Fish Disapearing

[If_Only]

So I have hd my Red Sea max E-170 for about half a year, I have the sump upgrade, a good skimmer, a MP10, and a Neptune top off. The overflow I Intertwined with mesh, which I clean regularly (Twice a week), the mesh is very thin, no livestock could get through it. I haven't had a coral Die (I Probably have roughly 30ish), my params are fine, Hell, I've never even had a big "Algae bloom," even when I was cycling. And I currently have a pair of clowns, a royal gramma, a watchman goby, and I just treated myself to a dwarf golden moray eel, which I quickly came to love and thought was the coolest animal I have ever kept. And today and yesterday I haven't seen him, and in the past I have also had 4 other fish disappear 2 yellow Clown Gobys, 1 Lubbock's Wrasse, And a Yellow Corris Wrasse. The first time or two I thought it was weird, then I was very annoyed, now I want to quit the hobby. I fell in love with this eel (Not to mention he was $450) and he has disappeared. The caves I have a complex, yet I can see into most of them (specifically Designed that way). If anyone has had anything happen like this too them what did you find was happening? I would really like to know. Also I didn't see any signs of sickness from any of the fish, they where all quarantined before being added to the tank.

 

PLEASE, please help. 

[Tamberav]

Start with live or dry rock? We're the fish that dissappeared eating and fat healthy one day and gone the next? Or did any of them act odd such as hide more or skip a meal or sleep in funny places? 

 

How long hand you had them before they poofed?

 

What do you feed?

 

Treated with anything in QT?

 

Need details to even begin to guess.

 

Sometimes fish just vanish for seemingly no good reason...won't lie.

 

Seems to me, the more fragile or easier to stress fish are the ones that poofed. Not that they are difficult fish but clowns/watchman/grammas are standard and hardy beginner fish.

 

[ReefCap]

Where is the tank located? Is it up against the wall? In a corner? Do you have a lid? Eels are the best at carpet surfing and can live out side of water for hours and can slither off and under furniture.

 

sorry for you loss losing fish is never fun

😞

[j.falk]

4 hours ago, ReefCap said:

Eels are the best at carpet surfing and can live out side of water for hours and can slither off and under furniture.

Truth.  If an eel is missing...chances are it got out.  Eels are notorious for escaping.

 

For smaller fish disappearing the first thing that always comes to mind is a hitchhiker crab.  Take a flash light after dark and thoroughly look over the aquarium to see if you spot any crabs that you didn't know were in the tank.

[Snow_Phoenix]

5 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Sometimes fish just vanish for seemingly no good reason...won't lie.

 

 

5 hours ago, ReefCap said:

Where is the tank located? Is it up against the wall? In a corner? Do you have a lid? Eels are the best at carpet surfing and can live out side of water for hours and can slither off and under furniture.

^These two.

 

Fish can/do up and vanish for no reason at times - I've lost fish this way, especially smaller ones. I presume my CUC took care of the body fairly quickly - depending on what type and how much CUC you have, any dead fish could be cleared away quickly in your tank as well.

As an eel-owner (albeit a freshwater one), I agree with ReefCap. Eels are very flexible and notorious escape artists that can squeeze out of tiny gaps/holes, despite being larger than the gap/hole. They can survive outside of water for a short period of time - their moist slime coat protects them from getting 'crunchy' very quickly, as opposed to let's say - a regular fish. And they can slither underneath cupboards/tables/even beds (if you keep your tank in your bedroom - this is something to watch out for). It is very likely your eel has jumped out of the tank. If there is a dead/decomposing eel in your tank, you will most likely see an ammonia spike or even get a nasty outbreak of algae, because a body that large will take time to be broken down by your CUC/bacteria. 

[If_Only]

I found the eel! While I turned off the return I think he slithered down my plumbing into the sump, it took 3 hours, but I got him out! You know the saying slippery as an eel, yeah, I understand, its also a tiny eel, so it can fit through more things. But I still want to know about the other fish.

On 6/16/2019 at 12:05 AM, Tamberav said:

Start with live or dry rock? We're the fish that dissappeared eating and fat healthy one day and gone the next? Or did any of them act odd such as hide more or skip a meal or sleep in funny places? 

 

How long hand you had them before they poofed?

 

What do you feed?

 

Treated with anything in QT?

 

Need details to even begin to guess.

 

Sometimes fish just vanish for seemingly no good reason...won't lie.

 

Seems to me, the more fragile or easier to stress fish are the ones that poofed. Not that they are difficult fish but clowns/watchman/grammas are standard and hardy beginner fish.

 

I started with Dry rock, and ive looked in the tank at night (multiple times) and never saw any creepy crawlys. One clown goby acted weird, but the others just poofed, after acting very normal. I work at my fish store, and we quarantine all the fish for 2ish weeks, with copper mostly.

[pgrVII]

Has the idea been floated that the eel couldve eaten the fish?

[ReefCap]

Could it be possible that the moray got hungry and ate some of the fish?

 

Edit: haha pgrVII beat me too it 😂

[Tamberav]

I was under the impression the eel was added after. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Om nom  nom nom? (Hungry eel?)

[Matteo]

2 hours ago, pgrVII said:

Has the idea been floated that the eel couldve eaten the fish?

oh yeah itty bitty clown goby for a big mouth ez pz snack 

 

Eel mouths are HUGE compared to their body. Almost like a snake 

[Brock0019]

oh yeah, if you dont keep that eel happily fat...youre going to be missing any fish it'll fit in its mouth