Are Engineer Gobies Killers?

BostonReefer300

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I have an adult EG that's a foot long and has been a model citizen for years. I decided to add a couple 1.5-inch long baby EGs (and a few other fish) several weeks ago after my trusted LFS owner told me that adult EGs and baby EGs get along great. No worries about the big eating the small. I believed him because my big EG never ate any other small fish I added to the tank. Anyway, I added the new fish after QT and everything seemed fine for a week. Then one of the baby EGs went missing. I thought maybe he dug a burrow, but I didn't see him for days and the other baby EG was still in free-swimming mode. Then a baby blue-green chromis went missing---but I assumed that my pack of existing BGCs killed the weakest link. Then, last week, I noticed my big EG hanging outside on the sandbed like a beach bunny every day---very unlike him. He was also taking an interest (like a curious interest, not an aggressive interest) in the remaining baby EG which I thought was nice. I now haven't seen the last baby EG for over two days.
Does anyone have definitive proof that a big EG will eat smaller fish? As in, carcass found in EG's burrow or mouth? I'd like to add some other small fish, but I don't want to do so until I figure out if I have a serial killer on my hands---or just bad luck that my crabs made short work of. FYI, I think the only other fish I have that could possibly have eaten the baby EGs is a flame hawkfish, but he's not even 2 inches long himself. Many thanks in advance!
 

Jay Hemdal

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I don't have any recent experience with this species due to problems I've had over the years, so I avoid them now (grin). I've never had them eat small fish, but I found them too destructive with their burrows. Here is a thread though:



Jay
 
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BostonReefer300

BostonReefer300

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I don't have any recent experience with this species due to problems I've had over the years, so I avoid them now (grin). I've never had them eat small fish, but I found them too destructive with their burrows. Here is a thread though:



Jay
Thanks Jay!
 

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