Sometimes this hobby is heartbreaking . . .

[Drew in Texas]

Just lost a big, gorgeous sailfin. While we were watching, he was swimming around a rock. A yellow tang bum rushed him. He spun 180° and ran right into my huge nem. I had him in a net within 20 seconds, but he died the next day, sting spots all over him. Such is life (and death) on the reef...

 

[Drew in Texas]

Sorry that your little one had to see it though...

 

[Maacc]

I would suggest a lineatus fairy and maybe a flame wrasse for show fish.
Neon goby or 2 just for fun, I love their personality

 

[d-man]

Oh I am so sorry to hear this!! I have been there with ich! Thoughts are with you, my friend!

Thx. Yeah my rare wrasses, conspic , other angels, tangs...all gone

 

[jsvand5]

I’m going through velvet in my 960g DT. Lost 15 or so Fish currently. Caught 4 out, and only 4 still living that I can’t catch.
I QTd all fish going in greatly too

I had something similar happen a couple years ago but only on my 90g. I had a beautiful regal angel that I kept in Qt for 5 months. Went through prazi, copper, and wormed with panacur. Looked flawless and ate like a beast. Finally put it in the display and the whole tank was dead in a week aside from one leopard wrasse. I still have no clue how it could have happened.

 

[jsvand5]

Thx. Yeah my rare wrasses, conspic , other angels, tangs...all gone

Wow. That’s a tough one to take. I hope you manage to save the rest.

 

[RtomKinMad]

I have been brought to tears many times in this hobby.
Last week, one of my female anthias disappeared. I couldn't find her anywhere. They have only been in the main tank for about 3 weeks. No clue where she could have gone.

Yesterday morning was one of the worst moments. I was getting my boys backpacks out of the "fish room" and in the darkness saw something big and white go across the glass . . . I turned on the light in the room to see my Niger Trigger (Malificent) eating my wheelers shrimp goby (Tigger)!! I went and started hitting the glass yelling (as if she can understand me) to let it go! Needless to say she didn't listen, and my 5 year old witnessed it all happen. We both cried . . . A LOT! I felt silly telling a friend what had happened, but she said for normal people, this would be the equivalent of "I woke up and my dog ate my cat". Yep. Pretty much!! Tigger was one of our favorite fish. We loved watching him pop in and out of his hole and his little shrimp (which - what will happen to him?). And Malificent was the show fish of the tank. so beautiful and a gorgeous deep blue. I knew a niger was 50/50 at being reef safe, but she is still a baby, so I never imagined this.

Needless to say - we caught her tonight and she is in prison until I find a buyer for her. Just a sad day for us. These fish are our pets, and we are completely attached. And we spend so much time and energy in making SO SURE that they are all healthy and safe and have a good life in our home.

That being said . . . since we have a chance to add more fish . . . probably in a couple months, are there different goby's you would suggest? What about a "show fish" or another larger fish that might be a good addition? Noah is excited to help mommy pick out new fish for the tank again (we thought our stock was full - not so much). Not in a rush.

Current List:
FoxFace
Sailfin
Powder Blue
Naso
Flamehawk
2 Clowns
Pintail Fairy Wrasse
Blue Star leopard wrasse (debating on adding 2 more so if she changes to male I will still have 2 female)
Diamond Goby
Bella Goby
Scooter Blenny (or dragonette)
Cardinal
McCosker Flasher Wrasse
Male Spotfin Anthia
2 Female Anthia

Have always wanted a pair of mandarins, but not sure I have the pod population to support them yet.

How about a regal angel or pyramid butterfly? So sorry about your fish. It’s really hard to loose one.

 

[RtomKinMad]

I’m going through velvet in my 960g DT. Lost 15 or so Fish currently. Caught 4 out, and only 4 still living that I can’t catch.
I QTd all fish going in greatly too

That’s awful! I’m so sorry

 

[Hermie]

Genuinely sorry for the loss. Two reasons I don't name my fish is that I know they can die at any time for a variety of reasons and the other is that while we consider them as pets, they are not domesticated and in fact they are "wild" animals moreso than other pets. It's a drawback but it's also a reason they are so interesting to take care of.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Tanks size? Seems like a lot of fish. Sorry for your loss. I had a sargassum eat a royal gramma in quarantine once... Sucks

I have a client who had a gorgeous pair of Sargassum triggers, and her giant green carpet anemone ate both of them...both were trying to pick mysis shrimp off the anemone, and both got their faces stuck in the tentacles.

