How do you lose a fish?

BedrockIOMC · Jul 19, 2018

I went today on lunch and grabbed a couple of firefish goby fish. I come home from work and couldn't find one. Finally under a rock I found him. Well he had me worried because he wasnt moving so I bumped the rock and she ran out. All is well right? Well after going back and getting the food for one of my freshwater tanks he was gone again. No worries he has to be under that rock again right? No, I can't find him and I even picked that rock up. I feed the other goby and he still didn't come out and it has now been 3 hrs and and nothing. Is anyone out there that knows fire gobys enough to know if they hide a lot? I thought they were more out in the open kind of fish, unless being chased or something like that. These were the only 2 fish I have now. Thanks for any opinion.

Crabs McJones · Jul 19, 2018

Firefish are extremely skiddish and will hide quite often. My little guy almost never comes out unless theres food. Stays under his rock 90% of the time.

dbl · Jul 19, 2018

I wouldn't be too concerned...yet. I've added fish and didn't see them for several days. Give it some time to adapt to it's new environment.

reefer_dude · Jul 19, 2018

firefish are jumpers. i had a bucket of saltwater leftover from a water change sitting in front of my tank (didn't feel like dumping it...lol). a day or 2 later i couldn't find my fish. i looked down and he was in the bucket, thankfully i didn't dump it. i netted him out and put him back into the tank. hopefully yours didn't jump out, but something to think of.

dbl · Jul 19, 2018

reefer_dude said:
firefish are jumpers. i had a bucket of saltwater leftover from a water change sitting in front of my tank (didn't feel like dumping it...lol). a day or 2 later i couldn't find my fish. i looked down and he was in the bucket, thankfully i didn't dump it. i netted him out and put him back into the tank. hopefully yours didn't jump out, but something to think of.

That's one of the luckiest stories I've ever read on R2R.

Crabs McJones · Jul 19, 2018

reefer_dude said:
firefish are jumpers. i had a bucket of saltwater leftover from a water change sitting in front of my tank (didn't feel like dumping it...lol). a day or 2 later i couldn't find my fish. i looked down and he was in the bucket, thankfully i didn't dump it. i netted him out and put him back into the tank. hopefully yours didn't jump out, but something to think of.

dbl said:
That's one of the luckiest stories I've ever read on R2R.

right! Not only did the fish make it into the bucket it lasted a couple days. That is one trooper of a fish

Gareth elliott · Jul 19, 2018

You can try to entice him with some live food. In the wild they are planktonvores, dumping some pods or brine shrimp in during day light might get him out briefly.
Ime took months to get comfortable in the new environment to be out constantly. Even then any quick movements in front or over the tank. Back to their hideaway.

tdileo · Jul 19, 2018

Gareth elliott said:
You can try to entice him with some live food. In the wild they are planktonvores, dumping some pods or brine shrimp in during day light might get him out briefly.
Ime took months to get comfortable in the new environment to be out constantly. Even then any quick movements in front or over the tank. Back to their hideaway.

Mine were pretty skittish at first like said above, but now they’re some of the most active fish in my tank. They always hang out on the left foot or so near their sleeping cave, but they don’t hide often, even when my hands are in the tank. They definitely are not aggressive eaters compared to any of other fish though. Just give them some time and he should be out much more

BedrockIOMC · Jul 19, 2018

reefer_dude said:
firefish are jumpers. i had a bucket of saltwater leftover from a water change sitting in front of my tank (didn't feel like dumping it...lol). a day or 2 later i couldn't find my fish. i looked down and he was in the bucket, thankfully i didn't dump it. i netted him out and put him back into the tank. hopefully yours didn't jump out, but something to think of.

Yeah I did get a flashlight and looked all around the tank and in the back in the filter and skimmer area. I checked everywhere. I feel like I'm going crazy. Lol

BedrockIOMC · Jul 19, 2018

Gareth elliott said:
You can try to entice him with some live food. In the wild they are planktonvores, dumping some pods or brine shrimp in during day light might get him out briefly.
Ime took months to get comfortable in the new environment to be out constantly. Even then any quick movements in front or over the tank. Back to their hideaway.

I did feed the other goby and he didn't come out.

biophilia · Jul 19, 2018

Mine hid for almost two weeks when I first got it. These days it hides about 75% of the time and spends the rest of the time hovering near the mouth of the cave it hides in, though it does come out when I feed. Super skittish!

BestMomEver · Jul 19, 2018

He will stay hidden for a long time if necessary until he feels comfortable. Mine hid for months. I put some chromis in the tank and now he swims out in the open. I guess seeing a school of fish, not afraid and swimming happily, has made him feel like nothing is after him. But before the chromis, mine only came out after lights off and didn’t go far from his hole.

4FordFamily · Jul 19, 2018

I agree with the other posters that fire fish hide a lot. Many fish that vanish also die it’s always been surprising how few fish that die I find to remove. I hope it’s the prior not the latter!

BedrockIOMC · Jul 20, 2018

UPDATE!!!! I found him!!!! He can get in the smallest hole.

Sailingeric · Jul 20, 2018

Great that you found him. Mine will get into a small hole in one of my rocks all the time. The weird thing it does is when it sleeps it lays half in and half out of the rock, looking dead. It freaked me out the first time I saw that and I had to warn my wife when she took over feeding when I was out of town for week.

TangingOut · Jul 21, 2018

Now that you've found him, leave him alone. He's probably not only scared of you, but of the other firefish as well.

TronChief · Jul 21, 2018

Same for mine. Hid under a rock for so long. I was always afraid it wasn’t getting enough food. Now it never hides and is constantly cruising around. Makes me happy because it’s one of my daughters Fish and she loves watching it as much as I do. Took a few months but worth the wait.

Gareth elliott said:
You can try to entice him with some live food. In the wild they are planktonvores, dumping some pods or brine shrimp in during day light might get him out briefly.
Ime took months to get comfortable in the new environment to be out constantly. Even then any quick movements in front or over the tank. Back to their hideaway.

ame d

Mavric · Jul 23, 2018

TronChief said:
Same for mine. Hid under a rock for so long. I was always afraid it wasn’t getting enough food. Now it never hides and is constantly cruising around. Makes me happy because it’s one of my daughters Fish and she loves watching it as much as I do. Took a few months but worth the wait.

ame d

I always tried to drop a few pellets behind the rocks in hopes that the fish would eat. I never knew if they would or not, but they haven’t died yet so they are eating something. This is why I’m mainly sticking to omnivorous fish right now so they can at least eat copepods and algae if they aren’t getting any of the meatier stuff. I have a Damsel that will swim in her little hole until food comes out and it’s like watching a blue and yellow missile fly out and destroy the pellet lol. My clown just sits there and is like “hmm, well ok then” and goes back to eating. Love it.