Help with Disapearing 6 Lined Wrasse?

[Zakary2003]

I bought a 6 lined wrasse yesterday for my aquarium. Because he is going in with two territorial clownfish, I decided to put him in one of those acrylic fish boxes suction cupped to the glass so that they could get used to him. He seemed really stressed out in the box with nowhere to hide, so I added a relatively large snail shell and some liverock rubble. This morning he seems to have disappeared. As far as I can tell, there are no holes even close to large enough for it to have fit through to escape the box, and the lid is on tight. Could he be inside the snail shell? I cannot see him in there from the opening and I've already tried dumping the water out of the shell, and he didn't come out with that water. Is it possible for them to get stuck? I know I should probably just leave everything be and hope he pops up, but this is wild. I've had fish disappear in the tank, but never in an acclimation box with like 5 small things. I could carefully cut the shell open to see if he is inside, but I'm not sure that's the right course of action.

 

[ScottJ]

I would guess he is in the shell. Maybe just put the shell and rubble on the bottom (empty the box) and leave it alone. He will come out when he is ready. Messing with him just stresses him out more.

 

[blaxsun]

Shell, caves, overflow, sump - those are all places I've found various sixline wrasses...

 

[Zakary2003]

Shell, caves, overflow, sump - those are all places I've found various sixline wrasses...

Is it possible for it to get stuck in the shell? I can't even see its tail so it must be pretty deep in there.

 

[LouisianaReef]

Is it possible for it to get stuck in the shell? I can't even see its tail so it must be pretty deep in there.

Its possible but unlikely. More than likely it is just hiding or in a part of the system that it isn't supposed to be.

 

[Zakary2003]

Its possible but unlikely. More than likely it is just hiding or in a part of the system that it isn't supposed to be.

Well it's in an acrylic acclimation box with a lid so I don't know how it would have gotten out to get somewhere else. Unless it somehow escaped, it has to get in the shell

 

[LouisianaReef]

Well it's in an acrylic acclimation box with a lid so I don't know how it would have gotten out to get somewhere else. Unless it somehow escaped, it has to get in the shell

I must have missed the part about it being in a box.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

it must be a very big snail shell. I just can't picture a fish hiding in a snail shell lol

 

[Zakary2003]

it must be a very big snail shell. I just can't picture a fish hiding in a snail shell lol

It's a very large green turbo snail shell and a very small 6 lined wrasse.

 

[blaxsun]

That or it jumped out of the box and is now somewhere else.

 

[Zakary2003]

That or it jumped out of the box and is now somewhere else.

Box has a lid and that lid is above the water line so I don't think that is possible

 

[Zakary2003]

Should I use some bone cutters to gently break the shell open anyone? I don't want to continue stressing the fish if he is hiding out of stress but it's been in there all day so I'm getting worried it is stuck.

 

[katforscience]

Have you checked in the rock rubble? If it’s a decent size and has holes, he could be hiding in it… mine loves his hide-area in my liverock and retreats when he sees me, they are pretty small holes and he fits

 

[Zakary2003]

Have you checked in the rock rubble? If it’s a decent size and has holes, he could be hiding in it… mine loves his hide-area in my liverock and retreats when he sees me, they are pretty small holes and he fits

Yes I have quite thoroughly checked the rubble. He's definitely not in there

 

[ScottJ]

Should I use some bone cutters to gently break the shell open anyone? I don't want to continue stressing the fish if he is hiding out of stress but it's been in there all day so I'm getting worried it is stuck.

I don't think cutting the shell is a good idea. I doubt he would get himself into a place he couldn't get out of.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Should I use some bone cutters to gently break the shell open anyone? I don't want to continue stressing the fish if he is hiding out of stress but it's been in there all day so I'm getting worried it is stuck.

Avoid this if your worried, how big small is this guy, does your rubble/rock cage suit it.
I would probably just leave it alone and check tomorrow, it will be more beneficial just to place eyes on instead of hands on, it's new to you and you want to see it in its full glory. Give the guy a chance to at least see your face and get over that nightmare lol

 

[Zakary2003]

Avoid this if your worried, how big small is this guy, does your rubble/rock cage suit it.
I would probably just leave it alone and check tomorrow, it will be more beneficial just to place eyes on instead of hands on, it's new to you and you want to see it in its full glory. Give the guy a chance to at least see your face and get over that nightmare lol

The little guy is very small, even for a 6 line. Probably just under half an inch long. The acclimation box setup isn't ideal for him, but I didn't want the clownfish to destroy him immediately. I made that mistake when adding fish to another tank with a territorial cocoa damselfish. I'm sure he is super stressed and I don't mind that he is hiding, but I am concerned about the fact that he is so deep in the shell that I cannot even see his tail or head. I'll give him another day I guess, and if he comes out I'll leave him alone and let him out of the box and remove that stupid shell...

 

[Rick's Reviews]

The little guy is very small, even for a 6 line. Probably just under half an inch long. The acclimation box setup isn't ideal for him, but I didn't want the clownfish to destroy him immediately. I made that mistake when adding fish to another tank with a territorial cocoa damselfish. I'm sure he is super stressed and I don't mind that he is hiding, but I am concerned about the fact that he is so deep in the shell that I cannot even see his tail or head. I'll give him another day I guess, and if he comes out I'll leave him alone and let him out of the box and remove that stupid shell...

Yes, I doubt it will starve, learn from past mistakes and adjust. I forgot how tiny fish can be when first adding

 

[Hawkeyesown11]

Sixlines sleep in a mucous cocoon. Could just be sleeping in the shell. I never knew where my sixline was sleeping, as they can fit in tiny spaces.

 

[Zakary2003]

So I noticed a nitrate spike and decided to break the shell open. Definitely dead. I don't know if it got stuck and died or decided to go in there because it was already dying, but either way I am very disappointed. I was very careful about acclimation so it wasn't shock, so I'm just hoping it was stress and not disease. He was already hiding in the fish store and only came out when I asked to see it eat, so it could be either one.