Tomini missing (1 Viewer)

[Carrie17]

I know I saw him last week. Then I worked my 3 12 hour shifts, so my kids feed the tank then. I don't remember seeing him yesterday when I did a deep clean of the tank and had the canopy open for a few hours. . Either he decomposed while we were out of town for Thanksgiving and the neighbor kid fed them, or during my work "week", or jumped out yesterday and got eaten by a dog, OR the serpent star ate him. I'm so sad, I've had him for a few years. And now the maroon clown "big momma" is acting like she owns the tank. Do y'all think it could be the serpent star and I should sump him? My skunk cleaner shrimp had been missing for a couple of months as well. He was also a long time resident. Pics attached of possible fish eaters. Maybe it's time for a yellow tang, or a blue hippo tang. I need to go to the lfs today anyway to get some Magnesium.

 

[webster1234]

I don't think the serpent star could eat a whole fish in short order. If the fish is awol, the only thing that makes sense is that he jumped out and the dog got him.
Only problem with that theory is that it's just not normal for a tang to jump. I have numerous tangs in an open top tank and have never had one jump unless they were somehow spooked.
Which leads us to the neighbor kid that was feeding them. Maybe something happened and they are afraid to tell you.

 

[Carrie17]

I don't think the serpent star could eat a whole fish in short order. If the fish is awol, the only thing that makes sense is that he jumped out and the dog got him.
Only problem with that theory is that it's just not normal for a tang to jump. I have numerous tangs in an open top tank and have never had one jump unless they were somehow spooked.
Which leads us to the neighbor kid that was feeding them. Maybe something happened and they are afraid to tell you.

Right, I don't think the serpent star could just swallow it. BUT, his body was probably the size of a nickle and it hides under the rocks during the day, and it could have pulled it into it's crevasse and munched on it for a week ... And I don't think it jumped out yesterday. I would have noticed the dogs acting funny. And the back of the canopy is sealed well with netting stapled up. So I just don't know and never will. Sigh. He looked perfect the last time I saw him. He did have some silvering of one eye that happened a couple of years ago. I don't know if it affected his vision or not. He kept the rocks nice, time to look for a new algae eater.

 

[Reefahholic]

My money is on a parasite and the fish is still in the rocks somewhere or the other fish and serpent star ate him.

Could be a possibility he jumped out, but I doubt it.

 

[webster1234]

Ok, hold up a second. I'm confused. I was thinking the fish was 3"-5" at least since you stated that you've had him for a few years. But his body was the size of a nickel? After a few years? How big was he when you got him? I figured he would have grown faster than that.

If he was the size of a nickel. absolutely he could have perished and the serpent star eaten him and you'd never see it. That's what serpent stars are best for. Getting those fish that die back in the rocks that you can't get to.

 

[steveb]

Serpent star body is size of nickel I think

 

[webster1234]

Oops, my bad. Re-read it. I think you are right. Darn new avatar messed me up. Thanks Gregg.
Disregard last comment. I'm standing by the first one.

 

[decimal]

"new avatar messed me up"

 

[Reefahholic]

When I first started the hobby I had a lot of mysterious fish deaths. I had fish go missing for no reason. I had fish that were doing great one day and dead next day. This was all before I started prophylactically treating and quarantining fish.


Fast forward to today and I never have these kind of issues. The last Fishes I loss were a pair of Anthias because they wanted to be fed frozen food 4x a day. I just don’t have the time to feed fish like that.


There are a few fish that are pretty fragile, But the one you mentioned doesn’t make the list.

Start hanging around HumbleFish’s forums & and you’ll have much better luck with your fish.

All of us have been there and experienced the devastation of fish loss and this has provoked us to learn more about treating and quarantining fish.

 

[Reefahholic]

One thing I do want to clarify is that I do lose some fish in quarantine, but typically not very many and once the ones that do hit the tank get in there I rarely ever lose a fish after that.

I only protozoan that I cannot beat is Uronema.

 

[webster1234]

But she said she's had the tang for a few years. I think that would negate any lack of quarantine she may have or have not done.

 

[Reefahholic]

But she said she's had the tang for a few years. I think that would negate any lack of quarantine she may have or have not done.

IMO the mysterious deaths are from Ich. Once the fishes immune system isn’t up to par for whatever reason they succumb to it. I’d also get the Uronema is responsible too. I believe it’s likely in 50% of systems but we just don’t know it. It’s kinda like the COVID virus. It only kills the weak or compromised. This excludes every fish in Webster’s tank.