Overstocked Tank...Fish missing for 4 weeks reappears

ncny21802 · 03/05/2006, 04:46 PM

I had a problem about 5 weeks ago with small fish disappearing. I thought maybe they were eaten by something. I had a tiny pink skunk and a tiny blue hippo disappear. The blue hippo disappeared 4-5 weeks ago. The pink skunk disappeared 3 weeks ago. After the 2nd fish disappeared and wasn't in my overflow I decided to take every coral and every piece of live rock out of the tank in order to add 2 more inches of live sand and check under the rock for any remains. Well I removed everything and nothing was there. I left the fish in and added the sand. I put everything back and it looks great. 2 weeks past and I added more fish. I had a diamond goby; Mandarin; Flame; 1 Os. I added 1 more baby os, 1 true percula and 1 saddleback..all of which were 1.5 inches or less. I figured that was enough fish. The clowns schooled and hosted together..the goby sifted the sand and stayed under the rocks for the most part and the flame just swam around. The mandarin is hardly every visible because it stays in tunnels and caves in the rockwork so noboy was bothering anybody and the shrimp, snails, and crabs were doing their thing. I have many corals all of which flourish. Now 1 week ago I look in my overflow and see the pink skunk. This is after 3 water changes and numerous prefilter changes..there was nothing back there. So I put him back in the tank and he stays with the other clowns..Just today 1 week later i go to change the prefilter, which I do every week, and there is my blue hippo. I couldn't belive it. Where was it? It was amazing. Well I fished him out of the overflow and put him in the tank. I put some food and he started going to town on the food. He is still only the size of a quarter but he survived somehow 5 weeks of not being seen. I have a 24 hour lighting system and watch the tank all the time. He was gone. Well now he's back and I have too many fish. At there current size it is no problem and everyone is comfortable especially since most of the fish stick to their certain areas. Can I maintain this bioload until the blue hippo gets too big for the tank? I'm still amzed he's here and alive after all this time.

03/05/2006, 04:46 PM	#1
ncny21802 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Huntersville, NC Posts: 364	Overstocked Tank...Fish missing for 4 weeks reappears I had a problem about 5 weeks ago with small fish disappearing. I thought maybe they were eaten by something. I had a tiny pink skunk and a tiny blue hippo disappear. The blue hippo disappeared 4-5 weeks ago. The pink skunk disappeared 3 weeks ago. After the 2nd fish disappeared and wasn't in my overflow I decided to take every coral and every piece of live rock out of the tank in order to add 2 more inches of live sand and check under the rock for any remains. Well I removed everything and nothing was there. I left the fish in and added the sand. I put everything back and it looks great. 2 weeks past and I added more fish. I had a diamond goby; Mandarin; Flame; 1 Os. I added 1 more baby os, 1 true percula and 1 saddleback..all of which were 1.5 inches or less. I figured that was enough fish. The clowns schooled and hosted together..the goby sifted the sand and stayed under the rocks for the most part and the flame just swam around. The mandarin is hardly every visible because it stays in tunnels and caves in the rockwork so noboy was bothering anybody and the shrimp, snails, and crabs were doing their thing. I have many corals all of which flourish. Now 1 week ago I look in my overflow and see the pink skunk. This is after 3 water changes and numerous prefilter changes..there was nothing back there. So I put him back in the tank and he stays with the other clowns..Just today 1 week later i go to change the prefilter, which I do every week, and there is my blue hippo. I couldn't belive it. Where was it? It was amazing. Well I fished him out of the overflow and put him in the tank. I put some food and he started going to town on the food. He is still only the size of a quarter but he survived somehow 5 weeks of not being seen. I have a 24 hour lighting system and watch the tank all the time. He was gone. Well now he's back and I have too many fish. At there current size it is no problem and everyone is comfortable especially since most of the fish stick to their certain areas. Can I maintain this bioload until the blue hippo gets too big for the tank? I'm still amzed he's here and alive after all this time.