Tropical Fish Forums

[sunshine84]

I need advice on something that happened - I can't explain it and wondered whether anyone could shed some light on the situation. Here's what happened:

There was nothing unusual about last night. It was just another night and I did exactly as I always do - I turned the lights off on the tank - put the lids on and then went to bed. The fish were all there - they all went to sleep - and I went to sleep thinking everything was fine.

I wake up in the morning - take the lids off the tank - turn the actinics on - and Roger is missing. Roger is my Mimic Valentini Filefish - he's about 5cm big and quite chubby - with an amazing personality.

I looked everywhere. I searched in every place I could possibly think of incase he somehow jumped out of a gap in the lids. I searched behind the tank - under the tank - under the couch - behind the curtains - all over the floor - everywhere. And he was nowhere to be seen.

I figured that surely he couldn't have disappeared and that he must just be hiding somewhere. Which is strange to begin with since Roger is always out the front of the tank. He never goes in the rocks and he never goes out the back. He's also unbelievably curious - so if someone is at the tank - he'll be there in a flash to see whats happening.

So, when I came home from work - you can imagine my surprise when he's still missing. No sign of him. So, I checked the gravel. Somehow I managed to squeeze myself behind the ridiculously small gap between the back of the tank and the wall to try and see if I could see him out the back or on the sand somewhere. But he was nowhere.

So, now I'm writing this post. I have no idea what's happened. How could a fish disappear? I have no other fish that could hurt him. I have some friendly fish, inquisitive cleaner shrimps, shy peppermint shrimps, elusive sexy anemone shrimps, two anemone crabs, some corals and the anemone.

So, now I find myself looking at the anemone, trying to decide whether its suddenly gotten about 5cm fatter. Surely not. Roger never even goes near the anemone unless hes being sneaky and trying to steal a chunk of whitebait from it. So, surely the anemone couldn't have eaten it. It's a H.Crispa - and a big one too - it's grown heaps.

If its not the anemone - then what could it have been? Can anyone please help - this is horrible. He couldn't have gotten sucked into the filters or the skimmer because he's too big. I just have no idea where hes gone.

Thanks,

Susan

[sirreal63]

I would say he made a nice snack for the anemone. That carpet is an effecient and lethal killer and it only takes one mistake by a fish to get eaten.
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Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

[SoS]

I hope he shows up!

if not

test your ammonia see if you have any.

Also they can flop on the floor an amazing distance. I had a fish once that got about 15 feet from the tank while I was at work.
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150 Gallon (567.811768 liters) community tank, 50 Gallon African Tank, 7 reef tanks, 6 FOLR, 28 freshwater tanks

[sunshine84]

I think it's a type of Radianthus - Heteractis Crispa. It's base is pretty thick at the moment which has got me worried, and its grown heaps bigger since I first bought it. I give it 2-3 feedings of chopped white bait per week & it eats really well. Surely it couldn't have been behind Roger's disappearance? Here's a pic of it anyway (its not the greatest photo and it's grown heaps bigger since then):

[sunshine84]

Yeah I've checked everywhere hey... all over the floor. I have no ammonia so its not that. I honestly don't know about the anemone - that's a horrible thought. Otherwise, I hope I don't have a Mantis Shrimp or something - I've heard of fish going missing because of them.

I really appreciate the help as well - any advice is very much appreciated at the moment

[SoS]

I've fed my anenome large krill and they swallow them down no problem you'd be amazed.

Fish can do some amazing things when they die. I've found them wedged under rocks I couldn't imagine they could get in.
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150 Gallon (567.811768 liters) community tank, 50 Gallon African Tank, 7 reef tanks, 6 FOLR, 28 freshwater tanks

[sirreal63]

If you keep a creature in your tank that eats fish to survive, you have to accept the fact that fish will become food. I have an S.Tapetum that loves black mollies, I watched him down two adults in about an hour.

This was the second one, he already ate the first one.


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Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

[sunshine84]

I thought only carpet/octopus or tube anemones would eat live fish in home aquaria - the more aggressive ones. I never thought my H.Crispa would have done it. Roger never went anywhere near it - that's what is so confusing. I wish I could find out for sure, because I have other small fish.

Before he went missing, part of his left fin was chopped off somehow - he only had half a fin on that side and it wasn't really moving. I have no idea how it could have happened - it was like something clipped it - I wonder if that has anything to do with it. He could still swim fine though - not the fastest obviously since he's a filefish - but was still healthy.

Also, wouldn't my 3 Ocellaris Clowns have stopped the anemone from eating him?

I found a 3cm hairy reddish crab in their last night - he fell when I moved a rock - so I moved him into the hermit crab tank (which also has the brittle stars & another 2 unknown crabs). I doubt he would have had anything to do with Roger's disappearance - but he could've gotten up to a bit of mischief when he gets bigger.

If Roger died somehow and he's still in there - in a rock - what will happen? Will it cause any problems?

Thanks for the help

Susan

[sunshine84]

That's a pretty crazy photo... I bet you were unimpressed when you discovered your mollies gone! Or were they feeder fish? They're usually fresh water aren't they?

[FloridaBoy]

Do you have an overflow tube going into a pre-filter box?
I have seen small fish go thru the siphon tubes... anemones will eat fish.
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years