Royal Dottyback Missing???

[Reef_Tanks]

I purchased a royal dottyback and a six line wrasse in my tank along with some tangs and clowns i had in there before i added those 2. Noticed it went quick to hide as did the six line wrasse
I bought it friday and maybe seen it saturday and haven't seen since I was told they go into hiding for a while and are very protective of their space
but even when i sprinkle food i cant seem to find it I was told that it could still be hiding but also maybe something happened to it all my fish are perfectly
fine no disease or anything i have a mesh lid so it cant have jumped out.

Any help is greatly appreciated I hope it's still alive as i've been told it still maybe feeding on scraps when i'm not at my tank
would love some positive news

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I purchased a royal dottyback and a six line wrasse in my tank along with some tangs and clowns i had in there before i added those 2. Noticed it went quick to hide as did the six line wrasse
I bought it friday and maybe seen it saturday and haven't seen since I was told they go into hiding for a while and are very protective of their space
but even when i sprinkle food i cant seem to find it I was told that it could still be hiding but also maybe something happened to it all my fish are perfectly
fine no disease or anything i have a mesh lid so it cant have jumped out.

Any help is greatly appreciated I hope it's still alive as i've been told it still maybe feeding on scraps when i'm not at my tank
would love some positive news

Is your dottyback still missing?

One trick is to turn out your room lights and *then* add some food to the tank and sit down a few feet away and watch the tank. The fish won't be able to see you very well in the darkened room and are more likely to come out to feed.

Jay

 

[Pistondog]

Had a flasher wrasse disappear for 3 weeks when introduced. Hes always out now.

 

[Reef_Tanks]

Is your dottyback still missing?

One trick is to turn out your room lights and *then* add some food to the tank and sit down a few feet away and watch the tank. The fish won't be able to see you very well in the darkened room and are more likely to come out to feed.

Jay

its still missing to this day i cant see anyway that it is alive and i cant move all my rockwork its so unfortunate im getting another one soon but i dont understand what happened or made it do that

 

[Reef_Tanks]

Had a flasher wrasse disappear for 3 weeks when introduced. Hes always out now.

Wow ok i just cant see how the dottyback can survive this long without food i have fed all my fish everyday hasnt been seen once i cant see how it would be alive

 

[Pistondog]

Wow ok i just cant see how the dottyback can survive this long without food i have fed all my fish everyday hasnt been seen once i cant see how it would be alive

Food drifts around, theyll pick atnighf

 

[Reef_Tanks]

Food drifts around, theyll pick atnighf

would you still give it a chance that its alive? i put it in with my wrasse and the wrasse comes up all the time just the dottyback never seen

 

[PeterEde]

I purchased a royal dottyback and a six line wrasse in my tank along with some tangs and clowns i had in there before i added those 2. Noticed it went quick to hide as did the six line wrasse
I bought it friday and maybe seen it saturday and haven't seen since I was told they go into hiding for a while and are very protective of their space
but even when i sprinkle food i cant seem to find it I was told that it could still be hiding but also maybe something happened to it all my fish are perfectly
fine no disease or anything i have a mesh lid so it cant have jumped out.

Any help is greatly appreciated I hope it's still alive as i've been told it still maybe feeding on scraps when i'm not at my tank
would love some positive news

You might have a better chance to see or find it at night. Once the fish harassing it have gone to be.
I just put 2 paired longfin gobies in mine and found one dead in the sock having gone over the weir and it's aprtner hides all day. Only see after midnight. Hopefully as it gets bigger it will venture out in daytimes

 

[Pistondog]

If hes not on the carpet, hes eating enough.

 

[Reef_Tanks]

You might have a better chance to see or find it at night. Once the fish harassing it have gone to be.
I just put 2 paired longfin gobies in mine and found one dead in the sock having gone over the weir and it's aprtner hides all day. Only see after midnight. Hopefully as it gets bigger it will venture out in daytimes

I've tried to look around 9-12pm when all lights are off and its pitch black only saw my fish in the same spots sleeping

 

[Reef_Tanks]

If hes not on the carpet, hes eating enough.

Think so? I thought at this point its just dead in a hidden spot i dont know about but also dont wanna move rockscape

 

[UMALUM]

Personally I wouldn't have attempted those two in the same system. My guess is the sixline quickly acclimated and then took care of business.

 

[jason2459]

I had a Royal Gramma once that decided the back of the rocks would be a good home. Never saw it but once a year later after adding it. Never saw it again.

Same thing happened once with a watchman goby that decided to watch the back glass. I saw it maybe twice in two years.

I currently have a Hector's goby that I forgot about that I added maybe 3 years ago. I moved tanks a few months ago and evidently it was in one of the rocks that made it into the new main tank. I just saw it last week for a split second. Haven't seen it again and not hopeful I will.

I've had many instances of small shy fish going missing for many days at a time after adding to a tank.

 

[Reef_Tanks]

Personally I wouldn't have attempted those two in the same system. My guess is the sixline quickly acclimated and then took care of business.

The place i buy fish and coral at been doing it all there life they said it wouldn't be a problem they've never led me astray i trust them

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Just wait it out. They love wedging within the rocks and small holes in the rock work when stressed out.

 

[UMALUM]

The place i buy fish and coral at been doing it all there life they said it wouldn't be a problem they've never led me astray i trust them

Thats great that you have a LFS that you trust and by no means am I attempting to alter that by simply saying they were wrong. I hope little dude pops out for you but the chances of those two co existing are slim to none.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

The place i buy fish and coral at been doing it all there life they said it wouldn't be a problem they've never led me astray i trust them

My six line knows who's boss. My dottyback will nip at him when the wrasse is just sailing in and out of the rock scape minding his own business. I hear the six line is a fish from hell, I beg to differ!

My 2 clowns often get in the way of the dottyback to keep the wrasse safe. Kinda cool how they stop the bullying

 

[Reef_Tanks]

Thats great that you have a LFS that you trust and by no means am I attempting to alter that by simply saying they were wrong. I hope little dude pops out for you but the chances of those two co existing are slim to none.

Thanks i hope he pops out too thing is they would've not sold me the two if they couldn't get along you'd think?

 

[PeterEde]

Think so? I thought at this point its just dead in a hidden spot i dont know about but also dont wanna move rockscape

if he's dead you may see an ammonia spike you could test for unless it's been eaten completely already

 

[Reef_Tanks]

if he's dead you may see an ammonia spike you could test for unless it's been eaten completely already

id assume if he's dead the crabs may have gotten to him pretty quick i'm gonna have a good look tonight to see all over if i can find him which im not too confident about