what is eating my fish

bward9876 · 10/14/2005, 08:03 PM

i have a 400 gal. tank newley setup.my fish keep disapearing??

the olny things i can guees are the coral banded shrimp or the emarld crabs ????????????

killerwhale0217 · 10/14/2005, 08:15 PM

I bet you have a Mantis Shrimp in there somewhere. You hear any loud clicking sounds coming from it at night? If you do then thats a sign that it is striking at something.

bward9876 · 10/14/2005, 08:20 PM

no loud noies or clicking sounds. the coral banded shrimp never comes out, then when you see him the next day a fish is gone and no signs of a dead fish at all.the fish is heathley then gone?????????????????

killerwhale0217 · 10/14/2005, 08:21 PM

Like what kind of fish came up missin? I had A CBS and never bothered anything I ever had in there. he came up missing one day.

bward9876 · 10/15/2005, 08:50 AM

clown,blue tang,manderian

killerwhale0217 · 10/15/2005, 09:06 AM

I would think that they would be able to swim away from a CBS. I had a CBS that liked to clean my tangs. Kinda weird thou aint it to have things missing? I really dont think emerald crabs will eat fish unless they are already dead.

barryhc · 10/15/2005, 09:34 AM

A Banded Coral Shrimp, or Emerals Crab, either one, cannot dispose of that much food in one day. What size were the fish anyway, and how long has your tank been set-up? Has your tank cycled yet? Live rock, caves, brittle star, arrow crab, etc. ?

Keep asking, you'll find out.

> barryhc

bward9876 · 10/15/2005, 11:00 AM

400 gal/750 pounds live rock/lots of caves/set up about 4 months now/stocking hermit crabs,snails,4 emarld crabs small,4 skunk cleaner shrimp,1 coral banded shrimp,3 blue+yellow damsels left/it takes about 4 to 5 days between fish disappearing,they are healthy then gone

killerwhale0217 · 10/15/2005, 11:03 AM

they aint disappearing in your overflow are they??

nikoendo · 10/15/2005, 11:06 AM

are they small fish? check the over flow

bward9876 · 10/15/2005, 11:07 AM

no they are not in the overflows

mystikdragon7 · 10/15/2005, 12:00 PM

Are your damsels disappearing to? If not, there might be a chance that the damsels are killing the other fish.

With 750 pounds of LR, I would be willing to bet the chances that some type of unwanted hitchhiker is in your tank.

killerwhale0217 · 10/15/2005, 12:12 PM

Yeah Damsels are aggressive. I have a 3 stripped one in my tank and it nips at my arms or hands if I got into the tank. If they aint killing each other then you more then likely have a hitchhiker (Mantis) taking them into their holes. Soon as fish hit the bottom then the hermits and emeralds will eat the left overs.. LOL and serpent stars.

JohnHenry · 10/15/2005, 02:10 PM

They died and then were dragged by current or shrimp out of sight to decompose.

killerwhale0217 · 10/15/2005, 02:30 PM

LOL... you could say that too !!!

dead beat reef · 10/15/2005, 06:19 PM

Could be jumpers, look behind your tank. Nothing in back. Do you
have a cat?

killerwhale0217 · 10/15/2005, 06:31 PM

Cat would get a salty treat thats for sure...

barryhc · 10/17/2005, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bward9876
400 gal/750 pounds live rock/lots of caves/set up about 4 months now/stocking hermit crabs,snails,4 emarld crabs small,4 skunk cleaner shrimp,1 coral banded shrimp,3 blue+yellow damsels left/it takes about 4 to 5 days between fish disappearing,they are healthy then gone

The blue + yellow damsels, are much less agressive than some other damsels like the "Three stripe", or "Domino" types. With that much live rock, and depending where it came from, Mantis shrimp remain a possibility. That's a large tank, and it might muffle the sounds, more than otherwise, and it could occur when you're not in the room as well.

Shrimp traps cost less than dead fish "by a longshot", So . . . .

> barryhc

Putawaywet · 10/17/2005, 12:53 PM

Every 4 or 5 days huh?

With tha much live rock I wouldn't rule out a small rogue octo that hitchhiked in and is picking things off. Silent, yet amazingly efficient predators they are.

