Hawkfish vanished...

[austinfish]

I have had to clean my tank weekly and scape off hair algea for months. I cleaned my tank 2 nights ago and since then I can not find my Hawkfish. I'm really upset... I have had this fish for 6 1/2 years! I moved around all the live rock, and found no trace of him. I will start testing my water just in case. Any ideas?? I hope I did not crush him when I was scaping off my rocks. The water gets really green and mucky.
Do these guys jump out. I'm really worried.
I'm sad.

 

[bluemarlin]

You tank turns green and mucky when you clean it? That sounds pretty bad. What are your water numbers for ammonia, ph, nitrites and trates? With algae cranking away like that in your tank it sounds like you have a problem with nitrates and phosphates. Its a wonder that the fish lasted so long.
I hope that it turns up ok but it sounds like you've spent alot of time already looking for it without success.

 

[claymore66]

hay austin, do you have any carpet anemones in your tank? I went through the same problem and found out it was my carpet anemone that was eating my fish. Needless to say it went back to the lfs. I lost 4 fish to this monster and one was my flame hawk. All of the fish I lost acted simular to a hawk. It took me about two weeks to find out what was happening. My son was the one who saw it munch my bi-color bleeny.It went back that day. Good luck and I feel for your loss.

 

[austinfish]

I don't have a carpet anemone, I can not seem to get an anemone to live.
All I can think is that he jumped out? And my fat cat ate every bit of him. I plan on searching the tank again tonight. I would think I'd find some portion of him if he died, He was big, almost 3 inches, he could not just vanish?
Thanks for your time in addressing this.

 

[gemini]

What else do you have in your tank? I just recently lost my hawk fish to my moray eel, I am fairly certain. I feel your loss

 

[austinfish]

I only have a tang, a really mean little fish that could not have eaten the hawk and a clown. The rest is hard and soft coral. He really just vanished into thin air. I plan on move rocks again tonight a look some more. He's just to big(3') to just vanish.
Sorry to hear about your loss. I wish I at least had a real idea what happened...

 

[gemini]

That is weird...I agree..the tang didn't do it unless he was a giant orange tang..oops sorry...Mr. Bubble sponge flashback...On a more serious note, I really liked my hawkfish..he was quite the character...I too checked all my live rock repeatedly but to no avail..am pretty certain the eel got him. I wish you the best of luck in finding him.

 

[brooklyn johnny]

How often do you do a head count? It doesn't take long for a dead fish to be picked apart to the bone, and in the case of a small hawkfish the skeleton would quickly disintegrate. My bet would be that he died and was picked apart or disintegrated before you noticed.

 

[gemini]

Brooklyn Johnny's right..it doesn't take long for the remains to disappear. My husband and I usually do a head count every morning but at times get busy and miss a day..My moray is a very aggressive eater. So far the only thing he's left alone has been the niger trigger I have in with him. Due to my ignorance, I've lost my hawkfish and an algae blenny. That's the only two things I have in that tank.