Unexplained fish losses.....

wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
I have had several losses that I can not explain . While some have been evident(i.e. carpet surfing) most just go on unexplained. Really just vanishing. No trace of the MIA fish nothing. In the past three months I have lost 4 fish. A 3in hippo, 2 green chromise and now my beloved female Bangaii cardinal, Edith, Archie is definitely upset..(OK but I am). Any way. I have a feeling I know the culprit though I really dont want it to be so. I have a 12in serpent starfish. I have had him for soooo long now. The oldest inhabitant of my reef in fact. I don't really want to believe he is the killer. But it is in fact the only explanation I have. I have had these mysterious losses off and on for a very long time. I guess what I'm wanting is some confirmation that there's not something else. I will be pulling him from the tank tonight at feeding, placing him in my fuge as I have a couple very nice fish ready to come out of QT and go into the display. I don't want more casualties if he is in fact the culprit. I don't want this to turn into a SS bashing thread either. He has been a great addition. I will not be getting rid of him unless after removal I have no more unexplained MIA's. What I'm wanting to know is has anyone actually ever witnessed a SS catching a sleeping fish. Also, how many other people have experienced MIA's whith a SS, only to have had them (long term after) cease to occur after removal of the SS. Additionally how many people experience unexplained MIA's with or without SS?. I'll post a poll.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Especially if it is a green serpent. Known killers and to be avoided by all accounts from those that know first hand.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3009453
Especially if it is a green serpent. Known killers and to be avoided by all accounts from those that know first hand.
+1, esp if it was a green
Not mine, but a pic I remembered I had saved.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
I have only had one fish "disappear" a Royal Gramma...I had no serpent star at the time. So who knows.
I did get a black serpent a while back, but have not ever seen it again...day or night...so I am guessing it is also mia
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
If I miss a fish I know the anemone ate it. I have a green brittle star, they don't have a rep for killing fish do they?
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Unfortunately they do. However many things in this hobby are not what they seem. For instance the great pic provided here. Looking at that, one may conclude that the SS killed and is now eating the fish. It certainly looks that way, but we don't know this for sure. This fish may have died and now the SS is cleaning it up. This is exactly how sooooo many myths are involved with this hobby. It is so difficult to determine the facts sometimes. It will be three years in July I've had this guy, and I have had many MIA's. For me at least, if removal ends this, I will be convinced. The problem is, I really love this thing and mine is a beast....Mine is a green one BTW.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3009630
I have only had one fish "disappear" a Royal Gramma...I had no serpent star at the time. So who knows.
I did get a black serpent a while back, but have not ever seen it again...day or night...so I am guessing it is also mia

Possibly it ate itself. The black ones have a reputation for doing that when stressed....
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Theres just so much weird stuff out there in this hobby that it becomes easy to believe when you hear weird things. Like for instance, now this is not a joke. Ask ophiura about it if you don't believe it. Some brittle starfish have tiny little lenses on their platelets.m Connected to the central disk with nerve endings. This is believed to give these animals at least a simple form of sight....these means essentially they may be able to see with their exoskeleton. All over their entire body. Possibly that little piece of an arm hanging out of the rock is it looking at you...An Eye with legs and a mouth....No doubt.
Heres a pic of one of the tiny platelets.
 
sk8fergy

sk8fergy

Member
I have had fish go missing only to return weeks later. My chisel tooth wrasse and most recently my yellow watchman. The latter makes me mad because i got a replacement for him and then 2 weeks later they were both staring at me waiting for food.
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
Oh great! I have 3 green serents in my 125g tank. I haven't had any fish disappear since I put them in 6 months ago. Not even my clown goby who hides in the rock right next to them. I wonder if they aren't opportunists who get a bad rap because they are the first to find and eat dead/dying fish.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by mantisman51
http:///forum/post/3009814
Oh great! I have 3 green serents in my 125g tank. I haven't had any fish disappear since I put them in 6 months ago. Not even my clown goby who hides in the rock right next to them. I wonder if they aren't opportunists who get a bad rap because they are the first to find and eat dead/dying fish.
Hence this discussion....
 
K

kikithemermaid

Guest
I've had a green chromis, sixline wrasse, and flametail blenny all disappear within a year.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
A quote from Wet Web Media;
"One species in common use warrants a statutory warning. This is the Green Brittle Star of the genus Ophiarachna. This animal is a predatory fish eater, that does indeed do a spiffy janitorial job when small... but grows quickly, and under darkness of night can/does learn to eat aquarium fishes. This species has been documented to arch up in "sleeping caves" of captive fishes and drop down on unsuspecting meals. If you use this species, keep an eye on it, and a count on your piscine livestock."
 
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