I think it might be an emerald crab? I got a small one over a year ago and haven't seen him since. Thought he was dead. But I have many other fish that are completely healthy and not sick and all the fish that have gone missing have been acting completely normal up until they vanished which leaves me to believe it's not disease. All the fish that go missing spend the night in the cracks of this one particular rock too..
Only certain ones like the green one actively would eat fish.
Your best bet is to show up with a red flashlight 2-3 hours after lights out in the pitch dark, and see it on the rocks picking away at algae
No serpent stars have been added to the tank. All I know is all 3 of the fish that have gone missing have been completely healthy looking and acting and eating completely fine up until they vanished during the middle of the night. Would have a hard time coming to the conclusion that it is disease. It's too random. 3 completely normal acting fish randomly vanish overnight over a 6 month period while all other fish in the tank are completely fine. What disease could do that?
Just to back up Bluemon here, I have an emerald crab and my tailspot goes right up to him, the emerald clab lunges out with his claw, but the tailspot has never been harmed, I think the crab just wants the fish to go away. The tailspot does not seem bothered by it.
I saw your other thread about this problem too. This could definitely be the handy work of a mantis or pistol shrimp. In my opinion/experience, this is not the work of an emerald/mythrax crab. Emerald crabs are by and large just fine, but occasionally one of them can develop a taste for some corals, Zoanthids, for example, seems common. I don't believe that emerald crabs typically take down fish.
Waited until he was out at night and stabbed him with some long forceps. I used just enough light for me to see him but not for him to see the forceps. He was too fast for me in the daylight.
How do you know? Could be natural causes or another fish or darted into a powerhead or rock.
Flasher wrasse has succumbed to an unknown pest in the tank..
How did you find the others?
Watch your tank at night. Red light will help as a bright flashlight is too much light. Most predators come out at night.
Sorry I posted on an old thread about the first few I lost. Made a new post for this guy. All the evidence points to a predator. Never found the bodies of the first two. Disappeared overnight. Glass lid and plastic netting in corners so I know they didn't jump. All other fish are healthy and acting normal and it's been 3 random fish spread out since about January. One fish I had in there for over a year. I honestly think there is something in my largest rock that never comes out because I never see anything even when I look at night. And he preys on the select fish that sleep inside that rock at night. But if this sounds like a parasite or some kind of disease to somebody please let me know what specifically so I can try and treat for it. At this point I will try anything because I want to add new fish to replace the lost ones but I'm concerned they will get eaten. Like I said though all fish I have lost have been seemingly perfectly fine and healthy up until vanishing. Next step for me is purchasing a mantis shrimp trap and trying that.
I do have a pistol shrimp.. I've never heard of them attacking fish though? And he is the scardiest little guy ever, fleeing at the slightest movement near his burrow. Also, he closes up his cave at night and never comes out during night. Which is when all my fish have disappeared. Have you had bad experiences with pistol shrimp?
