Came back from vacation and I’m missing a fish ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[mistergray]

This is so weird. I went on vacation for a week and when I came back I was taking inventory. Both clownfish (check), royal gramma (check), flame hawkfish (check), bi-color blenny??????

I have no intentions of pulling my rock work apart but I have no idea how a whole fish ups and disappears. I have a 32 gallon cube and a good amount of live rock. Has anyone ever had this happen before? What did you do? Did you eventually find your fish…alive or dead? I do have a mesh screened top on my tank.

I’m really left scratching my head on how our bi-color blenny or Ben as we call him…escaped.

 

[Gedxin]

I've seen posts where people find them behind their tank a week later. Or somehow they got sucked in to the overflow and discovered them in the sump. Also posts where people have nems and one fish just got too gutsy and ended up as lunch.

 

[attiland]

I am sorry for your loss. You unlikely will find it alive. If still in the tank it has been eaten by CUC and other fish. Is not in the tank it is mummified without smell and maybe resurfacing during cleaning the room/cupboard.
Either way don’t worry about it no harm will be done by it’s disappearance apart from you will surely miss it.

 

[davidcalgary29]

While it's likely that your fish has met an untimely demise, my orchid dottyback did disappear in my Evo for ten days before making a sudden -- and unexpected -- return.

My bicolor blenny does sometimes disappear for a day or two at a time as well. I've discovered, though, that it likes to camouflage itself by hiding in a rock by the black back wall of my IM40 with just its head sticking out. It's incredibly difficult to spot at times.

 

[attiland]

While it's likely that your fish has met an untimely demise, my orchid dottyback did disappear in my Evo for ten days before making a sudden -- and unexpected -- return.

My bicolor blenny does sometimes disappear for a day or two at a time as well. I've discovered, though, that it likes to camouflage itself by hiding in a rock by the black back wall of my IM40 with just its head sticking out. It's incredibly difficult to spot at times.

I am sure the OP would love this to be the case

 

[ScottJ]

I have a high fin goby in my Evo that has disappeared for WEEKS at a time only to reemerge. Once I pulled the rocks apart and couldn't find him. He came out a few days later.

 

[Tired]

Check your filter compartments, with a flashlight.

 

[Gup]

I am sorry for your loss. You unlikely will find it alive. If still in the tank it has been eaten by CUC and other fish. Is not in the tank it is mummified without smell and maybe resurfacing during cleaning the room/cupboard.
Either way don’t worry about it no harm will be done by it’s disappearance apart from you will surely miss it.

As far as any harm to your tank, I would say it's depending on the size of the fish in comparison to the size of your system & if you don't have a lot of cuc at work. A dead body will expel a lot of ammonia a short amount of time

 

[attiland]

As far as any harm to your tank, I would say it's depending on the size of the fish in comparison to the size of your system & if you don't have a lot of cuc at work. A dead body will expel a lot of ammonia a short amount of time

True but a bicolour blenny is a small fish. I of course assume there are a few hermits and snails in there

 

[mistergray]

I've seen posts where people find them behind their tank a week later. Or somehow they got sucked in to the overflow and discovered them in the sump. Also posts where people have nems and one fish just got too gutsy and ended up as lunch.

I completely forgot about the fact that the nems could have been the culprits. Lol! This feels like a game of Clue.

 

[mistergray]

I have a high fin goby in my Evo that has disappeared for WEEKS at a time only to reemerge. Once I pulled the rocks apart and couldn't find him. He came out a few days later.

I can only hope that’s the case.

 

[mistergray]

True but a bicolour blenny is a small fish. I of course assume there are a few hermits and snails in there

Yes, I have 3 hermits but a ton of snails and a few bristleworms hiding out in there.

 

[mistergray]

As far as any harm to your tank, I would say it's depending on the size of the fish in comparison to the size of your system & if you don't have a lot of cuc at work. A dead body will expel a lot of ammonia a short amount of time

I have at least 50 snails, 3 hermits, 1 emerald crab and a few bristleworms in my tank. Hopefully they’ll do the job.

 

[attiland]

I have at least 50 snails, 3 hermits, 1 emerald crab and a few bristleworms in my tank. Hopefully they’ll do the job.

In a day they strip a fish to bone or less