Re-Arrange My Tank?

texasjenn

texasjenn

Member
I have a question. I have mysteriously "lost" two fish, one a maroon clown, and just the other day, my very healthy and beautiful Coral Beauty. Now I'm worried. It's possible that I have a dangerous place under my live rock that can potentially trap fish and then they die down there. I'm about ready to break down the whole thing and search around for a cause, and rebuild. But my question is: What do you think the best way to do this is without stressing everyone to death? I have a 65 gallon tank with a base of LS, on which is placed a very large piece of limestone rock, and on and around that are placed my LR. I have a reef setup, with only calm fish, mostly corals, inverts. Any suggestions?
 
robchuck

robchuck

Active Member
Here's a suggestion for searching through your tank: Set up some Rubbermaid containers or buckets near the tank. Siphon some water out of your tank into the containers and move your LR and corals into these containers until you've found the root of your problem.
It may also be possible that you have a preditor lurking in your rock. Have you noticed clicking sounds at all, or has anything else disappeared from your tank?
 
texasjenn

texasjenn

Member
Wouldn't I see a Mantis Shrimp eventually? I mean, I look at the tank often, even at night with a flashlight! I never hear any clicking noises either.... I guess it's always possible. I like the idea of siphoning off some water and moving things into that for a while. I'll be bummed if I've got a mantis tho, I hate those guys! So far, I've lost my Yellow watchman Goby, my maroon clown, and my Coral Beauty. The just like apparated or something...
 
scottbythesea

scottbythesea

Member
You may have jumpers and a round cat......Is your intakes screened once pulled a large clown through a canister and a another up a power head,wasn't pretty.
Glued baby screen on every thing after that one.
ScottbytheSea
 
texasjenn

texasjenn

Member
:confused: OK, I filled up a twelve gallon spare tank with siphoned water from my show tank, and moved all that needed to move. Then I CAREFULLY (the words Mantis Shrimp got my attention) moved and arranged and searched through the limestone for anything suspicious. NOTHING! And I mean NOTHING! Not even my long lost fish. NEway, I took the opportunity to clean where it was hard to before, and rearrange to a more pleasing arrangement.
Now I'm really disturbed :notsure: , will I lose more fish? Is this an X-File? Mulder, where are you?
 
texasjenn

texasjenn

Member
My tank has been set up for four months. Specific gravity 1.021, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, 0 amonia, temp 80. I do a 10% water change every 10 days or so. I watch the attitudes of my animals very carefully to make sure everyone is happy. I know that I am a newbie, that's why I watch it so closely.
 
clarkiiboi

clarkiiboi

Active Member
What's in your clean up crew? Like said, they may of taken care of it, if its a decent crew. I know that still dont answer why they disappeared, but may answer where they went.
Do you have an anemone? Again, maybe why you dont see them.
Have you checked behind and around the tank?
Just a few thoughts. IMO, off topic kinda, your sg is on the lower side, try rasing to .024-.025 range with the next few water changes.
 
texasjenn

texasjenn

Member
Cleanup crew: tiger star, skunk shrimp, coral banded shrimp, blue lobster, small hermit crabs. I have moved everything, and re-arranged, no luck.
But last night I caught the lobster eating one of my hermit crabs. I guess he caught him and drug him out of his shell. He's so outta there!
 
elpezgrande

elpezgrande

Member
I've read several posts on this board about homicidal coral banded shrimp. It is possible that he killed your fish and the rest of the clean up crew finished them off.
 
scottbythesea

scottbythesea

Member
Do you target feed your lobster or other aggressive crusties?
If you don't give them what they need they take it......Don't forget they also need Traces of certain substances like Iodine and such agaian if they don't get it they no where tooo

[hr]
.
Nori(seaweed sheets) them each a little piece each day and directly feed them meaty foods also....enough only.....They play nicer that way.
Scottbythesea
 
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