Candy Cane Pistol kill a Red Dragonet?

[Reffetsevla]

So I am missing a Red Dragonet. It's an AIO so there's a slim chance she's in the back somewhere, but I tore most of it all out and didn't see her.

She's been hunting around one of the cave openings the YWG and Pistol Shrimp (Candy Cane, not Tiger) like to frequent. The shrimp isn't exactly large but the Dragonet was very small too. This is my first pistol of this kind and I'm unsure if it's capable of, or would bother trying to, kill a small red dragonet?

Plan to tear apart the back of the system this evening if she hasn't made an appearance. But if she's not back there I'm at a loss as to where she went, other than being eaten.

Thoughts? Anyone ever experience a Candy Cane (Randall's) Pistol Shrimp be aggressive enough to kill a fish? Was kind of hoping with the pistol being smaller it wouldn't do so. Could definitely be wrong though, it's been known to happen from time to time. Or constantly if you're my wife.

Thanks!

 

[Sharkbait19]

Tigers and candy canes are basically blind, and wouldn’t even know to go after a fish. They are pretty much harmless and wouldn’t attack a fish unless the fish was trying to kill it first.
Likely the dragonet is hiding, either in the tank or the filter, though it’s possible it jumped.
Do you know if it’s been eating, it could have been starving for a while.

 

[Reffetsevla]

Tigers and candy canes are basically blind, and wouldn’t even know to go after a fish. They are pretty much harmless and wouldn’t attack a fish unless the fish was trying to kill it first.
Likely the dragonet is hiding, either in the tank or the filter, though it’s possible it jumped.
Do you know if it’s been eating, it could have been starving for a while.

Happily hunts pods all day and takes frozen baby brine shrimp like a champ. I made sure to feed her at the store before taking her to make sure. Definitely not a food thing. I didn't see anything around the outside of the tank, although I didn't put the screen on last night either so possible she jumped. But I dont see where she wound up yet. Office door is closed so unless the cat got her off the floor before I even noticed I'm hoping that she didn't jump lol

Will have to tear the back apart later if she doesn't show up. I moved a coral last night before bed but it was away from where she likes to hang out so shouldn't have spooked her. danged frogspawn is growing like a weed and had to move it away from some SPS

 

[Sharkbait19]

How long have you had it and how long has it been since it disappeared?
I wouldn’t tear anything apart just yet.

 

[Reffetsevla]

How long have you had it and how long has it been since it disappeared?
I wouldn’t tear anything apart just yet.

Had it about 2 months, maybe 1.5. Only been missing since this morning but my fish have a nasty habit of wandering into the overflow. I have rockwork right up to about 2" from the left overflow, I think they just wander in. If she's back there I'm going to have to put the fish screens in permanently. I use them usually the first few weeks after I get a fish until they find a home in the tank and are settled. She was sleeping in her favorite spot last night before bed, just MIA this morning. Just a PITA to remove all the equipment from the back of an AIO just to check

 

[Reffetsevla]

Welp. Tore everything out of the back, all media baskets, skimmer, heater, etc. Didn't see her. I left everything out for a good 30-40 minutes and watched for movement, nothing. Put it all back, figuring with my luck she'd be out and acting like nothing happened but no such luck. I even lifted the one large rock I could to see if she was hiding under it as she liked to hunt there but no dice.

I did however manager to anger everything in the tank by stirring up detritus in the bottom of the back lol That's fun.

 

[mindme]

If you have a clean up crew, you'd be surprised at how quickly they can eat a dead fish that is smaller like that.

 

[Reffetsevla]

It just makes zero sense she would've died. Something would've had to have killed it. Ate great yesterday, still bouncing around feeding while the lights were ramping down. Sleeping fine before i went up to bed. Gone in the morning. I keep my office door closed, so if she jumped I should've seen her on the floor. It's just hardwood around it, nothing to hide it. There's some rocks on the left that I can't move she could be in, but this isn't normal. Usually she's hopping between the two larger rockwork hunting, until feeding then goes for all the baby mysis. When I got her she was slightly "gaunt" in the stomach. Within a day she was full and a beautiful bright red. Hoping she turns up, I may look in the back again tomorrow if nothing.

I absolutely have enough CUC that she could've been cleaned up overnight, just dont get why lol

 

[Sharkbait19]

What’s the full stocking, fish and inverts?

 

[Reffetsevla]

What’s the full stocking, fish and inverts?

