Help! A moray is gone!

[averyprimas]

I have a custom 300 gallon tank in my living room which is equipped with fully automatic systems except for feeding fresh food. I have AI Lighting, Aqua drip system, tank regulation system, temperature regulation pump, and hydraulic automatic nutrient diffuser for inputting nitrates, salinity levels and water. Other than that I am great. My tank looks great other than one of my banded cat sharks. I have 2 banded cat sharks, spotted eagle ray and a dogface puffer fish. My 1 foot moray is doing well but is very shy. Recently I had put in a mantis shrimp and you would think the eco system but a week later both sharks died. No chemicals were added and the flow of the tank was perfect for them. There had been some bites on the side of the sharks but it didn't look like it would kill the sharks. A month after i had came back to my tank being perfect except for my morah. It was gone!!! I had the company that built the tank ATM come by and help but they couldn't find out where it had gone!

[JakeMallowFilms]

Your CUC might've eaten it?

[averyprimas]

Its not there! I checked its just gone!

[cloak]

Your CUC might've eaten it?

or your dog... (if you have one)

Moray eels are great escape artists. Maybe it got out of the tank and one of your pets ate it. It happens all the time.

[averyprimas]

No I only have a nanny who comes in on weekends.

[averyprimas]

Im going to ask my nanny if she ate it. Idk. The tank is perfect other than the pistol shrimp. There hard to remove.

[fishgate]

Possibly in a drain pipe?

[averyprimas]

I have checked the drain pipe. Filter, powerbeads everything! Not hiding in the sand or behind rock I think please help!

[RJT]

If you checked the floor around the tank and every rock, plumbing and equipment and the eel is not found it could only have died then eaten by the tank inhabitants.

Even in a 300g there are only a few places a 1 foot eel can hide and you checked all of them.

[RJT]

What made the bites on the sharks?

[cloak]

Just out of curiosity, but with that many predators in a tank, would there be such a thing as a CUC? I would think that they would have picked the tank clean, no? Just a thought.

[ca1ore]

Fish can be reduced to nothing in pretty short order - even a big one.

[averyprimas]

Yes. I have a clean up crew on weekends and they can't even figure it out. I have a high security monitor around the tank and they didn't take it. It has only been a week since it is missing and no sign of it being eaten.

[MMacro]

By clean up crew he means snails, crabs, shrimp, etc.

[averyprimas]

I understand haha. Sorry for my wording I meant that people do come in but my snails, crabs would not affect the eel.

[fishgate]

You know what they say... "That's a Moray"....

[Ratpack]

I understand haha. Sorry for my wording I meant that people do come in but my snails, crabs would not affect the eel.

They wouldn't affect it if it were alive, but if it had died, they can make a pretty quick meal out of it. That is why they are called a clean up crew.

[rjd0521]

I had a moray and like you it was gone one day. Could not find the little guy anywhere. I even moved all the live rocks. Anyway months later, I broke down my tank and in the process of moving the tank out, I found the moray all dried up under the stand.

[toothybugs]

Judging from past experience with my snowflake, I would check under your bed, on top of the bookshelf, in your shoes, etc.

I found mine a full room away, behind the couch. Wife will not let me get another one, ever again.

[RJT]

Judging from past experience with my snowflake, I would check under your bed, on top of the bookshelf, in your shoes, etc.

I found mine a full room away, behind the couch. Wife will not let me get another one, ever again.

That's a creepy story. I hope you have a four legged pet.

[syngraves]

reading this i think im more concerned as to what killed your sharks... I wouldnt totally rely on automated systems either. routine manual checks of the tank can help prevent bad thing if one automated system fails.

[Heisenreef]

reading this i think im more concerned as to what killed your sharks... I wouldnt totally rely on automated systems either. routine manual checks of the tank can help prevent bad thing if one automated system fails.

My money is on the Puffer taking bites out of the sharks tails. Then infection killing them off.

[coralsnaked]

Maybe the sharks ate the eel. You know what they say about bad Sushi !

[gone fishin]

I'm taking the nanny with a candle stick.

[ed102475]

I'm taking the nanny with a candle stick.
+1 lol

[Airborne12B]

"That's a Moray"....

That made me let out a brisks "Ha!". I love a good play on words lol. In regards to the moray, if you have checked every plumb line and all around the tank it has to be the CUC. I don't know how many times I've been spooked out by the speed of a fish's disappearance. In fresh and salt the rate that nature can consume itself is astonishing. Eventually I find a piece of skull or something. I know it's not the best answer, or the one you want to hear, but I'm putting 20 grand on black that's what happened. I'm genuinely bummed for your loss brother.

[kurfer]

This thread is cracking me up! Poor Moray...

[morgan175]

Am I the only person who cares about the mantis shrimp. I think he is the culprit. What kind is he. Nasty nasty bugers they are

[fishgate]

That made me let out a brisks "Ha!". I love a good play on words lol.

Well at least a couple of people got it. I think most are still scratching their heads though. I'm old. :bum:

[LefkoNJ]

Mantis shrimp is my guess. Those things are vicious and could easily eat a smaller eel and damage the Sharks.

[R1ant04]

mantis shrimp is my guess. Those things are vicious and could easily eat a smaller eel and damage the sharks.

+1

[FranktheTankTx]

+2 One of the darkest, stealth, & most salty predators in existence.

[ricky512]

Most likely it died and other creatures in your tank ate it. Make sure to check all your pipes

[johnike]

http://i345.photobucket.com/albums/p361/john_eichwedel/moray.jpg (http://s345.photobucket.com/user/john_eichwedel/media/moray.jpg.html)