However, as cool as that would be......

My vote goes towards natural causes. I'd look carefully for signs if disease on your remaining fish.

Brett

killerwhale0217 · 10/17/2005, 01:44 PM

I still think mantis shrimp maybe it... I hear one in my tank but nothing comes up missing... Not for sure but a possibility I have one. None of my fish have disappeared. A small Octo maybe another one that hitchhiked on your rock. have you dipped in hypersaline to rid of any unwanted creatures before you put that rock in your tank?

sealife · 10/18/2005, 06:23 PM

i would bet a big fire worm

amcarrig · 10/19/2005, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by killerwhale0217
I still think mantis shrimp maybe it... I hear one in my tank but nothing comes up missing... Not for sure but a possibility I have one. None of my fish have disappeared. A small Octo maybe another one that hitchhiked on your rock. have you dipped in hypersaline to rid of any unwanted creatures before you put that rock in your tank?

Contrary to popular belief, only a spearing type mantis would be able to take down fish. Smashers are not capable of killing and eating fish unless they are extremely lucky or extremely starving. It's also not likely that a smashing mantis would go after fish in a reef tank full of snails, hermits and shrimp.

allstar.h2o · 10/19/2005, 11:54 PM

Set a Mantis trap

lovethereefer · 10/24/2005, 12:09 PM

i second the spearer theory....could be a teddy bear crab....have seen the large ones snag fish

jakano · 10/24/2005, 06:53 PM

I have the exact same problem. fish that seem perfectly healthy suddenly dissapear.ive lost a powder blue tang,a lyretail anthias that was attacked by something for sure cause he survived a day or two before dissapearing, and now my yellow tang who was my favorite fish. my tank is a 110 high with about 100lbs of live rock.thing is i had all this same live rock in a smaller tank before. and i didnt lose stuff like this. well maybe i did lose stuff, i had green chromis that one by one vanished.maybe i have a mantis or just a mean fish that kills the others while they sleep. today i found the yellow tang stuck on the intake to my closed loop pump and it was almost shredded.of course alot of the damage was probably the suction power of the dart but it also looked eaten to me. it had no eyes and the guts were gone but most of the body was intact but cut up. this would make a good slasher movie wouldnt it?

10/14/2005, 08:03 PM	#1
bward9876 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: socal Posts: 36	what is eating my fish i have a 400 gal. tank newley setup.my fish keep disapearing?? the olny things i can guees are the coral banded shrimp or the emarld crabs ????????????

10/15/2005, 09:34 AM	#7
barryhc Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 932	A Banded Coral Shrimp, or Emerals Crab, either one, cannot dispose of that much food in one day. What size were the fish anyway, and how long has your tank been set-up? Has your tank cycled yet? Live rock, caves, brittle star, arrow crab, etc. ? Keep asking, you'll find out. > barryhc __________________ The average person has only one breast, one testicle, and one brain. Most people who enter the reefkeeping hobby aren't average. Black and white don't exist, only "shades of gray"! Current Tank Info: 27gal. hex "plenum" +16 gal. "fuge"

10/15/2005, 12:00 PM	#12
mystikdragon7 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mill Creek, WA Posts: 1,051	Are your damsels disappearing to? If not, there might be a chance that the damsels are killing the other fish. With 750 pounds of LR, I would be willing to bet the chances that some type of unwanted hitchhiker is in your tank. __________________ Patience is a vitrue Current Tank Info: 60gal reef, 2 175 watt MH, 2 95 watt VHO Actinics, 20 gal sump; 30gal FOWLR, pair of B&W baby perculas

10/17/2005, 12:53 PM	#19
Putawaywet 20 and over club Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Long Beach, CA. Posts: 2,720	Every 4 or 5 days huh? With tha much live rock I wouldn't rule out a small rogue octo that hitchhiked in and is picking things off. Silent, yet amazingly efficient predators they are. However, as cool as that would be...... My vote goes towards natural causes. I'd look carefully for signs if disease on your remaining fish. Brett __________________ She ain't broke, but can we fix her more better? Current Tank Info: A big box of water with some stuff in it.

