I'm back...And the case of the Disappearing Fish

[DawnOctopus]

Hi...I got about 75% done posting this and it disappeared...not unlike my fish... so let's try again.

I'm back. It's been 5-ish plus years, but here I am. I recently bought an established tank, sand, live rock, etc. from a member here and he moved everything over to my house and set it up for me (thank you!) and things were going fine, CUC living, params OK, so 2 weeks ago I decided it was time for fish. I got a smallish Lawnmower Blenny, a teeny yellow clown goby, all seemed well.

However last week when I decided to add more fish things have been mysteriously missing. No dead bodies, no skeleton, no chunks floating around, no fish jerky on the floor...

Missing Fish 1- 9 days ago I bought 2 teeny tiny clowns, 2 days later one was gone. I had added a new skimmer, a Reef Octopus HOB 1,000 - and the intake grate seems a little big...I figured that he must have gotten sucked up. I bought a filter sponge and cut it to fit, no one is getting sucked in there now unless they are a feeder brine shrimp.

Missing Fish 2- 7 days ago I bought a smallish Diamond Goby. He immediately disappeared into the rocks and I haven't seen him since. I actually thought he was probably still living in the tank. There's several inches of sand and TONS of rocks, so I figured he was just doing his thing in the back where I couldn't see him. But after last night I'm not so sure.

Missing Fish 3 - Last night I decided that the remaining clown was lonely so I bought them a friend. I watched him swimming around, eating, looking happy. The lights went out, and I went upstairs for 15-20 minutes. I came back down and he was GONE. 20 minutes. Same thing, dead bodies, no skeleton, no chunks floating around, no fish jerky on the floor/hood/cabinet/etc.

WTH is in my tank that is taking down a frisky clown in a few minutes time?

I only have 2 ideas.

I have a pink brittle star. It seems pretty docile, the teeny tiny yellow clown goby sleeps near it and is still accounted for, and so is my Lawnmower Blenny.

There was a HUGE GIANT bristle worm in a rock. I have no idea how long/big, but I have caught a glimpse of at least 4 inches out of the hole in the rock, I have no idea how much of it was still in the rock.

Other than that, I can't think of anything. So after last night I am thinking that Missing Fishes 1 & 2 might have also been taken down by whatever this is instead of my first thoughts.

Any ideas anyone? I don't hear any mantis clicking, I haven't seen any weird things when I am stalking with the red light other than the big bristle worm...???

I don't have it in front of me, but I believe my params last water change a few days ago were:

Salinity- 1.023-24
PH 8.1 (too low, I know, working on it)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 30 (I know, I know)
Temp- 80ish

Any ideas? Thanks

 

[Overlook reef]

I do not believe the bristle worm is the culprit, but have you added any live rock or is all the live rock from the established tank?
Did the previous owner have fish in the tank when you bought it?
It could be a predator, but it is unusual that some fish are surviving and others disappear in minutes.

 

[reefstarter]

wait till after dark a couple hours and look in there with a flashlight . chances are the culprit ( if there is one ) will come out at night . I had 2 chromis dissapear in my tank never did find them . but I started with dead rock so no chance of a predator

 

[Owen386]

Changing over to my new tank recently found two poor fish skeletons. Couple fish i "complety lost" over the years. You have a cover on your tank? Thats what my money is on for the clown look real well all around tank behind tank. If you have a cat he miggtta skooped it up tho im sure he woulda brought it to you. As far as your goby i have had sand dwelling fish go missing for weeks on me, only to show up out the blue. Good luck!

 

[DawnOctopus]

Thanks for the responses-- Shortly after I typed my novel up there I saw something kind of frightening in the tank. I believe it was an Oenone fulgida worm. It was about 3 inches out of a hold in the rock in the broad daylight. I stuck on the gloves and spent the next 2.5 hours dismantling and removing rocks. I am planning on doing the flashlight thing tonight to see if I see any activity in the tank or in the totes of rocks I removed.

The person I got the tank from has fish in it until a few days before I bought it, I believe. But then I did something kind of stupid and bought another 20 pounds of live rock on Craig's List the next day. I guess that's where it came from, if that IS what it is. I stuck that rock right in the tank without cooking it any extra since I didn't have any fish. I figured that anything bad would starve before I added any fish. I guess it was living off of whatever was already in the sand/rock. Stupid me.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[daves-reef]

+1 check for jumpers.
Besides the ones you see as fish jerky. I have found jumpers between the stand and wall only after moving the tank. Look out under close furniture too.
I have a screen on now. I even had my shrimp goby recently make the leap when i only had screen off for ten min. Lucky I saw him him right away and returned tank.
So even with a screen you can miss a jumper.

Unless its one of those big green monster brittle starts I don't think its a fish killer. But if a fish dies I can see any star pulling the bod down into the rock work were it is eaten or wasted away.

 

[mitant]

I added a purple tang to my tank a while ago and everything was cool for months.. Then one day a fish jumped out, and a couple weeks later, another. I have a eurobraced acrylic tank so it's not really that straightforward to jump out AND the fish that jumped out aren't the typical flying wrasses. I found all the bodies except for one. That same day my dog had upset stomach

Do you have any pets with upset stomach???

 

[NHreefer]

Sometimes if they get sick they will swim in bursts and somehow jam themselves in between live rock and can't get back out. Hard to find. If you dismantle the rock pile you might find some leftovers. just a thought.

 

[Overlook reef]

Good Luck!

 

[stingythingy45]

Welcome back, Dawn.:w

 

[DawnOctopus]

Welcome back, Dawn.:w

Thanks Bob, it's been a long time!