Something gone wrong

rapt0r32

rapt0r32

Member
Been awhile since I have been here... so hello to everyone again... I woke up to a HORRIBLE morning... Let me give you alittle background because I am scratching my head on this one...
I have a 55 gallon tank. It has been up at stable for almost a year now... 11 months to be exact... What I did have in the tank was a Coral beauty, a small ( and I mean small ) yellow tang 1 yellow tail damsel ( still left over from the beginning and I was tearing apart my tank to catch him but never did so I left him... and 2 small clowns... As for inverts I had one cleaner, 3 hermits, 2 emerald crabs, and 2 snails... Well last night I picked up one Coral banded shrimp ( worms are getting out of control ) another Cleaner and a Choc Starfish and a Skimmer.... All was well last night... noone bothered anyone everyone kept to themselves... I wake up this morning to my GF screaming for me because the tang was being eaten ( by the crabs )... So I dig him out ( lights are still off ) and 10 min later she finds the beauty dead ( wedged inbetween rocks like something had stuffed it for later )... So I get him out.... Kick on the lights because I had just lost 2 fish in under 24 hours...Well nothing looked bad... Clowns still there... Shrimps everything looked fine... 1 hour later... they are munchin on the yellow tail... I ran my tests.... All a go 8.2 on PH, nitrIte was at 0.00 ppm NitrAte was at 0 ppm and the Ammonia was at 0... Last water change was 2 weeks ago... It has me alittle distrubed that 3 fish gone in less than 24 hours.... Any thoughts???
( one more thing: there was no sign of ick )
 
rapt0r32

rapt0r32

Member
I hate to say this... but I use nothing... This is so odd to me.. I am scratching my head... everyone was swimming happily last night before the lights went off... No heavy breathing... No fast paced swimming... basically just hanging out at the bar... and BOOM it is the remains of WW3....
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
just a guess here but it sure sounds like predation. It all happend after adding a BCS and Choc star.
Or possibly the skimmer changed a few things you didn't measure.
 
rapt0r32

rapt0r32

Member
Yea I thought of that... but for a healthy Tang and the coral to go out as well as a Yellow tail? We all know those things can make it thru a nuke war... Maybe the Skimmer threw something off that I didn't test for but I always figured the inverts would be the first to go since they are so sensitive.... I am still sitting here scratching my head.... It could have been the Star and the CBS must have been one heck of a tag team....
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by Rapt0r32
...
It could have been the Star and the CBS must have been one heck of a tag team....
especially on the first night before the others knew about them. I have seen my CBS clamp on to my tang and be dragged half way across the tank. Now they are used to each other and even share the back side of the rocks at night. Also saw the CBS pinch a new madrian. The madrain had a wound between the eyes and never recovered. So perhaps the tanksmates just didn't have time to get used to each other.
Choc star I have never had but understand thay can eat about anything. So a sleeping fish may have been wonded or not realized about the star until it was too late. the star could have been and was not used to your feeding him yet.
And again sorry about your losses.
 
rapt0r32

rapt0r32

Member
Maybe that is why the little guy is hanging out under a rock and barely coming out.... He must know I am HIGHLY upset....
The vision of one jumping on the tang made me laugh though... Maybe the tang was offering "fishy back " rides.... Ok Ok bad joke
but still a funny sight to see I guess...
 
jrittz

jrittz

Member
I've heard CBS and Choc Stars can be aggressive. Not that it's always the case. This is the very reason I held off from buying the CBS. Aggressive shrimp they are. :yes: It definately doesnt appear to be caused by bad water conditions.
Just my 2 cents.
Jrittz
 
rapt0r32

rapt0r32

Member
Well so far no more deaths reported here. That CBS sure made a statement I guess.. Though he is still in hiding and is not coming out much... Water is still looking good...Live and learn I guess
 
i_derby63

i_derby63

New Member
Rapt-- I feel your pain! I had a 10 gal in college and same thing happened...picked up a CBS and added to the sole inhabitant- a Coral Beauty. 3 days later, I awoke and saw the CBS munching away...one pincher had the head and the other had a hold of the tail. Needless to say, I received store credit for the CBS when I returned him from his 3 day buffet trip!
I have a 55 gal now, set up just over a year and had a yellow tang for about 5 months. One day I noticed he was missing and noticed something had drug him under a rock and started nibbling on the belly of the fish. The only shrimp I had in the 55 was a camel. It lasted about 2 months...did you know that when a bristle worm eats a camel shrimp, you can actually see the color patterns of the shrimp inside of the worm?
Contemplating adding a few emerald crabs, a shrimp or two(not sure what type to go with), and a few fish for color...still shopping.
 
lesleybird

lesleybird

Active Member

Originally posted by Rapt0r32
Maybe that is why the little guy is hanging out under a rock and barely coming out.... He must know I am HIGHLY upset....
The vision of one jumping on the tang made me laugh though... Maybe the tang was offering "fishy back " rides.... Ok Ok bad joke
but still a funny sight to see I guess...
Maybe he lied and said he was a cleaner shrimp!
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
As I understand it, when fish become destressed they will wedge themselves under rocks or between fingers in a dead coral decoration. I guess it is kinda for protection. That may explain why some of the fish here wedged themselves under the rocks. At that point they also become easy prey for all types of stuff including the worms and pods as mentioned.
 
rapt0r32

rapt0r32

Member

Originally posted by Lesleybird
Maybe he lied and said he was a cleaner shrimp!

Excuse me Mr. Tang I am a cleaner... I am here to eat ummm err clean your back... yea thats it....
 
velocity

velocity

Member
get a video camer that has night vision and place it on front of ur tank and focus it so u can see the whole tank clearly and then in the morning watch it and see what the CC stafish does.
 
rapt0r32

rapt0r32

Member
I thought about doing that. heck I need a Video cam anyhow... but why spend on that when I can buy MORE saltwater stuff.. LOL... No really.. I am thinking about that. So far so good with everyone. No new deaths so I think everything should be alright.
The CB was suppose to help me with a bristle issue that seems to be taking place. I read somewhere that they loved worms. So far the little guy hasn't done his job. Now if I can only get the S/O to quit feeding the worms. She has them trained. :nervous:
 
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