Firefish Tail Vanished Overnight?- Please help

[saltwatercube]

Hi All!

I have a one year old reef tank. Inhabitants are 2 clown fish, one fire fish, and one Royal gramma basslet. Plus 5 snails and 2 hermit crabs. My one hermit crab is the size of a dime and the other has grown from the size of a dime to the size of a turbo snail in 4 months. Also one small zoa colony, no other coral. All in a 30 gallon tank that will be upgraded to a 90 gallon in a few days (see pics!). Last inhabitant (the crabs) were added in June. Feed every other day with a variety of frozen food. I have never seen any discourse among the fish.

Parameters:
Ammonia and nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: .02-.09 (tests in the last 3 days have varied)
Magnesium: 1300
Calcium: 450
Alk: 7.5

My firefish lives peacefully with the other fish in the tank and the four tend to swim together in a pack. Yesterday morning, when I turned on the light, my firefish was missing her tail. I have had betta fish before with fin rot and that is usually a gradual process, not an overnight thing from my experience. My parameters are not perfect, but they are not unclean. She is eating, not acting scared, and swimming about. I have noticed that her stomach is slightly rounded, but other than that you would never know her tail was gone.

How did this happen??? She sleeps in a hole with her tail sticking out (see previous posts), so my best guess is that when she was sleeping the crab snipped the top of her tail off. We are DAYS away from upgrading to a 90 gallon and are working on filling it and when we do the crab will be going in the sump (with plenty of chaeto and shells and will be fed supplements directly). He is rather aggressive and even though we have about a dozen sized shells lying around that he is constantly poking at, it seems he wants a new shell and is constantly poking at the snails. Once again we are a mere few days away from upgrading and having him separated from everyone else.

What can I do to help? Should I put her in a hospital tank? She is swimming and out in the open more than any other fish and seems completely normal.

Is there anything that I can treat the tank with to help that would be coral and snail safe. I am at a loss as to what could have gotten just her tail so fast. I would be more worried if she seemed sick or skittish, but she seems fine.

Please help, any advice is appreciated. Plenty of pictures attached, I am quite worried.

 

[saltwatercube]

Also, forgot to add, I moved the crab into a bully box by himself with just another empty shell (we have dozens of different sizes) and keep changing it our periodically in hopes that in the forced space he will find one that he likes and move into it. He is a white claw crab and honestly there is not much research out there about this crab in specific. My red claw stayed dime sized, but he grew so much so fast and I had no clue that he would.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi All!

I have a one year old reef tank. Inhabitants are 2 clown fish, one fire fish, and one Royal gramma basslet. Plus 5 snails and 2 hermit crabs. My one hermit crab is the size of a dime and the other has grown from the size of a dime to the size of a turbo snail in 4 months. Also one small zoa colony, no other coral. All in a 30 gallon tank that will be upgraded to a 90 gallon in a few days (see pics!). Last inhabitant (the crabs) were added in June. Feed every other day with a variety of frozen food. I have never seen any discourse among the fish.

Parameters:
Ammonia and nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: .02-.09 (tests in the last 3 days have varied)
Magnesium: 1300
Calcium: 450
Alk: 7.5

My firefish lives peacefully with the other fish in the tank and the four tend to swim together in a pack. Yesterday morning, when I turned on the light, my firefish was missing her tail. I have had betta fish before with fin rot and that is usually a gradual process, not an overnight thing from my experience. My parameters are not perfect, but they are not unclean. She is eating, not acting scared, and swimming about. I have noticed that her stomach is slightly rounded, but other than that you would never know her tail was gone.

How did this happen??? She sleeps in a hole with her tail sticking out (see previous posts), so my best guess is that when she was sleeping the crab snipped the top of her tail off. We are DAYS away from upgrading to a 90 gallon and are working on filling it and when we do the crab will be going in the sump (with plenty of chaeto and shells and will be fed supplements directly). He is rather aggressive and even though we have about a dozen sized shells lying around that he is constantly poking at, it seems he wants a new shell and is constantly poking at the snails. Once again we are a mere few days away from upgrading and having him separated from everyone else.

What can I do to help? Should I put her in a hospital tank? She is swimming and out in the open more than any other fish and seems completely normal.

Is there anything that I can treat the tank with to help that would be coral and snail safe. I am at a loss as to what could have gotten just her tail so fast. I would be more worried if she seemed sick or skittish, but she seems fine.

Please help, any advice is appreciated. Plenty of pictures attached, I am quite worried.

This is clearly sheared or bitten off. Not an example of fin and tail rot. Its a case of " Who Dunnit". My suspects are the clowns who have teeth and will use it.
One way to confirm is to set your cell phone on video mode for about 30 mins and drop a little food and walk away - YOU MUST walk away as they know youre there. Often the aggressor is a bully at feeding time.
Review the video and see who it may be

 

[littlefoxx]

Hum. That or Im wondering if she ticked your clowns off and they nipped her? Never seen a hermit attack fish. I usually keep Halloweens which are very aggressive but theyve never hurt a fish like that

 

[saltwatercube]

This is clearly sheared or bitten off. Not an example of fin and tail rot. Its a case of " Who Dunnit". My suspects are the clowns who have teeth and will use it.
One way to confirm is to set your cell phone on video mode for about 30 mins and drop a little food and walk away - YOU MUST walk away as they know youre there. Often the aggressor is a bully at feeding time.
Review the video and see who it may be

That makes me feel better, I knew it was not fin rot. My clowns are about a year old so it is possible that they are figuring out their pecking order as the mature and since the firefish swims with them all day like they are a pack, it's very possible. My royal gramma basslet also has the right sized teeth for it. I hope that the bigger tank in the next few days will sort this out, I have never seen any bite the others, but it is very possible.

Do you recommend adding anything to the tank to help her tail grow back.

 

[saltwatercube]

Hum. That or Im wondering if she ticked your clowns off and they nipped her? Never seen a hermit attack fish. I usually keep Halloweens which are very aggressive but theyve never hurt a fish like that

The four fish typically swim as a pack, so it is possible. The Royal gramma also has the right sized mouth. Do you have anything you reccomend adding to help?

 

[littlefoxx]

The four fish typically swim as a pack, so it is possible. The Royal gramma also has the right sized mouth. Do you have anything you reccomend adding to help?

Nah, I keep aggressive fish and see occasional torn fins and I just wait and usually its grown back or mended in a week, just keep an eye on her

 

[vetteguy53081]

That makes me feel better, I knew it was not fin rot. My clowns are about a year old so it is possible that they are figuring out their pecking order as the mature and since the firefish swims with them all day like they are a pack, it's very possible. My royal gramma basslet also has the right sized teeth for it. I hope that the bigger tank in the next few days will sort this out, I have never seen any bite the others, but it is very possible.

Do you recommend adding anything to the tank to help her tail grow back.

They are territorial making them aggressive and protective of areas of the tank and worse when pairing off or mating. Firefish is vulnerable either way

 

[Tamberav]

just noticed you had two posts :) thought it was my brain misfiring for a moment

 

[saltwatercube]

just noticed you had two posts :) thought it was my brain misfiring for a moment

Honestly I do not know how it double posted!