Missing Fishes

[Pizazz]

It looks like I am missing some fishes. And am hoping there is a fish detective out there who can help.

History: last March had the following fish ... sixline wrasse, orange & blue damsel, red headed goby, yellow clown goby, black clown goby, Mandarin (was in tank when I bought it)
Aprilish - Sixline wrasse killed orange & blue damsel
Mayish - Red head goby disappeared
October - added hawkfish, large yellow tang, red scooter blenny
November or December - Mandarin died.
January - added neon gobies, green clown gobies
sometime around this time black clown goby disappears
then a week or so later the yellow clown goby disappears
green clown gobies never came out after acclimation and are either very shy or have disappeared.
I am thinking it might be the flame hawk, so last night I removed her (?) and put her in a tank that houses larger fish.
Tonight - no sign of sixline wrasse ... even at dinner time.
This is very unusual.
Currently in tank ... harlequin serpent starfish, sandsifting star, ?linkia starfish, a couple of cucumbers, a lot of LPS, some shrooms, zoos, a tiny leather, feather dusters, a few SPS, 3 clams, **no anemone except the little flower like ones that came on rock (not aptaisia),
and large yellow tang, red scooter blenny, two blue neon gobies.
The neon gobies are quite big and one of them has been cleaning the tang. Tanks is 120 gallons, parameters are good.

Any ideas?

[malofish]

maybe a mantis??? I had a "free" lobster come in with live rock that was a killer, as well as a few "mistery" crabs that were softies thieves and small fish killers, as well as feather duster eaters!!! Took me a while to figure out who it was!!

[Pizazz]

Good news - sixline is fine.
How would one know if one had a mantis?
Hopefully it was the hawk, although it is on the small side.

[manny]

I dunno about the mantis Janice but how big were the fish that have all dissappeared? Also, how big is that harlequin? My serpent star is a little bit bigger than six inches and he can put almost a WHOLE large table shrimp in his mouth and digest it over a few days.

[DeletedAccount]

Do you ever hear a clicking noise coming from the tank? That could indictate a mantis or pistol. My pistol shrimp (looks like a lobster it is so big) has eaten my mandarins and numerous other misc small fish.

[wkopplin]

Mandarin probably starved. #1 killer of mandarins.

[DeletedAccount]

Mine were fat and healthy! Pods were ALL over the tank. I saw my pistol reach for the mandarins at night a few times.... Guess he finally got better...

I know that my losses seem to be suicide more than anything else. I have found a few "missing" fish the last few weeks as I have been redoing the fish room, moving tanks and such...

[brewercm]

I was just wondering the same thing. Is it possible they went carpet/tile surfing. So far I've had really good luck in that area. Either that or I have lazy fish that aren't willing to jump.

[mattheyn]

I thought that I lost my Maroon a few days ago. Turns out he got sucked down the tube to my sump. He was very happy and healthy. I put the screen back on the bulk-head so it won't happen again. Do you have a sump?

[wkopplin]

I have just heard mandarins starve to death because many tanks are not rich in pods. I had an fish actually jump through the eggcrate. He had to be the same size as the eggcrate holes. He was laying on top of the tank on the crate. Still alive, but died pretty fast after I tried to re-acclimate him. He must have been half cooked by the lights.

[Pizazz]

I do have a sump. Maybe I should check all of my screens, etc. There are a couple of other places I can look. The clown gobies were 1.5 to 2 inches each.

The harlequin is an easy 6 " tip of leg to tip of quasi-opposite leg. I am not sure how I would be able to get him out without breaking down the tank. If I did get him out, would he do okay in a tank that houses bigger fishes (2 dwarf lions, a clown tang, a meaner-than-crud Percula and a recently de-homed flame hawk).

Any thoughts on getting him out?

[malofish]

the tusk fish might have eat'n the gobie's, but I think that he might be good in your other tank, I 'm sure no one would pick on him. As far as a mantis, not all click that often, they might just be doing it at night while your asleep!!! I've seen a 1in. mantis take out a 2 1/2in. tomato clown out!! there's two type a stabber and a clubber. the stabber has a set of sharp claws that will almost tear a fish in half! The clubbers have huge hammer looking apendages that they use to "club" crabs and snails open to eat them. they both will also eat smaller fish and inverts. Keep an ear out!!

[Pizazz]

This is a harlequin serpent starfish. Black and light brown alternating pattern. My other (ugly) serpent starfish in the third tank seems to be without problems, but it also eats krill on a regular basis. I rarely see the harlequin. I don't think I would chance him in the third tank if I could catch him, but he might do okay in the big fish tank. Think?

I haven't heard clicking, but have a motor that is making some noise. I am going to cross my fingers and hope that I don't have a mantis.

[manny]

I dunno bout the harleguin with bigger fish but I would think he'd be ok. As for catchin him and if he never comes out, taking your tank apart would probly be the only way to get him out. Or you could try luring him out with a piece of raw table shrimp and tongs. My serpent always comes out when I feed him but my brittle is shy and never comes out just like your harlequin. It'd be a little easier to get my brittle out if I needed to since my tank is only a 30