Missing Dwarf Lionfish

adsf430 · Jan 20, 2022

I’m out of ideas. My fuzzy dwarf lionfish is MIA now for 3 days. He was a voracious eater and was never aggressive with any tank mates. The next largest fish in the tank is a clownfish the same size. I only have a 20 gallon nano and can’t find him anywhere. He’s never missed a feeding time and showed no signs of sickness whatsoever before disappearing. I don’t think he could’ve jumped out of the tank since I’ve searched every inch around it and don’t see him. I tested the water and there’s no nitrate spike or phosphate spike at all and he just disappeared in a very small tank so if the clean up crew took care of him I’d expect something… and again I’d be perplexed if he just died out of nowhere. Not sure how anyone can help, I’m just so confused and frustrated

LegalReefer · Jan 20, 2022

May sound crazy, but is your tank an AiO with a built-on back sump? Check back there if you have one. Otherwise, wait and hope for the best, but expect the worst. Check around the tank again in case he did jump and you somehow missed it. Good luck.

fishguy242 · Jan 20, 2022

hi, sorry,is it a AIO ? any pets ?

adsf430 · Jan 20, 2022

Hi, it is an all in one but he’s not in the filter sock and everything else is full to the brim with equipment so not sure where he’d be or how he could get back there as I have a lamp shade and the Red Sea brim which almost touch so I don’t even think he could fit between them to jump back there…but I still checked with a light and don’t see him ☹

LegalReefer · Jan 20, 2022

Can I get a full-tank shot? Can't promise much but maybe an extra set of eyes might have a new thought on places to look. You could try re-arranging rocks in the tank as well, in case he's hiding, but that's risky in more ways than one with a lionfish.

adsf430 · Jan 20, 2022

Oh and I have a dog but it’s a lionfish so I’d assume there’d be issues with her if she ate it?

adsf430 · Jan 20, 2022

LegalReefer said:
Can I get a full-tank shot? Can't promise much but maybe an extra set of eyes might have a new thought on places to look. You could try re-arranging rocks in the tank as well, in case he's hiding, but that's risky in more ways than one with a lionfish.

Not trying to promote the insta haha but easiest to see pics and videos to get a sense there, it’s @Nanoreefnyc

fishguy242 · Jan 20, 2022

adsf430 said:
Oh and I have a dog but it’s a lionfish so I’d assume there’d be issues with her if she ate it?

possibly picked up and moved it ?

vetteguy53081 · Jan 20, 2022

They dont hide for long unless distressed or in trouble. May be time to lift rocks and take a closer look BUT do it slowly so that you dont get stung. Theyre not jumpers and cant see it getting into an overflow

LegalReefer · Jan 20, 2022

Absolutely gorgeous tank! Man, he's definitely a little lionfish, huh? I'd check behind and under the piling you have on the left side of the tank, maybe? I dunno, it seems like a quite established tank, with lots of corals grown-out, so it can't be easy moving things. Can't offer much more than wait and hope, sadly.

adsf430 · Jan 20, 2022

adsf430 · Jan 20, 2022

Yea not sure I can move any rocks since I can hardly put my hands in it without knocking something over, my pistol shrimp and goby also might get crushed. Been trying to look around with a flashlight for him and still no luck. I’d have to imagine he died but the nitrate is only 7 and the phosphate is only 0.02 and it’s a decent size fish to die in a tank that’s probably only 15-16 gallons of water right?

fishguy242 · Jan 20, 2022

watch your ammonia, be ready for 10 gallon water change,
hope he pops out for you.

Karen00 · Jan 20, 2022

I bought one of these because I had a goby go missing for a few days. I found him safe and sound tucked up under a rock. Never would've found him without one of these. Maybe something like this will help. There are a bunch of different ones.

I really hope you find him safe and sound.

CoralB · Jan 20, 2022

If you have a plastic bulb feeder you can blow water around your coral and behind the rocks to see if he’s been just hiding

PeterEde · Jan 20, 2022

I lost a suicidal Fairy Wrasse recently. Hunted all around the tank. Nothing. Then I started scanning further out and found it dried up on carpet 10 feet from my tank.