Hmmm, Who or What

Str8linespeed · 12/15/2017, 11:59 AM

In my tank I had (key word) 2 clowns, 1 cardinal, 1 royal gramma, 1 purple firefish, 1 christmas wrasse, 1 starry blenny, 1 diamond goby, 1 goby/pistol pair.

3 weeks ago I found my goby that was paired with the pistol completely ate, only a skeleton left and the day before he was acting normal. We went on a two week cruise and my daughter was taking care of the tank. While we were gone, she found 1 clown dead, the cardinal floating on its side like it was almost dead, and the blenny and royal missing.

Fast forward to this past Wed. when we returned home. The Cardinal is fine, although missing portions of its Dorsal fins. The Royal and Blenny are still missing. Almost all the fish have been together for 7-12 months, with the exception of the pistol/goby, those were only about a month old.

I have a feeling its the Wrasse, but I wanted others opinions on what might be all of a sudden killing my fish?

Danny_15 · 12/15/2017, 12:07 PM

I think it was the pistol shrimp. Although i domt think it would have killed the goby

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Str8linespeed · 12/15/2017, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danny_15

I think it was the pistol shrimp. Although i domt think it would have killed the goby

Sent from my SM-G928T using Tapatalk

Im not sure the pistol is even alive anymore.. I have not heard it like I did when I first introduced it. That was 3 weeks ago. I could be totally wrong, oh and it was very tiny maybe only 3/8" long. Also, the clowns host in a Nem, so Im not sure what would of ventured into the nem to attack and kill the 1 clown.

top shelf · 12/15/2017, 12:38 PM

This might be out in left field but do you think you could have a mantis shrimp in your tank?

Str8linespeed · 12/15/2017, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by top shelf

This might be out in left field but do you think you could have a mantis shrimp in your tank?

Not that I know of, but its a good thought.

oldhead · 12/15/2017, 01:49 PM

Maybe you have a large bristle worm lurking at night?

Str8linespeed · 12/15/2017, 02:11 PM

Hmmmm speaking of worms.... I did have a eunicid worm in my tank at one point, I saw it a lot. I tried to get it out but could never catch it. Then I stopped seeing it, and up until you just mentioned worm, I forgot about it. I wonder if that is still in the tank?

Any ideas on how to possibly capture it, if its still in the tank???

oldhead · 12/15/2017, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Str8linespeed

Hmmmm speaking of worms.... I did have a Euclid worm in my tank at one point, I saw it a lot. I tried to get it out but could never catch it. Then I stopped seeing it, and up until you just mentioned worm, I forgot about it. I wonder if that is still in the tank?

Any ideas on how to possibly capture it, if its still in the tank???

Well he may be pretty big at this point but not sure if that type eats fish. If you find one in some rock I'd say you'll have to remove the rock hes in. Here is a link to a 7 footer.

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

hkgar · 12/15/2017, 03:45 PM

My guess is a Mantis.

Set up a soda bottle trap. Google it.

Sk8r · 12/15/2017, 04:03 PM

Bristleworm won't kill stuff; eunicid---that's what they do for a living. Remove any living things to qt, starve the tank, then bait a tipped wine carafe and you may get the eunicid.

Esh1 · 12/15/2017, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldhead

Well he may be pretty big at this point but not sure if that type eats fish. If you find one in some rock I'd say you'll have to remove the rock hes in. Here is a link to a 7 footer.

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

and then begins the nightmares. wow, that is nasty looking worm.

oldhead · 12/16/2017, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esh1

and then begins the nightmares. wow, that is nasty looking worm.

Yeah, kind of makes me wonder what I may find when I clean out my 36 gallon as I move everything over to the 110 I have cycling.

Str8linespeed · 12/16/2017, 07:45 PM

So I just thought of something and unsure about it.

When I returned home, I did my water tests. Everything except my Alkalinity was normal for my tank. The Alk, was 5.2, could that have killed my fish?

top shelf · 12/16/2017, 07:51 PM

While alk is low I don't think that in itself would have killed your fish. Id be willing to bet either a eunicid or mantis shrimp, either will be a pain to remove though.

