Help! Missing Fish!!

[Snailbuddy]

Hi - it's me again with a new, but worse problem. Over the past few weeks I have fish disappearing - not a trace! MIA: bicolour psudochromus, scooter blenny, christmas wrasse, 2 cleaner shrimp and now I can't locate the bi-colour blenny! They haven't jumped out, no dead bodies, can't possibly hide that long - 50 gal tank. So, do I have an evil, unseen predator? Remaining fish are coral beauty, mandarin goby, yellowheaded sleeper goby, 2 cleaner shrimp. Have assorted corals: fox, candy cane, colt, various zoos, various xenias, various mushrooms, sun coral, coco worm, feather dusters, snails, & 1 small emerald crab which I haven't seen for a while. I have heard several loud snapping noises . . . could it be that there is a mantis shrimp in the tank? I've never seen anything like that at any time of the day or night, but I know they can hide well. Any suggestions would be welcome.

[kevzilla]

Sounds like a mantis shrimp to me. Its probaly made a home in the rocks and they are mean sobs. If you see it take a pic or discribe it to us and I am sorry to hear about the fish you lost.

[kevzilla]

If you have a quaratine tank you should put the remaining survivors in there until you locate it.

[Snailbuddy]

Yeah, I think you're right about the mantis . . . yay - they are pure evil! I know what they look like! I do have another tank, but it's cycling after the "Bosnia" incident (long story), so . . . If I had time, I'd pull the tank apart rock by rock until I found the monster, but I've pulled jury duty (3 weeks) and am also working - long hours, but I have tanks to support and need the money! I'll check Bosnia again, maybe the parameters are ok . . . or, could possibly set up another tank quickly, I think I have enough equipment to do that! Thanks for your help, I'll let you know what I find, and if I can locate my camera will definitely take a pic!

[thordarj]

Definitely sounds like a Mantis Shrimp. I helped a friend on a search and destroy for a single one that wiped out 6 fish a couple of years ago. Not to be negative here, but rock by rock might not even be good enough to find a mantis shrimp. They can hide in holes so small you wouldn't even consider them. The only way we found his little monster is that he spotted it and the hole it was calling home. Good luck with it.

[Snailbuddy]

Oh argh! Well, I'll try trapping the monster . . . you never know, might get lucky! I'm trying to catch the remaining fish so they can join a witness protection program!

[Cutter]

I've never had to deal with one of these guys before and what I'm about to suggest may to more harm than good.

Could you fresh water dip your rock to try and make it jump out or would that just strip way to much life off of the rock?

[Snailbuddy]

Yup, a freshwater dip would likely work, sometimes they just stay in the rock anyway. Regardless, it will require pulling apart the entire rock work in the tank, about 60 lbs. The snapping is from the far back corner of the tank, yikes! I have been thinking about it, and will pull an all nighter with a red light on the tank, if one is in there it'll probably come out and then I can grab him - hopefully! I hate to pull the rock apart because the corals have grown and connected up with neighbouring rocks . . . there would be some mighty cranky corals!

[kevzilla]

becareful those things can smash your hand up really good. I would suggest looking for ideas for traps on the internet. Those things are really tough and I only know of a few preds that can kill them mostly large wrasses,triggers, and the really deadly blue ring octopuss because its the only octopuss that is injects venom into its prey. The venom is so deadly it can kill a human and there is no cure for it.

[Snailbuddy]

Well, I can tell you for sure that I won't be getting one of those octopus! OK, I will start looking for trap ideas . . . not to worry, I know how bad the mantis are, I wouldn't actually grab it :roflmao: Good warning, though. Some might not know better! Wish me luck!!!