disappearing bangaii cardinal

[jawfish]

Got a small bangaii cardinal over the weekend to be friends with the lone large bangaii in my 29 gal. He seemed perfectly fine the day I bought him and early next morning, but I came home monday and he was gone. He did not jump out, and there is no body that I can find, so I am beginning to think my very large BTA ate him. I don't know if this is true, as my maroon clown, large bangaii cardinal, and blenney don't seemed bothered by the anemone. This will be the fourth cardinal i've tried to keep, with only my current cardinal surviving. Other than nitrates about 40 ppm and a slightly high (1.126) salinity, everything is normal. Thoughts?

[SeanH]

Got a small bangaii cardinal over the weekend to be friends with the lone large bangaii in my 29 gal. He seemed perfectly fine the day I bought him and early next morning, but I came home monday and he was gone. He did not jump out, and there is no body that I can find, so I am beginning to think my very large BTA ate him. I don't know if this is true, as my maroon clown, large bangaii cardinal, and blenney don't seemed bothered by the anemone. This will be the fourth cardinal i've tried to keep, with only my current cardinal surviving. Other than nitrates about 40 ppm and a slightly high (1.126) salinity, everything is normal. Thoughts?

 

I'm assuming you mean 1.026 not 1.126 for your salinity?

 

If you have no corpse outside the tank, you probably have one in the anemone. Maybe the fish was sick or didn't acclimate well, died and was a nem snack? What is your procedure for adding new beasties to the tank?

 

What was the experience with your other cardinals - how did they die?

[Happyfeet]

My Copperbanded Butterfly fish just did the same thing today. He is no where to be found, didn't come out during feeding. I noticed my Anemone is a little ablong as if he is trying to hide something...

 

[Coral Hind]

so I am beginning to think my very large BTA ate him.

 

I doubt your BTA ate him unless the fish was already dead or dying. They are not know as fish killers like the carpets are. They are not very sticky and a healthy fish is able to swim out from them if it does swim into it by accident.

[JpNuss]

1.126? I hope you're mistaken.

[jawfish]

yes, sorry, 1.026. My other bangaiis disappeared in a similar manner - all except the one I have now. I drip acclimated him for 45 minutes. A Xenia I added the same day is doing fine, with no sign of ill affects.