Missing fish?

[Luka]

Hello,

I have only had my tropical fish and the tank for a week now, however in that week some fish have started to go missing. 3 tetras and one guppy have mysteriously vanished with no sign of their bodies (we also checked the filter today with no luck). We have reason to believe they have been eaten by the playful yellow wrasse that sometimes chases other fish however he hasn't bloated as much as I'd expect for a fish who just ate 4 other fish. Perhaps they got stuck under a rock or something? Please help! Also it's implausible they jumped out of the tank.

Thanks.

Other fish present: Catfish, 2 mollies, 2 remaining tetras, 2 remaining guppies, one other yellow wrasse, two black widows and a Siamese fighting fish (**who appears to have its tail bitten off)

 

[Gypsum]

How big is the tank? And what kind of catfish is it?

 

[mcordelia]

Are there any fish in the tank whose mouths open large enough to fit a tetra into their mouth? (even if it seems like a tight or nearly impossible fit, it still counts) I realize this may seem like a silly question, but it's a rule of thumb that I've heard before when making decisions on what fish to keep together.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Is it a salt or fresh water aquarium?

Do you have pictures of the fish, including the yellow wrasse?
Wrasses are normally marine/ saltwater fish so I need to know what you have. The other fishes you mentioned are freshwater species.

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If the tank has only been set up for one week, the fish could be dying from ammonia poisoning and being eaten by the other fish.
Do you have a test kit to check the tank water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?

If you have a test kit, test the water and post the results here in numbers.

If you don't have a test kit, take a glass full of tank water and put it to one side with a lid on the container. Then do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate in the aquarium every day until we work out what is going on.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

After you have done a 75% water change and gravel clean today, take the glass/ sample of tank water to a pet shop and ask them to test it for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Write the results down in numbers when they do the tests. If the shop says the water is fine, ask them what the results are in numbers and write it down. Then post the results here.

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The Siamese fighting fish's tail has probably been bitten by the black widow tetras. Male fighting fish should be kept in a tank on their own to stop them being attacked by fin nippers like black widow tetras, serpae tetras, blind cave tetras, Beunos Aires tetras and tiger barbs. Keeping the male Betta separate also stops him going nuts and attacking other brightly colour fish like male guppies and gouramis.

If you have a spare 20+ litre container (storage container, bucket or tank) that is clean and has never had chemicals in, then I would move him into that so he is on his own. Otherwise look for a breeding net (available from any pet shop), and hang that in the tank and put the Betta in the breeding net to keep him safe.

 

[Colin_T]

LIGHTS
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

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The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth a ready when you have some spare time. I recommend printing it out and reading it in bed to help you fall asleep.

What to do if your fish gets sick

If your fish ever looks sick or unwell, then the following steps might help. Test the Water and Clean the Tank. Test the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and write the results down in numbers. Check it for general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH) too if you can, but...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Huscarl86]

Jesus, sounds like a big mess. Keeping all those fish together in a tank you've only had for a week? Talk about diving off in the deep end. Unfortunately my feeling is there is very little hope for your fish.