Lsufan · 12/16/2017, 07:53 PM

No, low alk wouldn’t kill the fish. I suspect the Eunicid if u have one in the tank. Although he would probably eat the hole thing so I don’t think u would find any remnants of the fish.

With a lot of predators like the bad worms & crabs, u tend to not see them the bigger they get. They tend to not come out when lights are on so u may not ever see them.

Str8linespeed · 12/16/2017, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by top shelf

While alk is low I don't think that in itself would have killed your fish. Id be willing to bet either a eunicid or mantis shrimp, either will be a pain to remove though.

The remaining fish, are active and healthy. The only thing I noticed was some corals not open. I have since raised it back to normal levels and everything is opened up and appears happy.

I've been spying on my tank after lights out and at random hours of the night. If I happen to wake up I'll grab the flashlight and search. I havent seen anything yet, but Im going to keep looking. Thanks for the reply.

Str8linespeed · 12/16/2017, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsufan

No, low alk wouldn’t kill the fish. I suspect the Eunicid if u have one in the tank. Although he would probably eat the hole thing so I don’t think u would find any remnants of the fish.

Only 1 fish so far that I've found that has been completely ate.. 2 still missing. Are there any sort of bottle traps that might work on the worm, if I have one?

top shelf · 12/16/2017, 07:57 PM

If everything else is doing fine that definitely rules out alk, if your going to try a flashlight to catch the culprit you will need one with a red light. A regular one will spook whatever it is before you can see it but they can't see the red so they won't know your even there.

top shelf · 12/16/2017, 07:59 PM

I don't believe bottle traps are all that effective on eunicid or atleast I haven't heard of success with it. Not sure about mantis shrimp and bottle traps may work but there fairly smart.

top shelf · 12/16/2017, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Bristleworm won't kill stuff; eunicid---that's what they do for a living. Remove any living things to qt, starve the tank, then bait a tipped wine carafe and you may get the eunicid.

Might be your best bet.

Str8linespeed · 12/16/2017, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Bristleworm won't kill stuff; eunicid---that's what they do for a living. Remove any living things to qt, starve the tank, then bait a tipped wine carafe and you may get the eunicid.

Sorry, not sure how I missed this one. Thanks for the help.. I dont have a tank set up for QT yet. I've been working on one..

The reason I saw the worm before was because I had to do a peroxide soak on my rocks. Well low and behold that worm came out, but stupid me didnt know what it was and I put it back in the tank. At that time it was maybe an inch long.

Lsufan · 12/16/2017, 08:46 PM

Have u ruled out disease. I know fish don’t decay that quickly but once they die the cuc & brissle worms can do some damage pretty quickly.

Str8linespeed · 12/16/2017, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsufan

Have u ruled out disease. I know fish don’t decay that quickly but once they die the cuc & brissle worms can do some damage pretty quickly.

I've thought about it.... I dont physically see anything wrong with the remaining fish and they are all acting normal. Not sure how else to tell if that would be a possibility.

Str8linespeed · 12/26/2017, 05:33 PM

Just thought I would update.....

Not a single casualty since we've been home. I've watched the wrasse and I have not seen it go after any other fish. All the fish are going about their day as normal and look healthy. My CUC still look to be about the same amount, and my shrimp are hanging out as normal.

I did ask my daughter if she was playing in the tank or if she had any sort of lotions on, to which she said no to both. Not to mention I have cameras in the house and didnt see any goofing off, so I have to believe her.

I just figured if it was a worm, that the CUC and shrimp would also be gone since they all hang out in the rocks. Im just stumped about the death of those fish.