10/18/2005, 06:23 PM	#21
sealife Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: kingman az Posts: 560	i would bet a big fire worm __________________ jan 9 howard stern on sirius satellite radio Current Tank Info: 228 gal sps tank

10/14/2005, 08:15 PM	#2
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	I bet you have a Mantis Shrimp in there somewhere. You hear any loud clicking sounds coming from it at night? If you do then thats a sign that it is striking at something.

10/14/2005, 08:20 PM	#3
bward9876 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: socal Posts: 36	no loud noies or clicking sounds. the coral banded shrimp never comes out, then when you see him the next day a fish is gone and no signs of a dead fish at all.the fish is heathley then gone?????????????????

10/14/2005, 08:21 PM	#4
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	Like what kind of fish came up missin? I had A CBS and never bothered anything I ever had in there. he came up missing one day.

10/15/2005, 08:50 AM	#5
bward9876 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: socal Posts: 36	clown,blue tang,manderian

10/15/2005, 09:06 AM	#6
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	I would think that they would be able to swim away from a CBS. I had a CBS that liked to clean my tangs. Kinda weird thou aint it to have things missing? I really dont think emerald crabs will eat fish unless they are already dead.

10/15/2005, 11:00 AM	#8
bward9876 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: socal Posts: 36	400 gal/750 pounds live rock/lots of caves/set up about 4 months now/stocking hermit crabs,snails,4 emarld crabs small,4 skunk cleaner shrimp,1 coral banded shrimp,3 blue+yellow damsels left/it takes about 4 to 5 days between fish disappearing,they are healthy then gone

10/15/2005, 11:03 AM	#9
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	they aint disappearing in your overflow are they??

10/15/2005, 11:06 AM	#10
nikoendo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NJ Posts: 59	are they small fish? check the over flow

10/15/2005, 11:07 AM	#11
bward9876 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: socal Posts: 36	no they are not in the overflows

10/15/2005, 12:12 PM	#13
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	Yeah Damsels are aggressive. I have a 3 stripped one in my tank and it nips at my arms or hands if I got into the tank. If they aint killing each other then you more then likely have a hitchhiker (Mantis) taking them into their holes. Soon as fish hit the bottom then the hermits and emeralds will eat the left overs.. LOL and serpent stars.

10/15/2005, 02:10 PM	#14
JohnHenry Moved On Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: 25 05 N 121 32 E Posts: 534	They died and then were dragged by current or shrimp out of sight to decompose.

10/15/2005, 02:30 PM	#15
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	LOL... you could say that too !!!

10/15/2005, 06:19 PM	#16
dead beat reef Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: New Mexico Posts: 279	Could be jumpers, look behind your tank. Nothing in back. Do you have a cat?

10/15/2005, 06:31 PM	#17
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	Cat would get a salty treat thats for sure...

10/17/2005, 01:44 PM	#20
killerwhale0217 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 79	I still think mantis shrimp maybe it... I hear one in my tank but nothing comes up missing... Not for sure but a possibility I have one. None of my fish have disappeared. A small Octo maybe another one that hitchhiked on your rock. have you dipped in hypersaline to rid of any unwanted creatures before you put that rock in your tank?

10/19/2005, 11:54 PM	#23
allstar.h2o Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 214	Set a Mantis trap

10/24/2005, 12:09 PM	#24
lovethereefer Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 298	i second the spearer theory....could be a teddy bear crab....have seen the large ones snag fish

10/24/2005, 06:53 PM	#25
jakano Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: columbus ohio Posts: 1,562	I have the exact same problem. fish that seem perfectly healthy suddenly dissapear.ive lost a powder blue tang,a lyretail anthias that was attacked by something for sure cause he survived a day or two before dissapearing, and now my yellow tang who was my favorite fish. my tank is a 110 high with about 100lbs of live rock.thing is i had all this same live rock in a smaller tank before. and i didnt lose stuff like this. well maybe i did lose stuff, i had green chromis that one by one vanished.maybe i have a mantis or just a mean fish that kills the others while they sleep. today i found the yellow tang stuck on the intake to my closed loop pump and it was almost shredded.of course alot of the damage was probably the suction power of the dart but it also looked eaten to me. it had no eyes and the guts were gone but most of the body was intact but cut up. this would make a good slasher movie wouldnt it?