Lost Fish

[Lynnds6]

I put a new Mandarin goby in my 30g tank and I have yet to see him today. He has been in the tank for 4 days now and I have yet to see him eat, he just stays in the rock work. He was huge and looked healthy when I got him.

The problem is I haven't seen him today and I'm afraid he may be dead. I have a large CUC and was wondering if I have to take out all my rock work to find him or leave him? Will it cause a severe ammonia spike if he is dead and I leave him in there? I will probably end up damaging some nice corals if I have to pull the rocks apart as I don't have another tank yet to put anything in.

Before anyone suggests I am working on getting a QT for the future. I do have one happy mandarin already that is eating fine and they seemed to get along just fine for the first few days I saw them together (was trying to pair them). Thanks for your help!

 

[ShaunRobinson]

If he has died and you have a decent cuc then you are unlikely to see a body to be honest, especially if he died in the night. It doesn’t take long to clean up so you are shouldn’t see much of a spike but I would still be testing daily for the next couple of days. Unusual not to see one picking around the rocks though, they aren’t usually a fish for hiding. They don’t really get along with one of the same sex though.

 

[Lynnds6]

Thank you for your help! His behavior was odd but he looked really healthy (and big)! It was my bad. I bought him at a local coral swap and was so excited to get a large male (to pair with my smaller female I have). Of course I should have asked to see him eat but I doubt he would have with that type of environment anyway.

If he has died and you have a decent cuc then you are unlikely to see a body to be honest, especially if he died in the night. It doesn’t take long to clean up so you are shouldn’t see much of a spike but I would still be testing daily for the next couple of days. Unusual not to see one picking around the rocks though, they aren’t usually a fish for hiding. They don’t really get along with one of the same sex though.

 

[ShaunRobinson]

It sounds like you have been unlucky if he has died. You can’t do much more than pick a nice big healthy looking one apart from seeing it feeding. Chalk it down to experience and don’t let it put you off. If you can keep one healthy Mandarin there is no reason you can’t keep another. I’m currently looking for a healthy female to go with my male but until I get one that already takes frozen I will wait. I’m not sure how lfs are in the states but here in the UK this is a fish that is far too cheap and far too easily available in my opinion. They certainly aren’t a beginner fish but few people can resist them.

 

[Lynnds6]

It sounds like you have been unlucky if he has died. You can’t do much more than pick a nice big healthy looking one apart from seeing it feeding. Chalk it down to experience and don’t let it put you off. If you can keep one healthy Mandarin there is no reason you can’t keep another. I’m currently looking for a healthy female to go with my male but until I get one that already takes frozen I will wait. I’m not sure how lfs are in the states but here in the UK this is a fish that is far too cheap and far too easily available in my opinion. They certainly aren’t a beginner fish but few people can resist them.

I really lucked out as my mandarin was eating frozen and even some pellets shortly after getting her She was just live foods up until then but I think feeding her from a pipette and then eventually putting frozen food in helped Good luck on finding a female! I can't wait for the day I can pair mine!

 

[ShaunRobinson]

I really lucked out as my mandarin was eating frozen and even some pellets shortly after getting her She was just live foods up until then but I think feeding her from a pipette and then eventually putting frozen food in helped Good luck on finding a female! I can't wait for the day I can pair mine!

It’s great when you can get them on frozen. When I bought mine he was fat and healthy in the shop so I knew he was a good eater. He showed a keen interest in the frozen that was put in the tank and although he didn’t actually eat anybthe fact that he was interested made me go for him. It only took a couple of days target feeding mysis before he started eating it. Now he eats straight from the pipette too. One of my favourite fish.