Where do they go?!?

[Mr_Cool]

This isn't the first time I've lost fish, and don't know where they went.

I lost a small oscillaris clown about a week ago. And, when I got home today, my copper band was missing,too.

As far as fish go, I have a pair of GSM's in there along with 2 yellow tangs, a Kole tang, an emperor angel, flame angel and a six line wrasse. The maroons left the oscillaris alone and nobody ever bothered the copperband. They were both healthy and eating. (The copper band was supposed to eat my aptasia, but it was eating frozen food instead!)

I havn't checked my water parameters, but really, everything looks healthy like it always does. What bothers me most is that there is no trace of the missing fish. I do have a serpant star and a few hermits, though. Could they have taken care of the remains? And, I just got a long tentacle anemone about two weeks ago. Surely, it did not get them. (I know the GSM's wouldn't let either one get close enough to their anemone!) They didn't go down the overflow, and I don't see them on the floor behind the tank, either. Of course, I can't see behind all of the rock in there.

Any ideas?!?

[zcatzmeow]

I am very much a newbie and still have not grasped the concept that fish disappear in SW aquariums. In freshwater there is no way that you can lose a fish mysteriously. They appear ill for awhile, you try to treat and watch them go downhill, then you find them floating.

I've lost two small fish now and I have no idea when, or how I lost them. I can't even find fishy remains anywhere. :what_smile:

[jtrux]

If you have a lot of crabs they'll make quik work of a dead fish, in my 3 gallon nano tank I had a damsel disappear over night, there was a few bones and a little flesh left. That was 5 little hermits and the damsel was small too but it just goes to show you what they can do.

[megklink]

Well I know for a fact that if you've got a good clean up crew, the dead fish will be gone in about a day or two, you won't find any remains because the crabs and starfish will tear him up. I know that's not what you want to hear about your fish but atleast you won't have to worry about nitrates...sorry for your loss man.

[Mr_Cool]

I've lost two small fish now and I have no idea when, or how I lost them. I can't even find fishy remains anywhere. :what_smile:

Only 2? You have some catchin' up to do, newbie! :wink_smile:

[Mr_Cool]

The clown was about an inch and a half, but the copper band was a good 3 inches. I just don't see the few crabs I have in there eating it in one day. The star, maybe, but I don't know.

[jrsatx20]

my narsarrius snails will devour my dead fish in a matter of a day. once i couldnt find him then the next day i saw bones floating towards a powerhead. sometimes i dont find anything at all.

[RayAllen]

Ive thought ive lost fish before only for me to move rockwork around and the dead fish float from underneath. Fish can get them selves into some interesting places. Ive also heard stories of people loosing fish only to find that somehow the fish flopped across a living room and ended up under a sofa or something. Lots of werid things to consider when looking for a fish. And dont underestimate what a clean up crew can do within a matter of hours.

[RayAllen]

Off topic; By the way the first thing that popped into my head when I read your thread titile was

Night at the Roxbury

[crabman]

Off topic; By the way the first thing that popped into my head when I read your thread titile was

Night at the Roxbury
:rofl: ha ha! me too!! and i couldn't stop playing that stupid song in my head while i read it either!

[RayAllen]

Thats great, LMAO!

[Gilbert]

i dont know where your fish are but as far as the aptasia goes if you get a pepperment shrimp they ALL should be gone in a couple of days. I got you for my tank and it worked wonders, then the shrimps did the same for my girlfriend's tank and john c's tank

[crabman]

i agree with the peppermint shrimp, cleared out our tank in about 3 days tops!

[ErikH]

I have had a few fish up and disappear. Hermits make extremely fast work of a dead fish

[jroescher]

Fish can also hide for an amazingly long time. I've had both a large blenny and puffer disappear at different times for more than a month which I presumed had died and were eaten. Then suddenly one day they appear for dinner like nothing ever happened.

[Joshua]

Check your overflows, seen them jump in there more than a few times. It's amazing how quickly the micro life takes care of dead stuff though, especially if you have a sand bed with some good life in it.