Magic Fish??

[jbfastlane]

Ok - here's another story I'm sure you've heard. I have a pretty new 75 gal. reef setup - 2 months old. I started with live rock and live sand. Water is running great. I run a Tetratec 500, Seaclone protein skimmer and 2 powerheads. Good water movement and filtration. Alk, ammonia, PH, Nitrites, Nitrates and clacium are all fine. Salinity is 1.023 constant...temp runs 75-78 as the house varies a little.
I added a few red legged crabs, hermits, 2 stars and 11 turbo snails and a peppermint shrimp. Everything was still fine. A couple of weeks later I added 2 damsels. That night the smaller of the 2 disappeared. Then I added another damsel, a yellow tang and a scooter blenny. The damsel again disappeared. I then added 2 percula clowns and another domino damsel and a psuedochromium??? (Purple fish about 3 inches long). I have since lost the 2 damsels and the psuedo and a clown.
I've lost 6 fish - so tonight I got mad and moved the reef rock by rock looking for any sign of the dead fish. NOTHING!! My LFS tells me to bring in a water sample........I won't go there.
I have seen a bristle worm about 3-5" or so. Otherwise there is NOTHING large enough to eat a clownfish WHOLE. No parts unlike the crabs which I found quite a few eaten. Also about 5 snails are missing.
Can someone give me a wide-a$$ed guess where my fish are??
Let me also say - I've check the pumps and the filters and my top is covered - they have jumped out. Also although I have 2 cats - they have plead innocent to any moonlight fishing trips.
I can understand fish dying - I am reasonable. But where are the bodies?? WHOLE fish don't just disappear do they?? I've lost over $65 in fish so far and counting.
HELP - I'm confused.

 

[dburr]

I think you need to ssslllooowww dddooowwwnnn!!!!!!!!!!
All them fish in that little time?
Is it possible they are dying and getting chowed by hermits/worms when your not home? They can drag the body under a rock and chow. Their little bones are hard to see.
Maybe a mantis shimp? Do you hear clicking at night?
Whoa, I re-read your post, what do you mean a red-legged crab? It's not a hermit? Is it predatory?
Anything else you can think of?

 

[jbfastlane]

Let me clarify - I may have mis-led the number of fish.
First off - the reef cleaner package I bought was:
10 Turbo Snails
2 Peppermint shrimp
2 sand sifting sea stars
8 scarlet reef hermit crabs
6 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs
The crabs are about dime sized in their shells - small.
Let's take my fish inventory as of 10pm last night when the lights went out: 1 tang, 1 scooter blenny, 2 percula clows, 1 damsel, 1 psuedochrome whatever. 6 fish total is the most I've had in the tank. This morning when the lights came on the psuedochrome and 1 clown are gone. The previously mentioned damsels - I just kept replacing the same 2 and lost 4 of the 5 I purchased.
Hope that's clearer. Like I said I notice these missing fish within 10-12 hours and can't find a body. Tonight I moved every rock and all I found was several of the scarlet crabs dead outside their shells and 3-4 of the snails as well. The clown was about 2.5 inches - not small enough to be eaten in 10 hours......??
Am I wrong?? This is getting very frustrating.

 

[thomas712]

Can you say MANTIS! SHRIMP!
Tell us about your live rock where did you get it
Thomas

 

[jbfastlane]

I got my live rock at a local Kansas City fish store. They have the reputation as the best around. I have 40# of base rock and 35# of live rock - mostly Fiji type I think. I was well cured and I didn't have any problems when I added it to my tank.
Mantis Shrimp. I will research. Will the Mantis get ALL fish or just smaller ones? Hell at this point if it eats the Tang and the clown I might just flush the whole tank and fill it with goldfish!!!!!!!!

 

[thomas712]

Tonight keep a flashlight handy. Listen to the tank in the dark and if you hear a clicking noise like someone rapping a dime or quarter against your tank.....well....that the calling card of the mantis shrimp. Sounds like you have one. When you turn the lights off and that many fish and inverts get killed and you can find no bodies you might have a mantis. And yes he can eat most anything in your tank.
here is a link for you.
http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/
Thomas

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

YUP! itz gotta be a mantis man... they are DEADLY. they can eat fish just as big as them... its krazy... take it out and be CAREFUL... dont wanna be bitten by them

 

[jbfastlane]

So I guess the next magic question is...........drum roll............
HOW DO YOU GET THE LITTLE SOB OUT???
Thanks for all your responses. I was told this was a very good site for info. I appreciate all the responses - I was beginning to tire of this saltwater fantasy already. Losing the money is bad, but the fish are worse. You kind of grow attached to the critters.
Thanks again.

 

[jbfastlane]

UPDATE!
Well last night I lost my striped damsel and I think my scooter blenny. All that's left to eat in the tank is the yellow tang and the percula and a couple of snails.
Maybe I just have to starve the little

[hr]
out when all the fish are gone. Frustration isn't even a strong enough word.