Killer Anemone?

nemo's mom

nemo's mom

Member
I bought a White Sebae Anemone about a month ago. Since then my Goby and my bicolored blenny have disappeared. I've never heard of an anemone "eating" fish but I had my Goby for 9 months and my blenny for about 6. I can't think of another logical explanation for their disappearance. Any suggestions? I've heard of Gobies jumping out of tanks but I don't buy that they both jumped within a couple of weeks of each other.... :notsure:
 
xdave

xdave

Active Member
I had a white sebae for years and I never lost a fish to it, including blennies or gobies. It would probably take days for him to eat a whole fish. After it digested it the anemone would shrink up and there'd be rings of goop coming out from around the foot.
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Of course anemones can eat fish, carpet anemones are especially good at it.
 
nemo's mom

nemo's mom

Member
What else could be the reason I lost 2 fish without a trace? The only other thing in there is a brittle star. I really can't see him eating either of the fish and they've lived together for about 6 months....
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Other than the anemone a good cleanup crew including bristle worms can make short work of a dead fish. Check your ammonia levels to see if there was a spike.
 
nemo's mom

nemo's mom

Member
well, I bought 2 firefish gobies tonight. We'll see if they disappear....I REALLY wanted another Mandarin Dragonet Goby though
. If anything else goes missing the anemone goes back to the store!!!
 
jmick

jmick

Active Member
Originally Posted by Nemo's Mom
I bought a White Sebae Anemone about a month ago. Since then my Goby and my bicolored blenny have disappeared. I've never heard of an anemone "eating" fish but I had my Goby for 9 months and my blenny for about 6. I can't think of another logical explanation for their disappearance. Any suggestions? I've heard of Gobies jumping out of tanks but I don't buy that they both jumped within a couple of weeks of each other.... :notsure:
Did you do any research on anenomes before you bought it? I find it hard to believe that a healthy fish would fall prey to your anenome but it's possible....
 
xdave

xdave

Active Member
...especially gobbies and/or blennies, its not like they wouldnt know what an anemone is.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
IMO, its very possible that the anemone ate the fish. Especially because Heteractis sp. feed mainly on small, weak fish in the wild...its what they do, catch and eat fish.....if the anemone moves around then that can also increase the possiblity.
An established fish that is used to a tank and knows it like the back of your hand ( so to speak ) and is not aware of a newly introduced anemone often will fall prey to them. They can get spooked into them or current blown, ect.
Especially, smaller, weaker swimmers such as gobies and blennies that dont have the stength or acrobatic abilities to escape them once there in the grasp of the anemones...Ofcourse I cant say for sure that that is what happend to yours, just that its is possible....
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
It is absolutely possible that those fish were anemone snacks. Depending on the size of the anemone, it wouldn't take long for him to ingest a goby or a blenny. They can make short order of some good sized silverside chunks.
My GBTA went back to the store after having had him 2 years, because of a similar occurrence.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Originally Posted by xDave
there'd be rings of goop coming out from around the foot.
:thinking: :notsure:
 
nemo's mom

nemo's mom

Member
Well, it's in the corner of the tank behind a tall rock so I can't see if it's "pooping". I know it wasn't my brittle. We have crabs crawling over him and he doesn't harm anything. My new fish made it through the night at any rate :jumping:
 
nemo's mom

nemo's mom

Member
Anemone cleared of Bicolored Pseudocromis death....I just found him under my tank when I went to get some seaweed
. It's still a suspect in Gobies death however....
 
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