Missing Snowflake Moray Eel, feared dead...

[Mageau11]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the hobby and I'm at a crossroads. My juvenile snowflake moray eel has been missing for the past 2 weeks and I fear he is dead inside his hiding cave.

Please see my original post here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/Missing-Snowflake-Moray-Eel.290167/

My question is, should I remove my live rock and see if I can find him at the risk of damaging some corals, or should I just stay on top of my water changes if he is indeed dead and decomposing inside my tank?

I've been battling my nitrates and phosphates the past few months (using Salifert kits. PO4 at 0.5 and NO3 at 25), but they are no higher than before he went missing (wouldn't they rise significantly if his body was decomposing in my tank)?

I know they can hide for a long time and come out only when hungry, but I literally had eyes on him every single day for the past 9 months and then 2 weekends ago he disappeared?

I know patience is a virtue in this hobby, so part of me says to just let it/him lie and react if the tank parameters change.

Thoughts and advice greatly appreciated!

 

[Reefing newbie]

Honestly I would try and wait it out. Keep monitoring your water and see if anything spikes. As far as I know I don't think eels have toxins which would nuke your tank but I haven't really looked into it. You could be on the safe side and figure out a game plan to check for it though. I'll check your other post to see if there are any pictures of where he is located.