrow in sand and he has always been a veracious eater.
The tank is a mixed reef Waterbox 50.3 AIO which has had stable levels at or close to the following:
Temp: 77F
Salinity: 1.024
PO4: 0.02ppm (Hanna)
NO3: 3-5ppm (Hanna)
Calcium: 400ppm (API)
pH: 8.0ish (API tester is hard to determine)
dKH: 10 (Hanna)
Ammonia: 0 (API)
Stock: Clown x2, Firefish x2, Royal Gramma, Wheeler's Goby and Pistol, Urchin, 6x mixed hermits, 6x naussarius snails, 4x tiger conch, assorted softies and LPS.
I normally feed in moderation twice daily and fed right before going away. I did not feed while I was gone (had an autofeeder with flakes but they got wet and just clumped up on the screen lid). The lid has a gap in the rear of about .5cm which blenny probably could have squeezed through but that would put him in the rear return chamber of my AIO tank.
My leading theory has been oxygen deprivation because the mechanical filter pads clogged and the water rose up to the screen lid, meaning there was basically no surface agitation and a boundary layer facilitated by the screen. None of the other stock seemed off at all though. Only other variable I can think or was a routine 20% water change the day I left. I siphoned the sand which did have some gas bubbles, but those almost all got pulled out with the waste water.
I pulled everything out of the rear chambers, looked all over, checked under the stand. No blenny. Also didn't have any kind of nutrient spike and it seems weird the CUC could have eaten him in under 48 hours.
My primary concern is that there could be a persistent issue in the water that I haven't thought to test for. I've given up on finding blenny unfortunately, and my focus is making sure the other fish aren't in any danger. Thoughts?
Went away for two days for the first time since establishing the tank (50gal) 6 months ago. When I came back my flametail had disappeared without a trace and I haven't seen him almost a week later. He's presumed dead because they don't borrow in sand and he has always been a veracious eater.
The tank is a mixed reef Waterbox 50.3 AIO which has had stable levels at or close to the following:
Temp: 77F
Salinity: 1.024
PO4: 0.02ppm (Hanna)
NO3: 3-5ppm (Hanna)
Calcium: 400ppm (API)
pH: 8.0ish (API tester is hard to determine)
dKH: 10 (Hanna)
Ammonia: 0 (API)
Stock: Clown x2, Firefish x2, Royal Gramma, Wheeler's Goby and Pistol, Urchin, 6x mixed hermits, 6x naussarius snails, 4x tiger conch, assorted softies and LPS.
I normally feed in moderation twice daily and fed right before going away. I did not feed while I was gone (had an autofeeder with flakes but they got wet and just clumped up on the screen lid). The lid has a gap in the rear of about .5cm which blenny probably could have squeezed through but that would put him in the rear return chamber of my AIO tank.
My leading theory has been oxygen deprivation because the mechanical filter pads clogged and the water rose up to the screen lid, meaning there was basically no surface agitation and a boundary layer facilitated by the screen. None of the other stock seemed off at all though. Only other variable I can think or was a routine 20% water change the day I left. I siphoned the sand which did have some gas bubbles, but those almost all got pulled out with the waste water.
I pulled everything out of the rear chambers, looked all over, checked under the stand. No blenny. Also didn't have any kind of nutrient spike and it seems weird the CUC could have eaten him in under 48 hours.
My primary concern is that there could be a persistent issue in the water that I haven't thought to test for. I've given up on finding blenny unfortunately, and my focus is making sure the other fish aren't in any danger. Thoughts?
