Clowns getting eaten?

[Waterlily163]

I'm getting rather concerned. In the past two weeks I've lost three clowns, one occ and two tomatoes. There have been no bodies or parts found anywhere, and they aren't in either the sump or the overflow box. Other critters in the tank are: 1 yellow tang, 1 regal tang, 1 coral beauty, 1 LTA (which was hosting the two tomatoes for two days before they disappeared), 1 green bubble coral, 1 hammer coral, 1 frogspawn, 2 xenia, assorted polyps and mushrooms, 1 maze brain coral, and 1 leather coral.

Could something be eating the clowns?? It seems unlikely, but they are literally disappearing without a trace.

[osprey3883]

Hello,
Could be a mantis shrimp of some kind. I had some small fish disappear in the past and found a mantis shrimp in the aquarium.

Matt

[Waterlily163]

I was afraid someone was going to say that. How did you find it? Better yet, how did you get rid of it?

[Titus77]

Well, first, did you check behind your tank. Are your intakes covered?

[jmadison]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12733999#post12733999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Titus77
Well, first, did you check behind your tank. Are your intakes covered? x2 is the tank covered? How long the tank been running? Havent found any fishtracks on the floor around it or anything? Sucked into powerheads and mulched?

[Waterlily163]

No, the tank isn't covered, but there are no fish bodies on the carpet or anywhere else around the tank. Intakes are covered.

[billy73]

Do you hear any clacking sounds. I have had a fish jump and somehow get stuck to the glass on the back. Or even jump and dry out and blend in with the power cords.

[jmadison]

or a cat or something that coulda scooped it off the floor?

[Waterlily163]

no cats or other critters in the house. Just me and the tank inhabitants.

Seriously guys, I've looked everywhere and anywhere that I can possibly think of.

I could see one fish getting stuck or blending, but three? It seems that the more random disappearances there are, the less likely that all of the bodies are outside of the tank and unfindable.

But I'm open to suggestions, so keep tossing them out.

[Titus77]

Maybe it jumped up onto the ceiling fan! :lol: Just kidding. What is the biggest fish in your tank? Do you have any "caves"?

[Waterlily163]

There are some cave-like spaces that I can't see into.

The biggest fish in the tank are the tangs.

I haven't looked on the ceiling fan. I'll check there when I get home!

[Titus77]

Get a mirror and somehow stick it to a stick and lower it into the tank and look into those "caves" if you could. Have you seen Saving Private Ryan?

[Waterlily163]

Yes, but it was a long time ago.

What am I looking for?

[Aerowen]

try to check your rock- maybe move some of the smaller pieces. if there was a body i am sure the hermits or snails took care of it

[Waterlily163]

I'll check again.

[Titus77]

Remember when, after taking over the beach, they went up the hill and had to take out the machine gunners? Well, they took out a small hand mirror and stuck it to one of the soldier's knives, then they were able to look around the corner without getting shot. So my point here is this: make something like what the soldiers did to look around the corner, just try to not use gum :lol:. Maybe not a knife either, but that is your call.

[jmadison]

Try turning off all your pumps, take a very VERY small amount of food, ie one mysis, or whatever and put it in. sometimes the smell will draw them out. things with enhanced garlic often work verywell

[Titus77]

Well, how long has it been since you have seen the first one that went missing?

[block head]

most mantis like to aquascape near there burrow, smashers are noisy, spear types like to get fish. have your snails and hermits gone missing? maybe big worm or crab?:

[Titus77]

maybe a nem done it.

[Waterlily163]

None of the snails have been eaten.

The first clown disappeared a week and a half ago. The two tomatoes disappeared sometime between the time I went to bed on Sunday and the time I got home from work on Monday.

I keep wondering if Audrey LTA did it. She's been looking mighty perky lately.

Tried the mirror trick...nothing.

[Titus77]

Bummer...you don't have any eels that you are unaware of do you? (trick question)

[Waterlily163]

well, if I do, I'm not aware of them. lol

[Titus77]

I know that...that's why I had"(trick question)"...LOL :lol:

[Waterlily163]

:rollface:

[CrossHatchQueen]

I have a true perc that disappears for a week at a time. I dont know where she goes but i always think she is dead and then all of a sudden she comes back out for a couple of days. She honestly keeps on messing with my emotions because i think she is dead and alive and etc...LOL
hopefully you find out what is happening to ur babies.

[Waterlily163]

thanks, that gives me some hope. I hope I can either find out what's happening or it stops happening!

[90sShooter]

Well not to crush your hopes but I had 2 clowns die... the first one dissapeared between 7am and 10am when I went to look for him again... vanished! I looked everywhere and I only have a 24 gallon tank with a lid... so he wasn't going far... I came to the conclusion that the crabs ate him.. Then I went to the local petco one day and saw a poor clown being devoured by clowns... this pretty much confirmed my conclusion... Then I lost a second clown... looked everywhere for him then I saw him in a crevice of a rock with 4 crabs on top of him... Now I am sure... And they make a quick meal of him as well....

I have bad luck with clowns.... :(

[Slakker]

Are you sure that your LTA is, in fact, an LTA (M. Doreensis)? It's possible that you got a mislabeled condylactis anemone, and they are known to eat clownfish.

[Titus77]

Post a picture if you can...

[Phoenix19]

My bubble coral ate my Yellow Clown Goby when it perched on it. Stupid coral...if it wasn't so pretty I'd get rid of it....

[Waterlily163]

I'm pretty sure it's an LTA, here's an old pic. It's about 3x this size now.

http://http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/187967LTAc.jpg

I don't have any crabs that I know of. I need to turn all the lights out and see if anything comes out.

[jmadison]

lily that pic is no bien!

[Waterlily163]

argh. I suck at dealing with pics. Here's another try.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/187967LTAc.jpg

[billy73]

LTA. Has any of you rock shifted? It long shot but it might explain 1.

[Waterlily163]

No, nothing has shifted. Good idea, though.