Where has my fish gone?!!

[VikkiM]

We have a small 54l tank for my son, containing 7 cardinal tetras and 2 blue platies.

Yesterday we bought 4 glowlight tetras and an ancistrus. All seemed happy last night but this morning the ancistrus is missing...
We have searched the tank looking for it and have also searched the gravel. .. IT IS NOT THERE!

Are a couple of platies and a gang of tetras capable of eating a fish between them? It seems the only explanation!

Its a shame, we really liked that fish! Should we get another one, or will the same thing happen again?

Thanks,

Vikki

 

[Tolak]

Check the floor around & behind the tank. Catfish have a habit of zipping to the surface for air, sometimes they will leave the tank. I've had a couple corys & bristlenose do that, it doesn't take much of an opening. It usually happens at night, as most catfish are more active then. If you have a dog or cat, you may not find it. I caught my dog munching on a cory that jumped a while back.

If you find the fish & it seems even slightly alive, toss it back in the tank. Catfish are incredibly resiliant thay way, more so than other fish. It just may make it.

Tolak

 

[VikkiM]

Have checked all around tank and in pump/filter... no joy. What went on in there last night?!!!

Thanks for the reply.

Vikki
X

 

[Katchan]

An ancistrus? I assume you mean a bristlenose catfish? depending on size they can be VERY VERY hard to spot when they want to be, I had two in my sons 75L tank when we moved house I emptied the almost all the water and all fish out (fish into a 20L lidded bucket) but I couldnt find/ac#### for one of the catfish so I assumed he was on rock or driftwood when I had moved it to the bucket but on reassembling to the tank again he wasnt in the fish bucket. Low and behold a day later theres 2 catfish in the tank both healthy and fine.

I'd give it a day ot 2 to show up, if it does'nt then consider replacing it. While it is possible that the fish could of eaten the bristlenose overnight (quite easily in fact) the big question is why it died. How recent was the tank setup, and what are the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph). It's doubtfull (but knowing fish, and my aptly named angel Serial Killer) but is possible one of the other fish killed it. If this is so, you will probably find other fish dead/missing while still having good->excellent water paramters. If not the fish may have died by stress of moving to a new home or any other reason. I basically reccommend wait a week or so, if you have good water (test yourself or get your LFS to test a sample) and tank fine otherwise then get a new bristlenose/ancistrus.

Kat

PS Try putting some zuccuni or cucumber (weighted down, for 12hours) in the tank if it (the fish) is still there, it should come out for the feed)

 

[VikkiM]

Thanks for your very helpful reply - the tank has been set up for 8 months and I tested the water today for everything and all the levels were fine.

As you say, I wonder whether the shock of being transplanted into our tank was just too much for the little fella (he was under an inch long). But he looked well happy at 9.30pm last night!

I will take your advice and give it a week or so.

Thanks again.

Vikki
X

 

[kamel_007]

me too

i miss a red nose tetra and coredoras..

i search in the tank and arround the tank but nothing!

 

[Pysgodyn]

Me too, this morning...
Only to find THREE in the filter this evening! A pregnant guppy (God only knows how SHE got there), and a neon tetra, swimming nicely within the filter, and another tetra squished between the sponges and the filter wall. He eventually swam freely, although I'm not sure which one he is anymore - 2 or 3 of them look a little bit worse for wear - he may be one of them...

 

[VikkiM]

For anyone who is interested , the catfish never turned up... one of life's great mysteries!

We were going to buy another today but one of our cardinal tetras suddenly displayed some rather alarming sticking out scales... LFS says it sounds like dropsy and has prescribed aquarium salt, says it "probably" isn't infectious but we are going to play it safe anyway.

Thanks for everyone's help (we looked in the filter too!!!).

Love,

Vikki

 

[WILDER]

Sorry for your loss, i would isolate the fish with dropsy as that's the last stage of the desease.
http/www.fishjunkies.com/Diseases/dropsy.php

 

[VikkiM]

Thanks for the link, Wilder and the advice... unfortunately you were right, it really WAS the last stage for our little cardinal, who has gone to the great Amazonian Basin in the sky! The rest of the shoal are being comforted by a couple of peas.

Vikki
X

 

[WILDER]

Sorry R.I.P. little guy.

 

[demented pea]

I thought my ancistrus was dead,emptied and sold off all other fish... missed them, restocked and there he was bigger than ever! after a week of serious cleaning and large water changes and nothing in the tank to hide in, behind or anything else...it should not be alive! but it is and still going strong. He was 5 inches when lost and is now 6 inches

don'tgive uphope

 

[LauraFrog]

Oops... old topic