Fish disappearing one by one.

[Kworker]

So I have been having fish disappearing one by one for past week and half(ish) First the two fairy wrasses, than my male clown, one of my chromis yesterday and my purple dart fish seems to have avoided whatever it was. It was mildly torn up on the bottom.

I have been watching my tank at night and wow it teems with life. But the only negative hitch hikers i have found seem to be whatever is making a tube lair. It looks like a black bug with a white spot towards the head. My thought is a mantis or pistol shrimp but i have not found anything while researching ANYTHING with the tubes I've seen. The tubes are made of pieces of aragonite sand.

I set a trap in front of the rock, but last night i grew restless and tired of losing fish so I ripped the rock out and placed it in a 10 gal of salt water. But left the trap inside my display tank.

Unfortunately pictures are nearly impossible because the thing doesnt come out much and when it moves by real quick.

 

[Stray32]

Whatever it is, its hungry! Hope you catch it soon, and when you do, try and get a picture of it. Good luck dude.

 

[Kworker]

Well i forgot to specify actually. The green chromis im not sure if it was killed from the lurker or if it was a fluke. Because i actually found the chromis body somewhat folder up behind a powerhead when i moved it but it looked like something took a bit off its side, nothing extreme though. I think the best I can do for now is wait. Although the proposed possible mantis shrimp is tiny. maybe a 1/4 of an inch. But it is the only thing plausible. I always have good water quality and i have SPS doing well as well as all the other coral, fish are swimming around healthy not showing no ill signs. Also forgot to add in one of the 3 peppermint shrimp mostly disappeared. all that was left was a meaty fragment of its tail.

 

[skinz78]

Take all of your rock and dip them one by one in a bucket of 1.050 high sg water for 1 min each. If there is something in there it should come out seeking lower sg.

 

[Kworker]

Take all of your rock and dip them one by one in a bucket of 1.050 high sg water for 1 min each. If there is something in there it should come out seeking lower sg.

Will it have any ill effects on the beneficial bacteria? new minicycle would be terrible.

 

[skinz78]

It might, but you gotta get the fish killer out.

 

[Kworker]

It might, but you gotta get the fish killer out.

The rock i already removed i have in a 10 gal in my basement. Where the tube is of unknown killer, with tweezers i held a piece of mysis shrimp infront of the tube and whatever it was came and ripped half of it off.

 

[Kworker]

One of the peppermint shrimp may have vanished now.. If he doesnt turn up in a few hours I will be dipping into the 1.050

What should I do about the couple of rocks that have mushroom coral directly on them, I dont want to lose the mushrooms.

 

[ritter6788]

Mantis shrimp aren't known to wipe out a tank full of fish. If you can get a pic or video of it taking the mysis I may be able to help ID it. A 1/4" mantis would be rare and it would not be capable of taking down fish.

Could be some type of parasitic isopod.

 

[Kworker]

I dipped the rock that i put in a ten gallon into fresh water, along with a rock that i saw something living within in the DT. Two, what appears to look like half inch mantis shrimp came out of both. The one that was already in the 10 gal seems to be a zebra mantis.

 

[ritter6788]

Take a pic if you can. Zebra mantis (L. maculata) live in substrate and don't come as hitchhikers in live rock.

 

[Alwaysalty]

I can't wait to see. Sorry for your misfortune but I love following these.

 

[Kworker]

ill try a pic but theyre back in a ten gal with live rock. if theyre still alive after being in fresh water than getting a pic will be hard. if dead ill scoop out.

 

[Kworker]

Mantis shrimp - YouTube

sorry quality isnt too good, took with my dads iphone. SLR camera isnt at my house right now. plus the spot in my basement thsi tank is in using an SLR to take pictures of something so small would be annoying.

 

[JMSKI333]

I will tell you right now, that's not what's eating your fish.

 

[Kworker]

I will tell you right now, that's not what's eating your fish.

the two of them are the only odd things ive seen. only others are serpent/brittle stars that are relatively same size as these two. and a stomatella snail...

 

[ritter6788]

I will tell you right now, that's not what's eating your fish.

Agreed. It may strike them and hurt them but a mantis that size is usually intimidated by larger fish. If it did kill the fish it would be nearly impossible to drag it into it's burrow.

 

[Kworker]

well it wasnt intimidted from my 12" tweezers with mysis. ripped it in half.

Well if youre both right, im left back at zero. The second peppermint never turned up.

 

[skinz78]

That looks like a pod to me?

 

[always reefin]

That looks like a pod to me?

That's what I was thinking and they will eat mysis like right now