Missing fish - how worried should I be.

[ShaneUK]

Hi Guys,
So my partner and I are still really new to the game and we have a 5 month old small tank with a CUC of 3 x Nassarius Snail, 4 x red hermits and a scarlet cleaner shrimp. We have two baby clowns (1.5cm currently i'd say).
And we 'had' a red dragonet.. we havent had the fish long but after introduction they all seemed active and healty. We know dragonets can be fussy eaters but I have seen him eat copapods readily. He has been really active and always hovering over the substrate and rocks nibbling at stuff.
But day before yesterday, not a trace, and still nothing yesterday, and nothing this morning. I cant seem him in any hidden crevaces or in the substrate, and I have checked the filter / pump areas etc.

I'm worred he may have died, but there isnt a single trace of any of him, would the CUC be able to remove it that quickly..

I have ensured a good amount of copapods are in there in the hope he's just hiding well but as he is so normally bright and active this is out of character.

Any advice for a pair of noobies will be much appreciated.

 

[DLHDesign]

Might still be in there. Could have found a cache of pods to munch on for a bit, or just hides when you are around the tank (fish are pretty sensitive to that kind of thing). If there's one thing fish are good at in our tanks, it's finding hiding spots that we never knew existed, and then staying there for far longer than we thought possible. :-|
I generally give it 4-5 days before I even begin to worry about a missing fish.

 

[Dom]

Monitor ammonia in the tank. If it has died, you will start to see a rise in ammonia from the decomposing fish.

If you develop an ammonia level, I would think it reasonable to assume it dead among the rock work. In this instance, I'd want to find it and remove it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Theyre great hiders but if it did perish, cuv can devour pretty quick

 

[vetteguy53081]

Theyre great hiders but if it did perish, cuv can devour pretty quick

 

[cracker]

Sorry about the lose (if it's gone) Depends on the tank size if you have a small tank ,I'd become concerned & check Ammonia levels.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

How small is your tank? A CUC in a matter of hours and turn the body into something unrecognizable. At this stage just watch for ammonia, if no changes then hope for the best

 

[homer1475]

Regardless of tank size, something the size of a scooter dragonet should not even have an impact on ammonia. The bacteria in your tank should be able to process that tiny amount of ammonia fairly quickly, and the CUC would take care of that body within hours. If you did see a spike in ammonia from such a tiny body, you might have more issues then just a dead fish.

Sorry for your loss if it is truly gone, but they sometimes show up several days later.

 

[ScottR]

Do you have a cover on your tank? Could have jumped. Do you have live rock? Could be a hitchhiker that you’ve never seen. Use a red filter and check with a light after lights out. Sometimes you’ll see other things. You may even find your fish

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you have a cover on your tank? Could have jumped. Do you have live rock? Could be a hitchhiker that you’ve never seen. Use a red filter and check with a light after lights out. Sometimes you’ll see other things. You may even find your fish

Very unlikely to see a scooter jump as they dwell the bottom and their fin structure makes it hard to jump.
Before assuming ammonia, do a water test of ammonia and nitrate/nitrite as well as verifying salinity and temp all assuming fish has perished.
Losses are never welcomed but also do signal possible tank issues which if we act quick enough can save other occupants

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Regardless of tank size, something the size of a scooter dragonet should not even have an impact on ammonia. The bacteria in your tank should be able to process that tiny amount of ammonia fairly quickly, and the CUC would take care of that body within hours. If you did see a spike in ammonia from such a tiny body, you might have more issues then just a dead fish.

Sorry for your loss if it is truly gone, but they sometimes show up several days later.

If we are talking about a pico tank then it would affect the ammonia.

 

[Dom]

Regardless of tank size, something the size of a scooter dragonet should not even have an impact on ammonia.

Respectfully disagree.

As the tank gets smaller, the concentration of ammonia will increase. It may not be an issue in a 55 gallon tank, but in a 10 gallon, that is a concentration of ammonia which is 5 times greater than it would be in a 55. So tank size is relevant.

 

[ShariC]

Did you ever find it?

I've had a pair of gobies for a couple of months now and I'm constantly thinking they're dead. They're not.

 

[ShaneUK]

Thanks for the replies guys, he did actually turn up 10 days later but even though I was continuing to feed as if he was alive he seemed very unwell.
He disappeared again for a few days and when I next spotted him he was unfortunately past the point of return.

I have read that dragonets can be fussy feeders and it would seem this little guy was no exception. Bit sad (we are very new to the marine game), really love the dragonets.

May have to wait till we are somewhat more experienced before trying one of these again.