2x Wyoming White Clownfish (bonding)
1x Yellow Watchman Goby
1x Red Dragonet
1x Candy Cane Pistol Shrimp
2x Peppermint Shrimp
1x Emerald Crab
~15-18 various snails (Astrea, Cerith, Margarita)

This is the tank/build in question

Build Thread - Reffetsevla's two sided Mixed reef, IM 20g Fusion Pro

First tank in several years (First ever was in 2007), I made the cardinal sin of choosing a smaller tank, and I have already started planning the upgrade, should be about September when I start piecing that together, will be a 75g Innovative Marine INT. For now, the IM 20g Fusion Pro (first gen)...

www.reef2reef.com

Still no sign yet. When I clean my sponges later going to look in the back again but I tore everything out yesterday and didn't see her. Couple spots were hard to see due to what I see as a design flaw (dead space under the first chamber where stuff can get stuck/hide) but I ran hose under it and around to try and flush anything out but didn't see her there either. I doubt the pistol could hunt her, but she was literally going into the large opening of a cave he likes to frequently come out of, could he have popped her when startled maybe? I haven't seen any pieces of her either nor any signs of a CUC feeding frenzy on a dead thing either. Really weird.

 

[Tamberav]

Do you have a lid? They are jumpers.

My ruby red I had many years ago slept in my candy canes burrow. I didn’t have a shrimp goby. No issues.

Fish disappear and die randomly sometimes. If that scooter was starved through transport before you bought it.. it can cause organ damage and possible the fish later died of it.

This is my video from 7 years ago. Scooters are slow moving and not really threatening and candy canes are tiny.

 

[SlugSnorter]

So I am missing a Red Dragonet. It's an AIO so there's a slim chance she's in the back somewhere, but I tore most of it all out and didn't see her.

She's been hunting around one of the cave openings the YWG and Pistol Shrimp (Candy Cane, not Tiger) like to frequent. The shrimp isn't exactly large but the Dragonet was very small too. This is my first pistol of this kind and I'm unsure if it's capable of, or would bother trying to, kill a small red dragonet?

Plan to tear apart the back of the system this evening if she hasn't made an appearance. But if she's not back there I'm at a loss as to where she went, other than being eaten.

Thoughts? Anyone ever experience a Candy Cane (Randall's) Pistol Shrimp be aggressive enough to kill a fish? Was kind of hoping with the pistol being smaller it wouldn't do so. Could definitely be wrong though, it's been known to happen from time to time. Or constantly if you're my wife.

Thanks!

unlikely, even if it was a tiger. Prob just hiding, they are shy and small. i wouldn't recommend to rummage around tank, you risk crushing/trapping them

 

[Sharkbait19]

No red flags in the stocking, I’d just give it time and see what happens.

 

[SlugSnorter]

tank age and size?

 

[SlugSnorter]

Theres a chance it starved, they need a LOT of pods and micro fauna, their care is pretty similar to a mandarin. The tank is too small and too young for them without supplementations of pod population.

 

[bnord]

Sorry for the anguish that this is causing you. I just wanna say from my side however that sometimes fish die and could be that you missed it and the cleanup crew took care of it. However “tearing the tank apart“ looking for it can be detrimental to the tank. I hope it turns up but it might be, in my opinion, worse for your tank for you to continue to look for it.

and for clarity, i have done it in the early days as well…

 

[Reffetsevla]

Theres a chance it starved, they need a LOT of pods and micro fauna, their care is pretty similar to a mandarin. The tank is too small and too young for them without supplementations of pod population.

It happily accepted baby brine shrimp, fed it in a container at the store watched it eat, stomach was full and my tank is stocked with pods. I was dosing monthly for her as well, I really doubt she starved. However she was kind of gaunt when I got her, could've been something internal but she was fine the night before. Baffles me lol

When I say "tear the tank apart" I only meant the equipment in the back. I am by no means disturbing the display itself. I moved one rock that doesn't have anything tying it down, she liked to hide under it, but that was it. Not about to go undoing all I did lol

 

[a.t.t.r]

candycane pistols cant even hurt small amphipods or worms it seems. There is no way it hurt a fish.

 

[Reffetsevla]

candycane pistols cant even hurt small amphipods or worms it seems. There is no way it hurt a fish.

I didn't think so but I was (and still am) a bit baffled by this lol

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I highly doubt your flame dragonet was eaten by any pistol shrimp/candy cane or other, I am unsure about jumping also as they tend to be mostly bottom dwellers, also if you seen it resting/sleeping the night before then it should of survived the night with your other inhabitants IMO, , I'm sorry if I missed it but what size aquriam do you have and what system could it of potentially got sucked into please ??

I would also agree with the other posts saying don't tear up/down your setup due to a missing inhabitant.... It may just want a day off from looking at you lol
I'll post pics of mine which I introduced 1 month ago, also caught it on video eating bloodworm but so hard as she is fast
honestly I would just be patient, she may have found a congregation of pods she is sat eating