Mandarin Goby Houdini?

David Haldane · May 3, 2020

I'm hoping someone can help me here, as it's driving me nuts. I've had a Mandarin goby for a few months. It's been eating well and always out and active. Today, I went to feed my fish and the goby was nowhere to be found, and absolutely not in any of the rockwork. I've checked all around my tank and it doesn't look to have jumped. I also opened up my gate valve on my main drain / looked down the drain pipe with a flashlight and it doesn't appear to be stuck in there (or in the emergency overflow). I've read very sparse information about Mandarin gobies burying themselves similar to wrasses, although it's never done this before. Do you think this is a possibility? It's driving me insane not knowing where the heck it went. My CuC isn't large enough (just a few snails and literally one crab) to have done away with a dead body overnight, and would be very surprised if it had died as it's been very healthy/social and I've been hand feeding it for weeks. Thanks in advance.

MERKEY · May 3, 2020

What other fish and coral do you have?

David Haldane · May 3, 2020

MERKEY said:
What other fish and coral do you have?

Nothing aggressive or opportunistic. Two clowns, two dwarf angels, and a leopard wrasse. Mostly softies and zoas, and two rock flower anemones.

MERKEY · May 3, 2020

How big are the rock flower nems?

If they are big enough there's a small possibility he was dinner.

David Haldane · May 3, 2020

MERKEY said:
How big are the rock flower nems?

If they are big enough there's a small possibility he was dinner.

Smallish, I've only had them for a few months. Maybe 4" diameter.

David Haldane · May 3, 2020

David Haldane said:
Smallish, I've only had them for a few months. Maybe 4" diameter.

I did give the nems a good look-over, they don't look to have had any goby dinner

MERKEY · May 3, 2020

Thats really odd...they do hide in the smallest of places so there's hope he's hidden.

Oldreefer44 · May 3, 2020

I've had one for several years that I used to worry about because I couldn't find it despite how hard I looked yet it would suddenly appear again. I find it easier to find at night when it will be found tucked into a crevice.

NinnJinn · May 3, 2020

I have a blue Mandarin, and there will be three four days go by that I don't see her. And then she will pop up pecking at the Rocks and the sand bed. If you have live rock I wouldn't worry too much it's probably nestled in a crevice somewhere.

esther · May 3, 2020

Going through the same thing, currently. lol I know they’re in there, just don’t know where.

MERKEY · May 3, 2020

David Haldane said:
I'm hoping someone can help me here, as it's driving me nuts. I've had a Mandarin goby for a few months. It's been eating well and always out and active. Today, I went to feed my fish and the goby was nowhere to be found, and absolutely not in any of the rockwork. I've checked all around my tank and it doesn't look to have jumped. I also opened up my gate valve on my main drain / looked down the drain pipe with a flashlight and it doesn't appear to be stuck in there (or in the emergency overflow). I've read very sparse information about Mandarin gobies burying themselves similar to wrasses, although it's never done this before. Do you think this is a possibility? It's driving me insane not knowing where the heck it went. My CuC isn't large enough (just a few snails and literally one crab) to have done away with a dead body overnight, and would be very surprised if it had died as it's been very healthy/social and I've been hand feeding it for weeks. Thanks in advance.

How big is your tank?

David Haldane · May 3, 2020

MERKEY said:
How big is your tank?

I have an IM 30L. The rock work has some caves and arches, but no areas that it could be hiding and unseen.

FragileReefer · May 3, 2020

Mine lived behind my rockflowers for a few days before I realized that was his hide away. They are very agile swimmers and can hide in some incredible places.

NinnJinn · May 3, 2020

FragileReefer said:
Mine lived behind my rockflowers for a few days before I realized that was his hide away. They are very agile swimmers and can hide in some incredible places.

I've had my blue Mandarin for almost a year now and I still yet have to figure out where her resting place is

Rizendell · May 3, 2020

I had one a long time ago. It jumped out the back when the lights shut off or turned on. I didnt find it until I broke the reef down and moved, all dried up and preserved between the stand and the baseboard of the wall.

David Haldane · May 4, 2020

Still no sign of it today! Searched all around my tank and no dead bodies, and nothing in my rock flowers. An absolute mystery.

David Haldane · May 5, 2020

I FOUND IT! I have an IM10 which is setup next to my main tank as a frag tank. I had checked in the back of it multiple times and the fish was never there. I went down tonight when the lights were off and there it was staring up at me from the back compartment of the IM10, it must have been hiding under the filter media box during the day! The fact that it jumped out of one tank and in to another is pretty insane to me...