Missing Fish

Dickpnp · 01/04/2012, 09:22 AM

So i have had this tank established since August and the coral is growing and everything is doing well. Until last night when i noticed that one of my 2 fish was missing. My little Striped Goby has gone missing. He was about 2 inches long and didn't show any signs of stress the last time i saw him he was actively eating and didn't look bad at all. then the very next day gone. I have a 10 gallon tank with a cleaning crew some soft corals and 2 fish, well one now i assume. My question is should i take the tank apart to find him, like remove the live rock till i recover his tiny corpse?

snorvich · 01/04/2012, 09:46 AM

Assuming adequate clean up crew, the body, if there is one, should be properly disposed of. However, what invertebrates are in this tank? What is the other fish?

sporto0 · 01/04/2012, 09:55 AM

A 2 inch Striped Goby could be anywhere, mine can fit in the slightest of cracks & holes in my rock, try feeding & he should come right out, in fact mine likes to clean my hand everytime I stick it in there. Of course there is always a chance that a crab or coral banded shrimp got him during the night, if you have those critters. Good luck.

captrad · 01/04/2012, 10:23 AM

i would check the carpet first before i tore the tank apart just a thought

jason2459 · 01/04/2012, 10:44 AM

Totally agree with the above couple posts. Check around the tank and if you happen to have any filters or a sump check in there. If you can't find the fish the last thing I would do is mess around in the tank. Either the fish is dead and was food for the other inhabitants or the fish is stressed and moving things around will only stress it further.

cincyjim · 01/04/2012, 11:41 AM

I had a Yellow Watchman Goby that had gone missing, couldn't find the body, and assumed it was long gone. About 5 days later I had to change the filter pad in my sump and when I took the lid off guess who was there...yep Mr. Goby. He somehow jumped from the tank into the in-tank overflow box down to the sump filter. He was alive, didn't look all that great but still alive. I gathered him up and put him in the tank and he's doing just fine although he is no longer yellow and is now more of grayish tone. Now he hids in the smallest crevices in the tank and only comes out to eat.

MemphisTigers · 01/04/2012, 01:47 PM

I had fish went missing and finally found cat playing hockey with him.

ntswift · 01/04/2012, 03:49 PM

I agree. They like to go carpet surfing quite a bit. i found mine after 6 months in my sump! He got really lucky my sump isnt directly under my tank or he would have been a gonner. I thought it was dead due to my sally lightfoot crab. Also if you have a sally light foot he should be your number 1 suspect!

Just sayin...What kind of clean up crew do you have?

Dickpnp · 01/04/2012, 04:10 PM

my cleaning crew is about 4 or 5 hermits some Nassarius snails and a few other snails 2 peppermint shrimp. i checked my ammonia today and it was fine. is the amonia the same as nitrates or is there another test kit for that?

ntswift · 01/04/2012, 04:17 PM

There is another test kit for nitrates. Your crew seems fine as far as no fish killers. I would search all around your tank for the fish. They can flop around quite a bit and go pretty far.

mjm7757 · 01/04/2012, 05:22 PM

I wouldn't worry too much about it right now, sometimes smaller fish seem to disappear for quite a while. I would check around your tank though just to make sure he didn't jump, and if you're clear there I would just wait a little while and see if he comes out of hiding. As far as finding a body goes though if he did perish, I wouldn't hold out too much hope for that, your clean-up crew most likely took care of it already.

01/04/2012, 09:22 AM	#1
Dickpnp Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 16	Missing Fish So i have had this tank established since August and the coral is growing and everything is doing well. Until last night when i noticed that one of my 2 fish was missing. My little Striped Goby has gone missing. He was about 2 inches long and didn't show any signs of stress the last time i saw him he was actively eating and didn't look bad at all. then the very next day gone. I have a 10 gallon tank with a cleaning crew some soft corals and 2 fish, well one now i assume. My question is should i take the tank apart to find him, like remove the live rock till i recover his tiny corpse?

01/04/2012, 09:46 AM	#2
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Assuming adequate clean up crew, the body, if there is one, should be properly disposed of. However, what invertebrates are in this tank? What is the other fish? __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

01/04/2012, 10:44 AM	#5
jason2459 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 9,671	Totally agree with the above couple posts. Check around the tank and if you happen to have any filters or a sump check in there. If you can't find the fish the last thing I would do is mess around in the tank. Either the fish is dead and was food for the other inhabitants or the fish is stressed and moving things around will only stress it further. __________________ rebuild and recovery log: No more red house, you'll have to click on my name and visit my homepage! You can check out my parameters at reeftronics dot net website and look for my username. Current Tank Info: 180g mixed reef w/ a beananimal overflow to a dolomite RRUGF. \| 20g long G. Smithii Mantis Tank

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01/04/2012, 09:55 AM	#3
sporto0 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. Posts: 2,924	A 2 inch Striped Goby could be anywhere, mine can fit in the slightest of cracks & holes in my rock, try feeding & he should come right out, in fact mine likes to clean my hand everytime I stick it in there. Of course there is always a chance that a crab or coral banded shrimp got him during the night, if you have those critters. Good luck.

01/04/2012, 10:23 AM	#4
captrad Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: irwin, PA Posts: 63	i would check the carpet first before i tore the tank apart just a thought

01/04/2012, 11:41 AM	#6
cincyjim Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,147	I had a Yellow Watchman Goby that had gone missing, couldn't find the body, and assumed it was long gone. About 5 days later I had to change the filter pad in my sump and when I took the lid off guess who was there...yep Mr. Goby. He somehow jumped from the tank into the in-tank overflow box down to the sump filter. He was alive, didn't look all that great but still alive. I gathered him up and put him in the tank and he's doing just fine although he is no longer yellow and is now more of grayish tone. Now he hids in the smallest crevices in the tank and only comes out to eat.

01/04/2012, 01:47 PM	#7
MemphisTigers Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Bartlett, TN Posts: 97	I had fish went missing and finally found cat playing hockey with him.

01/04/2012, 03:49 PM	#8
ntswift Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Spokane, Wa Posts: 10	I agree. They like to go carpet surfing quite a bit. i found mine after 6 months in my sump! He got really lucky my sump isnt directly under my tank or he would have been a gonner. I thought it was dead due to my sally lightfoot crab. Also if you have a sally light foot he should be your number 1 suspect! Just sayin...What kind of clean up crew do you have?

01/04/2012, 04:10 PM	#9
Dickpnp Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 16	my cleaning crew is about 4 or 5 hermits some Nassarius snails and a few other snails 2 peppermint shrimp. i checked my ammonia today and it was fine. is the amonia the same as nitrates or is there another test kit for that?

01/04/2012, 04:17 PM	#10
ntswift Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Spokane, Wa Posts: 10	There is another test kit for nitrates. Your crew seems fine as far as no fish killers. I would search all around your tank for the fish. They can flop around quite a bit and go pretty far.

01/04/2012, 05:22 PM	#11
mjm7757 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 60	I wouldn't worry too much about it right now, sometimes smaller fish seem to disappear for quite a while. I would check around your tank though just to make sure he didn't jump, and if you're clear there I would just wait a little while and see if he comes out of hiding. As far as finding a body goes though if he did perish, I wouldn't hold out too much hope for that, your clean-up crew most likely took care of it already.