Missing Firefish

[ZR2]

On Tuesday I received my firefish from Saltwaterfish.com. Have not seen him since Tuesday, I pulled apart the rock work, looked in the sump area, and looked around the tank. It would be impossible for it to get out as the tank is completely covered. My OC clownfish was after it from the start, which sent the fish into hiding. Have moved the OC to a breeder net for now because he has become a bully and I am unsure what to do with him at this point. He suddenly became aggressive in my previous tank when he injured my Royal Gramma which caused him to die. The clown and the royal were in the tank together for almost a year and always got along well. I recently set up a new tank that's bigger and he is still after the other fish. 

 

Has anyone else had a filefish disappear? I have three different kinds of crabs so the only thing I can think of is it might have died and the crabs did their job. 

 

 

[Matteo]

Really good chance the little guy passed and got devoured 😞

 

Reef tanks are good at destroying evidence 👀

 

Weird it was showing aggression too. 

 

Sorry mate, part of the hobby I guess :c

[Tamberav]

Sorry to hear. Most clowns turn aggressive with age. Mine took about 3 years to start getting grumpy and at 5 years they would murder other peaceful fish in anything smaller than a 20 long. Even in the 20 I could only add other aggressive fish with them. In my 80 they are much better behaved and a little chase sometimes but no murders.

 

We see a lot of clowns in small tanks with other fish but they can be slow ticking time bombs (years) and then they get mean. Some get mean sooner and others may never get mean...but in general they are semi aggressive fish.This is normal behavior as clownfish ARE damsels.

 

I remember someone here tried to add a scooter Blenny thinking it would stick to the rocks and their clowns would ignore it. Well it scooted a little to close and they grabbed it and fed it to the BTA. 😮

 

A firefish really stands no chance and is easily bullied.

 

In my 20g I was able to keep these with my clowns:

 

Large Starkii Damsel

Extra Large Royal Gramma

Midas Blenny

Sixline Wrasse

 

How large is your tank now?

 

 

[ZR2]

3 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Sorry to hear. Most clowns turn aggressive with age. Mine took about 3 years to start getting grumpy and at 5 years they would murder other peaceful fish in anything smaller than a 20 long. Even in the 20 I could only add other aggressive fish with them. In my 80 they are much better behaved and a little chase sometimes but no murders.

 

We see a lot of clowns in small tanks with other fish but they can be slow ticking time bombs (years) and then they get mean. Some get mean sooner and others may never get mean...but in general they are semi aggressive fish.This is normal behavior as clownfish ARE damsels.

 

I remember someone here tried to add a scooter Blenny thinking it would stick to the rocks and their clowns would ignore it. Well it scooted a little to close and they grabbed it and fed it to the BTA. 😮

 

A firefish really stands no chance and is easily bullied.

 

In my 20g I was able to keep these with my clowns:

 

Large Starkii Damsel

Extra Large Royal Gramma

Midas Blenny

Sixline Wrasse

 

How large is your tank now?

 

 

Yeah it was a surprise because the clown and royal got along really well and would always swim around together, the gramma was big too. My pervious tank was a Fluval Evo 13.5 gallon and my new tank is a Fiji Cube 22.4 gallon. 

 

Curent Live Stock:

 

3 red super special Nerite snails 

2 Clams 

1 Cleaner shrimp 

1 Hawaiian Strawberry Crab 

1 Emerald Crab 

1 Hermit crab 

4 Cerith snails 

6 Astrea snails 

2 neon blue gobys 

1 cross damsel (the clown was after him within minutes) 

Rock Flower Anenome 

 

I might try letting the clown go again after being in the breeder net for a few days to see if he chills out. If not I will be taking him somewhere to trade in, which sucks because the clowns look good in any tank.  

 

Any advice on feeding the rock flower? I tried feeding it a syringe of mysis shrimp but its vertical on the rock and hard to feed because it closes up and then the shrimp get carries away by the water current. 

 

 

[Tamberav]

I never feed my nems but my tank is heavily fed so I am sure they catch some of their own snacks now and again.

 

Try a bigger peice if food and tongs then just stick it to it's tentacles. A chunk of clam or such.

[Thrassian Atoll]

I had a wrasse disappear for 3 weeks in November.  I thought he was a gonner.  I couldn’t find him anywhere.  One day he just came out like nothing happened and he just took a long vacation.  You never know.  He could be in there somewhere and pop out again.

[jambon]

I agree with the hiding out as above commented. Firefish are very timid IME. 

I have one which pops out occassionally.  99%of the time it is hiding in the rock work. 

[fishkeepersaltnfresh]

My clownfish does not bother my firefish. Hence my firefish hardly hides ever.