Do i have a zombie fish?

[pbauec]

So my scissor tail goby died. I haven't seen him in at least 2 months, maybe 3. It was a busy summer. He had taken to hiding lots before. Only came out for feeding. When I got busy I threw an auto feeder to get by and did a bit on weekends. I had assumed he died, but no sign of him.

Until today.

I have had more time now so I'm catching up on things in the tank and I see some snake looking thing under the pile of rock at sand level.
Hey, there's the dead fish! I grab the tongs and reach for the part that's sticking out.

It pulls away. Back under the rock.

So I ask my wife to watch that spot for the missing fish corpse and to take pictures if she see it. I have a few good ones and will load them soon.
So my questions are;
- why haven't my army of bristle worms, or Coral banded shrimp, or emerald crab eaten him?
- the crab and shrimp were both visible at both times, so who was moving the fish ?
- he looked really dead. Fins all closed, scrawny and shrunken. He couldn't possibly be alive still, could he ?

I welcome all answers, suggestions and questions. Nothing new has been added in well over 6 months. Tank is a year old.

[Half Vaped]

Even if your CUC doesn't touch it, a dead fish would be largely decomposed in a few days by the bacteria in a healthy tank.

So either it's still alive and if he's in as bad shape as you say he is, he will likely die soon enough. Otherwise, it just recently died and the movement is caused by your CUC moving it around. I have bristle worms in my tank at least six inches long that can handle a fish like that no problem.

[Joke]

Some kind of worm?

[Flaring Afro]

There's a lot of fish out there that will go MIA for a while but still be alive. They'll just eat the scraps that get near their hiding spot.

[Gil03]

that fish doesn't look dead, as someone already stated in a matter of days it would look nothing like the fish tail in the pic provided if it were dead. I've seen and heard of instances where something like a yasha goby disappears for weeks and reappears out of nowhere. The color on the tail suggests it's not dead, it's till colorful and not pale and slimeless as it would if it had been dead.

[jmike0311]

Originally Posted by Gil03

that fish doesn't look dead, as someone already stated in a matter of days it would look nothing like the fish tail in the pic provided if it were dead. I've seen and heard of instances where something like a yasha goby disappears for weeks and reappears out of nowhere. The color on the tail suggests it's not dead, it's till colorful and not pale and slimeless as it would if it had been dead.

+1
I know of many accounts of fish going into hiding for extended periods and being thought to be dead only to reappear weeks on in some cases months later. There are a few stories of this here on RC.

[Preble]

I had a royal gramma that I didn't see for maybe close to a year.... Thought for sure.it was.dead and are up ... Then just one day it came out and I saw it every day
Have no idea why but done fish do that

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[Preble]

Originally Posted by Preble

I had a royal gramma that I didn't see for maybe close to a year.... Thought for sure.it was.dead and are up ... Then just one day it came out and I saw it every day
Have no idea why but done fish do that

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Ate

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[Joke]

Does the tail keep reappearing?

[Joke]

If it has recently died there could be something munching on it.

[Twoface14]

If it died 2 or 3 months ago then there would be nothing left of it