Client and her kids saw it happen both times. What are the odds of that?

 

[Brian1f1]

I totally sympathize with you! I'm sorry about your recent losses. I lost one of my favorite fish a leopard wrasse about a week ago. I had him for 6 years. Sometimes the hobby sucks, but it's part of being a pet owner and later down the road you get to start over with a new fish. Try and keep your chin up it sounds like a great tank!

Old age?

 

[Brian1f1]

I had something similar happen a couple years ago but only on my 90g. I had a beautiful regal angel that I kept in Qt for 5 months. Went through prazi, copper, and wormed with panacur. Looked flawless and ate like a beast. Finally put it in the display and the whole tank was dead in a week aside from one leopard wrasse. I still have no clue how it could have happened.

How is that even possible? I do a no med QT. Sometimes prazi, usually 30 days, and I felt pretty safe. That’s frighting man.

 

[jsvand5]

How is that even possible? I do a no med QT. Sometimes prazi, usually 30 days, and I felt pretty safe. That’s frighting man.

I really have pretty much no clue at all. I assume there may have been something in the display that all of the other fish were immune to or at a low enough level to not effect the current fish. Then when I added the angel the population exploded and overwhelmed them. Just a total guess though because all of the fish in the display looked perfect for months and months before the angel went in.

 

[PhilT]

Biota mandarins eat TDO pellets, Im told they're raised on them. My male has no problem eating pellets and LRS fish eggs.

I got a male mandarin from Live Aquaria (not Divers Den) and he eats all frozen, Rods, LRS and is doing great. What I’ve read is that they have a small digestive tract so they needs a constant supply of food like pods to maintain weight and health.

 

[Victoria M]

Is your tiny tiny mandarin still alive?

 

[Triggreef]

I have a client who had a gorgeous pair of Sargassum triggers, and her giant green carpet anemone ate both of them...both were trying to pick mysis shrimp off the anemone, and both got their faces stuck in the tentacles.

Client and her kids saw it happen both times. What are the odds of that?

Wow. They couldn't pull them free? Sucks.

Sargassum are very interesting triggers. Mine was great with a blue jaw in my reef for a long time, about a year. One day decided it wanted him dead and almost accomplished that before I got him out. He also used to randomly nip the tentacles of my elegance coral too which was frustrating.

 

[Willie Villasana]

I read your post and it took me back to when my daughter was young when we saw a brittle star grab our beloved Yellow Tang (Shelby) and drag her under some rocks. I tore the tank apart trying to get to her but alas she was gone. My daughter was heartbroken because it was her fish, she named her. I grabbed the brittle star and through it into the sump where it remained, in prison. Shelby had been swimming erratically and I was going to quarantine her the following day.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Wow. They couldn't pull them free? Sucks.

Sargassum are very interesting triggers. Mine was great with a blue jaw in my reef for a long time, about a year. One day decided it wanted him dead and almost accomplished that before I got him out. He also used to randomly nip the tentacles of my elegance coral too which was frustrating.

That gigantea was green death. Anything that touched it was gone. It was like living Velcro

 

[Mini Coop]

Sucks to hear coop. I've been following our new build and know you loved that goby!

Thanks, @Justfebreezeit - glad to have you following! And yes, I did. My mom (who only comes to visit every other month or so), cried. She loved "Tigger" .

 

[Mini Coop]

I have a client who had a gorgeous pair of Sargassum triggers, and her giant green carpet anemone ate both of them...both were trying to pick mysis shrimp off the anemone, and both got their faces stuck in the tentacles.

Client and her kids saw it happen both times. What are the odds of that?

Holy cow! That is crazy!!!