Missing fish...

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 12, 2020

Last weekend I put two new fish in my tank... I was all happy. I even posted about it : ) cool day!

i am now missing 2 fish... one of them is a 9” long spotted eel. The other is a smallish fairy wrasse. I lost the eel before and found him in my sump : ) yeah... not there...

my tank has a blackened back glass and a water return area in the center (back) it’s hard to see in (very dark) but... I don’t see anything in there either.

no carcasses...no change in my water... salinity, nitrates, phosphates, ammonia...nothing. Just two missing fish. My tank is not open on top... no jumpers...

is this normal? It’s been 3 days since I‘ve seen them.

Dempsey941 · Mar 13, 2020

Well eels are notorious for escaping their homes. You found him in the sump before is he in your overflow somewhere? Have you checked behind the tank? As for the wrasse could it have also gone into the overflow? Or perhaps he became dinner?

Copingwithpods · Mar 13, 2020

Look behind and all around your tank, I've found carpet surfers up to 10 feet away from the tank. I'd imagine an eel can get pretty far if it got out. Have you checked your filter socks?

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

Copingwithpods said:
Look behind and all around your tank, I've found carpet surfers up to 10 feet away from the tank. I'd imagine an eel can get pretty far if it got out. Have you checked your filter socks?

: ) I love the advice, but there are truly no more places for me to look. I should have videoed myself looking for them. lol Now that would have been hilarious. Yes, I did look inside the filter socks. (I really don’t think he could get in one of the socks... he is bigger than the holes,)and yet... I looked in there any anyway : ).

jumpers? Possible while I was changing the water. I have two dogs... snack for them? I dunno

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

Dempsey941 said:
Well eels are notorious for escaping their homes. You found him in the sump before is he in your overflow somewhere? Have you checked behind the tank? As for the wrasse could it have also gone into the overflow? Or perhaps he became dinner?

The eels have gone into my sump several times : )

should I take note that the (very small) little crabs I put in there have doubled in size?

Copingwithpods · Mar 13, 2020

Do a quick sniff test, if the eel was a good size you'll Def smell it if he died,heck go around the whole house. Grab a dog and sniff his found for fish breath.

I had a dog eat a goby years ago, only found out because he later ate grass and puked him up so it's definitely a possibility.

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

Copingwithpods said:
Do a quick sniff test, if the eel was a good size you'll Def smell it if he died,heck go around the whole house. Grab a dog and sniff his found for fish breath.

I had a dog eat a goby years ago, only found out because he later ate grass and puked him up so it's definitely a possibility.

Thank you, I’ll watch for that... it’s been three days, I may have missed that event.

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

Copingwithpods said:
Do a quick sniff test, if the eel was a good size you'll Def smell it if he died,heck go around the whole house. Grab a dog and sniff his found for fish breath.

I had a dog eat a goby years ago, only found out because he later ate grass and puked him up so it's definitely a possibility.

And yeah... no smell of death anywhere in my house

K7BMG · Mar 13, 2020

You may find they have found a nice hole or crevasse to hide in.
Or maybe the Dog?
In any case good luck and am hoping for a good outcome.

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

K7BMG said:
You may find they have found a nice hole or crevasse to hide in.
Or maybe the Dog?
In any case good luck and am hoping for a good outcome.

Lol : ) the dogs lol

and yet, that’s a real thing.. dang dogs! I hope not : )

block134 · Mar 13, 2020

I have found a few of my smaller fish stuck in some of the holes in my rocks.

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

Oh wow

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

I found my FFFIIISSSHHHHH! (Bellowed with a triumphant roar!) they seem okay... prolly hungry. They have been missing for 4 days! It’s almost feeding time right now anyway.

wow these lil guys can get into some very small places... both in Sump today. I’m so happy!

K7BMG · Mar 13, 2020

Right on congrats.

Time to party................

Malifry97 · Mar 13, 2020

Shawn_epicurious said:
I found my FFFIIISSSHHHHH! (Bellowed with a triumphant roar!) they seem okay... prolly hungry. They have been missing for 4 days! It’s almost feeding time right now anyway.

wow these lil guys can get into some very small places... both in Sump today. I’m so happy!

YAY!

Shawn_epicurious · Mar 13, 2020

Shawn_epicurious said:
Last weekend I put two new fish in my tank... I was all happy. I even posted about it : ) cool day!

i am now missing 2 fish... one of them is a 9” long spotted eel. The other is a smallish fairy wrasse. I lost the eel before and found him in my sump : ) yeah... not there...

my tank has a blackened back glass and a water return area in the center (back) it’s hard to see in (very dark) but... I don’t see anything in there either.

no carcasses...no change in my water... salinity, nitrates, phosphates, ammonia...nothing. Just two missing fish. My tank is not open on top... no jumpers...

is this normal? It’s been 3 days since I‘ve seen them.

Here is the spotted eel.... 5 days, no food... if it wasn’t for bigfoot... he’d be the hide and seek champion!

Back in my tank! He ate well tonight : )