How do two fish just vanish?

[Jan]

I've not seen a canary blenny that I put in my tank in over a month. I saw it for two days and that's it. I saw my midas blenny yesterday morning and afternoon. Last night It never came out of it's hole in a rock to eat. I couldn't find it anywhere. I've looked all around the floor of the tank, the overflows, the sump and the reactor (found a watchman goby in the reactor once). I even looked under the sofa and nothing. I'm puzzled. How do they just vanish?Blenny gremlins?

Edited February 9, 2012 by Jan

[Coral Hind]

Small fish like that can die in the rocks and our tank critters like shrimps, crabs, worms, and pods can clean them up very quickly.

[Matt LeBaron]

Had this with some Red Spot Cardinal fish I got a couple weeks ago. I lost 4 of my ten over the course of 5 days, I'd come down one morning and one would just be gone. I don't have much rock work in my DT but I took it apart, searched the sump, skimmer, filter bag, all over(discussions with the cats too). Just gone over the course of the week. If it wasn't for the fact that I have seahorses in there and just about anything can catch those I would think I had some mystery predator.

 

After about 4 days I stopped losing them so I decided that it just must have been shipping stress and when they died my tiny hermits, pistol shrimp, or Peppermint shrimps must have cleaned them up. Or I have a mystery predator that doesn't like seahorse meat or Firefish meat, since my Firefish Vince has been fine and he hides in the rock work.

[Jan]

These two fish were about 4-5" each and in excellent health. The hole is very visible. It's empty. I thought this too but it doesn't make sense given how healthy they were.

 

Small fish like that can die in the rocks and our tank critters like shrimps, crabs, worms, and pods can clean them up very quickly.

[darkcirca]

These two fish were about 4-5" each and in excellent health. The hole is very visible. It's empty. I thought this too but it doesn't make sense given how healthy they were.

 

Critters can devour a fish pretty quickly. I've lost several fish around the size that were just gone in the course of a few days.. never to be seen again.

 

I've also had jumpers that weren't found for several days, as they blended in so well with their surroundings.

[Jan]

Well, good news is I have room for new fish and corals . The midas blenny wouldn't let me put any corals near it's home.

[tightline]

have had 2 fire fish and a cleaner shrimp with LONG white antena vanish without a trace never did figure out what happend to to them

Edited February 9, 2012 by tightline

[Tri Bui]

Fire fish tent to jump when spook! I usually keep the top on the tank when I have these guy, check around outside of your tank on the floor for evident. It also like to hind in the small hole of LR and if it scares of other fishes in the tank and won't come out to eat, it might die and quickly been eaten by the cleaning crew! I love saltwater cleaning crew!

[surf&turf]

I had a blond Naso vanish, couldn't find anything outside the tank or inside. About 2 weeks later I was rearranging some rock near my GBTA and found its rib cage.

Edited February 9, 2012 by surf&turf

[gizmoody]

When I had a 14g biocube, my fish started to disappear, not a single trace left. Turned out to be a mantis shrimp that hitch hiked and was assassinating them one at a time. Mantis shrimp must be ninjas, because I never saw it until I stayed up with a flashlight.

[Steve175]

I had a 7" meaty blue throat trigger vanish one day > 3 months after being added and while in complete health. My theory: jumped (as I had scooped him back in 2 times right after I bought him) and my retriever molly had a sushi trigger roll.

[Jan]

I keep looking at my Shih Tzu puppy. She's looking a little guilty to me. She vomited this morning. There wasn't anything in the vomit. I have a maine coon mix cat too but she could care less about anything. All she wants to do is sleep.

 

I had a 7" meaty blue throat trigger vanish one day > 3 months after being added and while in complete health. My theory: jumped (as I had scooped him back in 2 times right after I bought him) and my retriever molly had a sushi trigger roll.

[zygote2k]

I wondered how a 6" foxface could vanish until I found a rotting carcass inside a decoration in client tank this morning. It was so badly decomposed that there was a release of sulfur dioxide when I pulled it out and it stunk up the whole office. Almost made 3 secretaries vomit up their breakfasts.

Yummy.

[beatle]

I had the same situation this weekend. My Midas blenny and gold head sleeper goby both vanished. They had both been in the tank for over 6 months. I leave for the weekend and poof, they're gone when I get back.

[Jan]

I think I'm finished with jumpers;jawfish, blennies, gobies and the like. I'm appreciating Angels and Tangs a lot more.

[Jan]

I found the canary blenny. It's really incredible what you can find with a flashlight when lights are out. As I suspected this little beauty has been nipping at my Regal angels tail. I found it at the bottom of the tank behind the rockwork in a little corner next to the Regal Angel. I also found the biggest emerald crab I've ever seen. I can make a crab cake out of it. How do I catch that one?

[Fishie]

my hippo tang of 5 yrs just vanished...i suspect the rbta.....threw that sucker into a small ass tank...guilty until proven innocent