missing mandarine

duane9 · 09/02/2012, 11:19 AM

I need some help please, over the past two weeks I've lost two mandarines to my tank. I've looked everywhere in the tank, the sump, the overflow, in as many nooks and crevices as possible without tearing down my live rock. The first did not make it a week, the second one lasted about five days. It was seen last night hanging out in a little cave.

The parameters still are the same, ammonia, nitrites etc. This is my wife's favorite fish, but they keep disappearing. I have lots of copepods for them to eat.

Any ideas as to some behavior I do not know about? The only other fish are a maroon clown and a tang.

Dexters Reef · 09/02/2012, 12:53 PM

Do you have a brittle star? Mine eats the bodies of dead fish so if something dies, the "evidence" vanishes overnight.

sporto0 · 09/02/2012, 02:06 PM

I've gone weeks without seeing my Mandarin Goby & then it appears, if it has pods to eat it should be fine, they are constantly searching the rocks for food. I have a 90g reef so you would think I would see it consatantly, but that is just not the case.

duane9 · 09/02/2012, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sporto0

I've gone weeks without seeing my Mandarin Goby & then it appears, if it has pods to eat it should be fine, they are constantly searching the rocks for food. I have a 90g reef so you would think I would see it consatantly, but that is just not the case.

Being fairly big I thought it would stand out and not be able to hide that easy. My dt is 75 gallons with a lot of rock. Guess they are better at hidding than I thought.

09/02/2012, 11:19 AM	#1
duane9 Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Atlantic City NJ Posts: 181	missing mandarine I need some help please, over the past two weeks I've lost two mandarines to my tank. I've looked everywhere in the tank, the sump, the overflow, in as many nooks and crevices as possible without tearing down my live rock. The first did not make it a week, the second one lasted about five days. It was seen last night hanging out in a little cave. The parameters still are the same, ammonia, nitrites etc. This is my wife's favorite fish, but they keep disappearing. I have lots of copepods for them to eat. Any ideas as to some behavior I do not know about? The only other fish are a maroon clown and a tang.

09/02/2012, 12:53 PM	#2
Dexters Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 730	Do you have a brittle star? Mine eats the bodies of dead fish so if something dies, the "evidence" vanishes overnight. __________________ 75G RR, Trigger Systems Ruby 30S sump, 2x250 MH and 4x54W T5HO, Octopus Diablo XS160, 4" DSB, 2 x MP40wES, 85 lbs LR, 2 x BRS Dosing Pumps, Finnex 300w titanium heater, Surf2 Algae Turf Scrubber

09/02/2012, 02:06 PM	#3
sporto0 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. Posts: 2,924	I've gone weeks without seeing my Mandarin Goby & then it appears, if it has pods to eat it should be fine, they are constantly searching the rocks for food. I have a 90g reef so you would think I would see it consatantly, but that is just not the case.