Help WithMissing Fish

[AzureReef]

Ok, so this is a NEW situation to me and need some help.

I have a rather new reef tank (3 months) - its a 58 gal with about 80 pounds of lr.

I have 4 fish that are MIA - no bodies, nada.

Each one, for some reason has wanted to hang out in the back of the tank, behind the lr.

So, they hang out back there and then they are just gone!

So far, I have 1 clown, 1 flame hawk, and 2 cardinals MIA.

When the clown went missing I actually pulled all the lr and never found him.

Now, I just use a flashlight to look in the lr nooks and crannies to no avail.

I know that some fish can dissapear like this and come back... but the clown has been gone a month. The other 3 fish dissapeared this last week.

I have a lot of great hiding places, and the hawk had disappeared for a day and then showed back up.. but now he is gone for 3 days and the cardinals 2 days.

1.Wouldnt they float up or something if they died of natural causes?

2. Could they all still be hiding?

3. What can cause this? (have heard no mantis snapping in there)

TIA~Azure

[petsarenice]

hard to say? I might start looking through your filters and pumps. I've had fish get caught into powerheads and overflow kits. Weird?

[EllieSuz]

Tell us about your CUC (clean up crew). A few Hermits, for instance can dispose of a dead fish overnight with no problem. Do you have a sump? If so, you might want to check in your overflow. Also, if you don't have a cover, you might consider that you had a jumper or two. Lastly, listen for clicking noises in your tank; you might have had a Mantis Shrimp hitchhike on your rock.

[AzureReef]

ok now my cleaner wrasse is gone... I have a top, have already checked everywhere, pumps, sump, everywhere except taking all the live rock out.

When the clown disappered, I thought he must have went to hide and died. Then several weeks later, the hawkfish disappears for good. Then the 2 cardinal fish, and tonight the wrasse is suddenly gone.

This is not a big tank, but to eat all of that fish would mean a good size predator I am guessing. Tyra Banks prol does not eat this much fish.

What is weird is no leftovers etc... not a single clue other than all of these fish are POOOOOF / gone.

So do I need to start looking at trapping this thing?

Again, as stated in the first post.... absolutely no sounds.

Lastly, it seems these guys are going at night when I am asleep and the tank is dark. If I remember isnt this when mantis come out? What else could it be.

Thanks for all your help on what to do.

CUC = 10 small red leg crabs, 10 small snails, 1 small emerald crab. (OH and there was NO cuc when the clown disappeared)

Azure

[Ruskin]

What are your parameters like? Ammonia would increase if the were dead and in the tank still.

How well are the fish feeding before going into your display? Are you quarentining any of them to make sure they are healthy and eating?

As someone else suggested the CUC you have could be disposing of the bodies before you can find them, ultimately doing their job.

Also, you may try switching tank hours if you can so that its night when you are able to watch. Or get some Beers and stay up late a couple nights anyways!

[euod]

100% mantis shrimp. I lost many fishes, 1- 2 inches, until I took out all my large live rocks where the shrimp maybe hiding. Now, no more MIA.