12/15/2017, 11:59 AM	#1
Str8linespeed Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Oakdale, MN Posts: 461	Hmmm, Who or What In my tank I had (key word) 2 clowns, 1 cardinal, 1 royal gramma, 1 purple firefish, 1 christmas wrasse, 1 starry blenny, 1 diamond goby, 1 goby/pistol pair. 3 weeks ago I found my goby that was paired with the pistol completely ate, only a skeleton left and the day before he was acting normal. We went on a two week cruise and my daughter was taking care of the tank. While we were gone, she found 1 clown dead, the cardinal floating on its side like it was almost dead, and the blenny and royal missing. Fast forward to this past Wed. when we returned home. The Cardinal is fine, although missing portions of its Dorsal fins. The Royal and Blenny are still missing. Almost all the fish have been together for 7-12 months, with the exception of the pistol/goby, those were only about a month old. I have a feeling its the Wrasse, but I wanted others opinions on what might be all of a sudden killing my fish?

12/15/2017, 12:38 PM	#4
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	This might be out in left field but do you think you could have a mantis shrimp in your tank? __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

12/15/2017, 02:11 PM	#7
Str8linespeed Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Oakdale, MN Posts: 461	Hmmmm speaking of worms.... I did have a eunicid worm in my tank at one point, I saw it a lot. I tried to get it out but could never catch it. Then I stopped seeing it, and up until you just mentioned worm, I forgot about it. I wonder if that is still in the tank? Any ideas on how to possibly capture it, if its still in the tank??? Last edited by Str8linespeed; 12/16/2017 at 08:03 PM.

12/15/2017, 03:45 PM	#9
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	My guess is a Mantis. Set up a soda bottle trap. Google it. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

12/15/2017, 04:03 PM	#10
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Bristleworm won't kill stuff; eunicid---that's what they do for a living. Remove any living things to qt, starve the tank, then bait a tipped wine carafe and you may get the eunicid. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

12/15/2017, 12:07 PM	#2
Danny_15 Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 160	I think it was the pistol shrimp. Although i domt think it would have killed the goby Sent from my SM-G928T using Tapatalk

12/15/2017, 01:49 PM	#6
oldhead Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: New Jersey Posts: 527	Maybe you have a large bristle worm lurking at night?

12/16/2017, 07:45 PM	#13
Str8linespeed Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Oakdale, MN Posts: 461	So I just thought of something and unsure about it. When I returned home, I did my water tests. Everything except my Alkalinity was normal for my tank. The Alk, was 5.2, could that have killed my fish?

12/16/2017, 07:51 PM	#14
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	While alk is low I don't think that in itself would have killed your fish. Id be willing to bet either a eunicid or mantis shrimp, either will be a pain to remove though. __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

12/16/2017, 07:53 PM	#15
Lsufan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 1,410	No, low alk wouldn’t kill the fish. I suspect the Eunicid if u have one in the tank. Although he would probably eat the hole thing so I don’t think u would find any remnants of the fish. With a lot of predators like the bad worms & crabs, u tend to not see them the bigger they get. They tend to not come out when lights are on so u may not ever see them.

12/16/2017, 07:57 PM	#18
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	If everything else is doing fine that definitely rules out alk, if your going to try a flashlight to catch the culprit you will need one with a red light. A regular one will spook whatever it is before you can see it but they can't see the red so they won't know your even there. __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

12/16/2017, 07:59 PM	#19
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	I don't believe bottle traps are all that effective on eunicid or atleast I haven't heard of success with it. Not sure about mantis shrimp and bottle traps may work but there fairly smart. __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

12/16/2017, 08:46 PM	#22
Lsufan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 1,410	Have u ruled out disease. I know fish don’t decay that quickly but once they die the cuc & brissle worms can do some damage pretty quickly.

12/26/2017, 05:33 PM	#24
Str8linespeed Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Oakdale, MN Posts: 461	Just thought I would update..... Not a single casualty since we've been home. I've watched the wrasse and I have not seen it go after any other fish. All the fish are going about their day as normal and look healthy. My CUC still look to be about the same amount, and my shrimp are hanging out as normal. I did ask my daughter if she was playing in the tank or if she had any sort of lotions on, to which she said no to both. Not to mention I have cameras in the house and didnt see any goofing off, so I have to believe her. I just figured if it was a worm, that the CUC and shrimp would also be gone since they all hang out in the rocks. Im just stumped about the death of those fish.