Some advice please

[Sherita]

Here's the deal. My 2" yellow tang got into a tussle with one of my powerheads this morning. He wasn't acting right, but I couldn't catch him before I had to leave for work. When I got home, he was really not acting right......breathing too fast, not swimming hardly at all. I went for the net so that I could get him out, and he vanished! I can't find him in the tank anywhere, I have moved all the easily accessible rock, looked behind rocks with a mirror, and used a flashlight to check for him. I can't find him, and I suspect he is dead in my tank. The tank in question is a well established 72g mixed reef with a 20g sump/fuge. Is there any way my tank can handle this dead fish, because if it can't, I am going to have to destroy my tank and many corals trying to get the bottom rocks out to find him. Is it at all possible that my bacteria can handle this, or should I get ready to wipe out all of my hard work?

What say you, fellow reefers?

[kkiel02]

I would buy a couple extra snails and hermits just to make sure but since the fish is so small I think you would be fine just leaving it as long as your clean up crew is adequate.

[Kristy]

An established tank that size should be able to handle one dead fish without incident, particularly if you have ANY cleanup crew to speak of. And there's always the possibility that he is hiding.... really well! Also remember that after the fish has expired and no longer has the power to wedge itself between rocks or in a clever hiding spot, they tend to drift out into the open and you are often able to pull out the body.

Sorry about the presumed loss of your fish.

[Sherita]

I do have a cleanup crew in this tank, no hermits, but lots of nassarius/emerald crabs/pep shrimp, including two huge tonga nass snails (hermits got evicted for peeling snails off the glass and eating them).

He might be hiding, but my gut instinct says "dead". All the other fish are acting normal, will keep a close eye on tank params, ready with Prime just in case, and just kicked the ro/di on in case I need to do a big water change. I love my tank, but this kind of stuff, I hate.

His buddy the red coris is losing his marbles.

[BSJF]

You might also try using a turkey baster to flush him out if you think he is dead.

[350gt]

My flame hawk went missing for 2 weeks before he popped back out, just saying...

[jrsatx20]

The nassarius snail will take care of it if its dead.

[Sherita]

I found him. He was dead, and finally floated to where I could see him. Managed to snag him with tweezers and get him out. I will sleep much more soundly tonite knowing that I don't have a dead fish in my main tank.

And I would have NEVER gotten his body out without destroying the tank had he not floated around. He was under the biggest rock in my tank, there is a "cave" under there that my coris hangs out in sometimes, and it goes a good ways back up under this huge rock.

Thanks to everyone who kept me from freaking out and taking my tank apart.