Mysterious Clownfish Disapearances

[SkiFletch]

And as in coral farmer, author, and conservationist Anthony Calfo. All one and the same. I'm sure if you google him you'll find a lot of stuff he's done over the years.

 

[chrissaysyes]

A big name indeed.

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

Any updates yet? I have been checking this thread several time a day to see if you got whatever is killing your fish. Best of luck and sorry for your loses!

 

[1entra]

UNfortunately still no luck with catching it. The first day of setting the bottle trap I woke up to find I'd caught my cleaner shrimp, a small hermit, and 3 snails but nothing I would class as the predator responsible! I let them out and reset it and have had nothing re-enter it until today where my Serpant Star is currently trapped inside it!

I plan on taking my tank apart tommorow, taking all the LR out and and giving it all a dip in firstly RO water followed shortly by a dip in a bucket of carbonated water and see what happens!

 

[Lynden]

You'd better be damn sure you're willing to take the risk...

 

[1entra]

Well even if I dont find anything and the whole ordeal was just a coincident due to mysterious water conditions it will at least re-assure me and give me peace of mind that at least I haven't got a predator. As I do not have that much livestock in the tank I am prepared to let the whole tank re-cycle and start from fresh if I have to to do; although it is a horrible thought; and know it was nothing than have more disapearances in the future and have to tear down my tank 6months down the line when it has matured and have regrets about not having got to the bottom of it now when I had the chance!

I hope you understand this reasoning!

 

[SkiFletch]

Wow, ummm please don't do a carbonated water dip... That's just asking for destruction of your rock and tank

 

[Lynden]

Perhaps you could "rent" an adult Thalassoma or Novaculichthys wrasse, similar to how freshwater keepers occasionally "rent" puffers to take out snail infestations. Those wrasses eat mantis shrimp regularly, and though they would probably eat some of your other inverts it'll cause less destruction than the re-cycle (or sheer loss of life) that dipping the rocks would. Add the wrasse, and turn the rocks over regularly... maybe put your inverts in quarantine while this is happening. Just a thought.

 

[1entra]

I dipped all my LR in firstly fresh RO water followed immediately by a carbonated water dip (both alsrin approx 1min each) last sunday (2 Dec) but to found nothing other than hundreds of dead tiny copepods/amphipods which was abit upsetting!

However I did not get a spike in anything and all my corals opened the next day and all my CUC seemed happy enough!

Well anyways the clicking all stopped as well until saturday evening (8 Dec) when I again heard several clicks come from the tank.

Well anyways yesterday evening (9 Dec) whilst looking in the tank I noticed 3 empty hermit crab shells lieing on the sand bed. I didnt think much of it until I noticed that next to 2 of the shells lay the front claws/legs of the hermits with a thin clear "film" of skin attached to where the body used to be. It looked like the body had melted away leave a transparent cobwebbylayer of skin behind. Before anybody suggests it, the hermits had defo not molted as when removing the remains from the water I noticed the claws/legs were solid and not hollow skin!

The other thing is the hermits were all alive and well before I heard the clicking the night before and I knwo this because I do not have many hermits so can keep an eye oout for all of them so I know which is which!

Also I noticed my serpant star has had a quarter of one of it's legs cut off as it is now shorter than it's others! Again I do not know what may have caused this but believe it was attacked but luckily survived!

Does anybody have any suggestion as to whats going off in the tank and what I can do to catcth the "thing" responsible!

This really is doing my head in as I am losing everything in my tank and can not enjoy my marine experience at all as I am far too worried about all my mysterious deaths and disapearances!!!!!!!

 

[SkiFletch]

Exchange the LR with your LFS? Wish I had better ideas. I'd try the magnesium dip I suggested earlier

 

[Lynden]

And if that fails, maybe you could rent a wrasse?

 

[chrissaysyes]

Whatcha gonna do man?

 

[1entra]

And if that fails, maybe you could rent a wrasse?

What sort of wrasse would eat mantis shrimp?

I really am stuck for ideas. Some others options I have been given are:

• Dip rock in really high salinity water - apparantly wont affect the bio-filter?
• Dip in magnesium as Ski said... matter of getting magnesium?
• Dip rock in tonic water?
• Leave rock to dry
• Get rid of LR and start fresh! - but really want to know what doing all the killing!

Does anybody have personal experience with any of the above dips or know any other methods?

What you have to remember is I have never seen the predator so dont know what it is so need a method(s) that will work on all mantis, crabs and pistol shrimps etc

 

[SkiFletch]

Many of the Haliocheres (spelling?) genus wrasses eat shrimp. Dragon Wrasses and Coris Wrasses are probably the most commonly found members of this genus. Also a hogfish would work well.

Easy way to find magnesium... Epsom Salts (Magnesium sulphate )

 

[chrissaysyes]

I dont see how dipping it in tonic water would be much different than dipping in carbonated water. The idea of swapping the LR for some new pieces is a good idea.