Missing Fish

[Olgranddad]

Ok...I'm dumbfounded. I have no idea what in the hell is going on in my tank.

I have lost a number of fish with no bodies found. They just disappear. They didn't jump because my tank is covered. They didn't go in the overflow because no bodies found. I just pulled everything out of my sump and nothing.

Over the past 6 months I have lost a domino damsel, a purple dotty back, a green chromis, and a yellow tail damsel.

I only have a very small clean up crew (a couple of hermits, 3 narsarius snails, and 6 margaritas). I have two kenya trees. My rock was pukani dead rock that I cycled outside the tank. I didn't see any hitchhikers. I don't see any bodies lodged in the rock.

The one that really baffels me is the domino damsel. I had caught him and placed him in my sump. There he lived for 3 months. Then one day he's gone. I don't even have snails or crabs in the sump. He didn't jump. No body anywhere.

Each one of them I see them one night and then they are gone.

Do the fish decay that fash in saltwater? My parameters look good.

Anybody? Help please

[uncleof6]

How about inside the plumbing? One never knows.... they won't decay that fast. Possibly did not notice a spike, and the tank has adapted to the higher load .... just thoughts....

[Olgranddad]

The only plumbing is the overflow to the 1st chamber of the sump. The line is clear. The domino couldn't have swum up it anyway..

The return line is running good too.

Any others?

[Reefmedic79]

Chopped up by return pump? AS for the missing individuals in the tank, they very likely drifted out of sight and your hermits, nasarrius snails, and bristle worms probably cleaned them up within a night.

I would be more worried as to why you lost four fish within 6 months, especially when 3 of them are damsels.

[Olgranddad]

I was wondering if they could due that, but it doesn't explain the damsel in the sump. There are no crabs and no snails in there. I just had it all apart.

[MonsterTankMan]

How old is the tank, and parameters ?

[Olgranddad]

The tank has been up and running since June 2011.

It was running with low amounts of live rock. In November I bought the Pukani rock. I cycled that outside the tank until early January. There was no ammonia spike when I added it. I added one piece at a time.

I lost the yellow tail damsel about August.

The domino damsel was picking on other fish so I banished him to the sump (1st chamber/splash chamber) in December.

I lost the pajama cardinal early February. i was landscaping with the Pukani and stirred up the sand. The cardinal was not there when the sand settled.

I lost the green chromis late February because my 3 stripe damsel was picking on him. Then one day gone no body. I banished the 3 stripe to the sump in a different chamber (refrugum)

Then in the past week the purple dotty back and domino damsel disappeared. The dotty back from the main tank and the domino from the sump.

I've got to say now that the two damsels are out and the purple dotty back, I am seeing all my fish swim around a lot more and enjoy the tank.

I have a blue damsel since June, two perculas & yellow watchman goby since July, and 2 green chromis since February.

I have snails breeding in my tank if that helps.

ph 7.8
ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
Salinity 1.023
Temp 78