How Does A Fish Just Disapear From The Tank?

[Starletta]

I bought a purple Glo-fish last week to keep my single Glo-fish company.   Within minutes of putting him in, he was gone.  disappeared.....    I looked with a magnifying glass.. My husband checked and the fish is simply gone.  
 
I  have 2 Pleckos and 2 High Finned Tetras - These are the only fish bigger than the Glo-fish.
Rest are 7 Neon Tetras, and a small female Betta, plus 3 Peppered Cories....     I have a hood on my tank, but even checked the ground just in case.  No sign of him/her anywhere....    Any ideas how a fish simply vanishes? 

 

[the_lock_man]

Three options
 
1) It jumped out - I once had an amano shrimp disappear from my tank, I found its body 3 years later 2 feet away under the sofa.
2) It got eaten. Unlikely in your instance
3) It's still in there. Somewhere.
 
Or possibly
4) Kidnapped by aliens. Again unlikely.

 

[ech0o]

LOL, there is one other explanation, have you checked inside the filter?  The filter is the number one culprit of missing fish.  (I guess that resides under option 3)
 
The only other thing is maybe is didn't do well after you put it into the tank, and made its way to the bottom sick/dieing, and the pleco mistook him for debris on the bottom of the tank.  That is the only way I see a pleco gobbling another fish up.

 

[Supraman]

Jeez lock man haven't you ever watched supernatural? It's ferries not aliens gah!

Haha I'd say its option 3

 

[techen]

More than likely it's jump if your fish tank has no lid. People fail to notice that fish jump all the time, you always take the risk with a open tank.

 

[the_lock_man]

Assuming the Glofish(R) is the type manufactured from a zebra danio, they are very good jumpers, and even with a lid, they are plenty quick enough to jump out, and land quite some way away, and this is easily missable.
 
(Pssst, Techy, the tank does have a lid).

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Do not give short shrift the explanation #4, I have had too many fish simply vanish over the years. Scientists at NASA have know about the planet Aqurefugia for many years. They are just not telling us.......
 
When a fish is weak or dead, tankmates of all sizes can reduce it to a skull and scales pretty fast. I have found a pile of scales and skeleton a few times, more often you can find nothing at all.

 

[Starletta]

Three options
 
1) It jumped out - I once had an amano shrimp disappear from my tank, I found its body 3 years later 2 feet away under the sofa.
2) It got eaten. Unlikely in your instance
3) It's still in there. Somewhere.
 
Or possibly
4) Kidnapped by aliens. Again unlikely.

It probably jumped as I was getting the other new fish in. But, I looked everywhere.   Although, I did have a red Glo-Fish disappear some time back and found him dried up and stuck to one of the tank decorations that I had stashed away. Perhaps he died and was on the decoration when I put it away?
 
He can't be in the tank... It's 20 gallons, and I did a 25 percent water change and stripped the tank of all decorations.  Plus vacuumed.
 

LOL, there is one other explanation, have you checked inside the filter?  The filter is the number one culprit of missing fish.  (I guess that resides under option 3)
 
The only other thing is maybe is didn't do well after you put it into the tank, and made its way to the bottom sick/dieing, and the pleco mistook him for debris on the bottom of the tank.  That is the only way I see a pleco gobbling another fish up.

I'll have to check the filter. I have the type that hangs over the side...  
 
He was gone within minutes of putting him in... vanished...   He was alive and kicking when I put him in... Not listless nor sick looking.    Time to check the filter and scour the ground again. This is really bugging me..

 

[dgwebster]

Three options
 
1) It jumped out - I once had an amano shrimp disappear from my tank, I found its body 3 years later 2 feet away under the sofa.

Jeez dude, move that sofa and vacuum under it at least once a month!

 

[cleckey812]

Jeez lock man haven't you ever watched supernatural? It's ferries not aliens gah!Haha I'd say its option 3

Fight the fairies!

 

[Noahsfish]

Several things I would like to ask you. First of all did you acclimate the fish? If not then it's very likely he simply died and either got eaten or is in a hard to find spot. or, like said he could've jumped out.

I bought a purple Glo-fish last week to keep my single Glo-fish company.   Within minutes of putting him in, he was gone.  disappeared.....    I looked with a magnifying glass.. My husband checked and the fish is simply gone.  
 
I  have 2 Pleckos and 2 High Finned Tetras - These are the only fish bigger than the Glo-fish.
Rest are 7 Neon Tetras, and a small female Betta, plus 3 Peppered Cories....     I have a hood on my tank, but even checked the ground just in case.  No sign of him/her anywhere....    Any ideas how a fish simply vanishes?

Not to change the subject but 2 plecos don't really have any business in a 20, even BNs. Maybe if you had clown plecos. Also you need to fix your schools of tetras and corys, upping them to at least 4 and preferably 6. With this stocking I'd do water changes every other day or once every three days. Again, I'd rehome the plecos.

 

[Supraman]

You fight those ferries!

Ok I'm done haha

 

[TallTree01]

My theory is,
1) fish jumped and you can't find it
2) fish died and then was eaten
3) fish abducted by aliens
4) fish fell through sinkhole
5) aliens invaded your house and vaporized fish
6) fish died and then was abducted
7) The_Lock_Man stole your fish and then tried to blame it on the aliens.

 

[Supraman]

It's not aliens! It's ferries!

Watch season 6 episode 9 of supernatural, the episode is called clap your hands if you believe.

If you cannot laugh through out that episode you have no soul just like sam.

 

[Starletta]

 

Three options
 
1) It jumped out - I once had an amano shrimp disappear from my tank, I found its body 3 years later 2 feet away under the sofa.

Jeez dude, move that sofa and vacuum under it at least once a month!
 

LOL....   Good one!         

Several things I would like to ask you. First of all did you acclimate the fish? If not then it's very likely he simply died and either got eaten or is in a hard to find spot. or, like said he could've jumped out.

I bought a purple Glo-fish last week to keep my single Glo-fish company.   Within minutes of putting him in, he was gone.  disappeared.....    I looked with a magnifying glass.. My husband checked and the fish is simply gone.  
 
I  have 2 Pleckos and 2 High Finned Tetras - These are the only fish bigger than the Glo-fish.
Rest are 7 Neon Tetras, and a small female Betta, plus 3 Peppered Cories....     I have a hood on my tank, but even checked the ground just in case.  No sign of him/her anywhere....    Any ideas how a fish simply vanishes?

Not to change the subject but 2 plecos don't really have any business in a 20, even BNs. Maybe if you had clown plecos. Also you need to fix your schools of tetras and corys, upping them to at least 4 and preferably 6. With this stocking I'd do water changes every other day or once every three days. Again, I'd rehome the plecos.
 

When I put the Glo-Fish in, I had two Pleckos in the same tank. I was just trying to explain exactly what I had in at the time of the disappearance.  Someone else mentioned that two were too many, so the other Plecko is now in a 10 gallon.  I did acclimate the Glo-Fish.    Which fish would you up? I have 7 Neon Tetras, 3 Peppered Cories, and 2 High Finned Tetras. Again, this is a 20 gallon tank. In addition, one female Betta and the one Plecko.   Thanks...

My theory is,
1) fish jumped and you can't find it
2) fish died and then was eaten
3) fish abducted by aliens
4) fish fell through sinkhole
5) aliens invaded your house and vaporized fish
6) fish died and then was abducted
7) The_Lock_Man stole your fish and then tried to blame it on the aliens.

I'd say Number 1 is probably the correct answer.             
I took apart the filter this afternoon and no sign of him anywhere.  I've since vacuumed my floors, so I can't even look for him again.