Sucks when stuff dies... :(

[Mike]

It sucks when perfectly seemingly fine fish die for no reason. In my tank, my little racoon butterfly was fine one day, eating just great and looked normal and the next day when I got home from work, it was stuck nearly dead on the Koralia. It died shortly after... no evidence of any injuries or anything. It had been in the tank for a couple of months.

Then in the big tank, one of Kristy's little anthias died for no reason. It has been in the tank 6+ months. When we pulled it out, it was in perfect shape. No sign of any injuries or anything picking on it.

When fish go suicidal and go carpet surfing, it sucks, but not as bad as when they die for no reason. :(

[BSJF]

Sorry to hear that Mike. :(

[Texreefer]

were they eating? sounds like a case where they just weren't eating and finally died.. bummer

[Mike]

No, they seemed to be eating just fine...

[kkiel02]

I hate when you are a week from moving everything from your temp tank to your "more permanent temp tank" (lol) and one of your favorite fish jumps. Especially when it is a reef safe butterfly fish.

[RayAllen]

Mike this happened to me a couple of weeks ago with my small yellow tang. Was swimming around just fine, ate the same day, no signs of any sickness. Found it stuck to my koralia 3.

My guess butterflys like tangs have a large flat surface area and if they get to close the pump can easily suck them to it. Unlike wrasses, basselets, hog fish etc. with long narrow bodies.

Sorry for your loss.

[d3rryc]

Same thing happened to one of my green chromis a few months ago, and they've got a much smaller cross-section than a tang or butterfly (although not exactly the same emotional cost when it goes belly-up). No sign of disease or injury to mine, either, and it had eaten well just that morning. Found it stuck to a K4 that evening. Until I have the time to go back to school and get my marine biology degree so I can learn how to do necropsies (yeah, right...), deaths like this will remain terrifically frustrating and hopefully rare.

[cowboy572]

Yea, it just happened to me. Had a healthy lunar wrassse just disappear. I think he got stuck borrowing himself for the night.

[Europhyllia]

That does stink. So far mine have been easy to explain (like dried up fish on the floor...)
Maybe some of the small fish just have a short lifespan?

[copperband]

This does stink when it happens! I had a goldstripe maroon clownfish for about 4+ months just disappear. And cowboy572 lunar wrasses do not typically burrow in the sand atleast that i have heard of they tend to hide in the rock work so I would recommend checking your rocks i have had my lunar wrasse for alittle over a year now I got it when it was a baby and now it has its adult coloring but I once thought I lost mine but it turned out he was hiding in the rocks so check your rocks and hopefully you will find him.=)