HELP! Can't find dead blenny in 20g cube - what are my options?

[Stoichiometry]

Had a lawnmower blenny die somewhere deep in the rockwork of my waterbox cube 20 and I spent a really long time trying to find him. Was still pretty small. Bad batch from a new LFS shipment where everyone's died within 3 days, ugh. Will start a qt after this. Anyway, I just can't find him, I lifted rocks and sifted sand as much as I could without tearing the entire tank apart and I really, really don't want to do that. I doubt I'd be able to do it and get a decent rockwork back together without killing my other fish and inverts on accident, not to mention coral that are glued to rocks without frag plug. What are my options if it just decomposes in there somewhere? I have quite a bit of rock in there and I have lots of live rock rubble in the sump for bacteria. Can I just monitor ammonia and hit the tank with a bunch of new bacteria? Use some kind of ammonia reducer?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Had a lawnmower blenny die somewhere deep in the rockwork of my waterbox cube 20 and I spent a really long time trying to find him. Was still pretty small. Bad batch from a new LFS shipment where everyone's died within 3 days, ugh. Will start a qt after this. Anyway, I just can't find him, I lifted rocks and sifted sand as much as I could without tearing the entire tank apart and I really, really don't want to do that. I doubt I'd be able to do it and get a decent rockwork back together without killing my other fish and inverts on accident, not to mention coral that are glued to rocks without frag plug. What are my options if it just decomposes in there somewhere? I have quite a bit of rock in there and I have lots of live rock rubble in the sump for bacteria. Can I just monitor ammonia and hit the tank with a bunch of new bacteria? Use some kind of ammonia reducer?

It generally will float if not trapped. If you have snails-crabs-shrimps in tank, they may well have eaten him already. Assure also its not in your overflow or jumped onto floor

 

[Stoichiometry]

I think he was down in a cave in the rocks when he died. I ran my hands through every possible cave and just didn't feel anything. I have a kraken lid on the tank and I tried looking in the sump because there's a super small gap but I don't see anything. This blenny had some kind of neurological disease probly from cyanide or something. He couldn't swim straight so i'd be surprised if he could swim up through the tank flow and nail a sideways leap perfectly in the middle of the night. my CUC right now is a pincushin urchin, 1 astrea snail, 1 trochus, and 1 margarita snail. Maybe i should pick up a shrimp that could get deep in the rocks/sand? I can't see my pincushion being able to get deep down there but if the fish came out of the rocks and died then maybe the urchin munched him?

 

[MnFish1]

I think he was down in a cave in the rocks when he died. I ran my hands through every possible cave and just didn't feel anything. I have a kraken lid on the tank and I tried looking in the sump because there's a super small gap but I don't see anything. This blenny had some kind of neurological disease probly from cyanide or something. He couldn't swim straight so i'd be surprised if he could swim up through the tank flow and nail a sideways leap perfectly in the middle of the night. my CUC right now is a pincushin urchin, 1 astrea snail, 1 trochus, and 1 margarita snail. Maybe i should pick up a shrimp that could get deep in the rocks/sand? I can't see my pincushion being able to get deep down there but if the fish came out of the rocks and died then maybe the urchin munched him?

I would let it be - maybe watch the ammonia - and possibly feed a little less over the next couple days - it will not hurt the fish. Your CUC will take care of it - as will bacteria. I would not worry too much about it - and digging around under rocks, etc - can injure your hands - causing infections, etc - so if you're going to move things - wear heavy gloves (from personal experience) - And FWIW - I still don't wear gloves - I just don't stick my hands under things....

 

[Stoichiometry]

Thank you for your help. This forum is a great sanity check.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I think he was down in a cave in the rocks when he died. I ran my hands through every possible cave and just didn't feel anything. I have a kraken lid on the tank and I tried looking in the sump because there's a super small gap but I don't see anything. This blenny had some kind of neurological disease probly from cyanide or something. He couldn't swim straight so i'd be surprised if he could swim up through the tank flow and nail a sideways leap perfectly in the middle of the night. my CUC right now is a pincushin urchin, 1 astrea snail, 1 trochus, and 1 margarita snail. Maybe i should pick up a shrimp that could get deep in the rocks/sand? I can't see my pincushion being able to get deep down there but if the fish came out of the rocks and died then maybe the urchin munched him?

Pincushion alone will devour it.

 

[Stoichiometry]

Pincushion alone will devour it.

Yeah, honestly maybe the pincushion munched down last night. Ordered a shrimp and a new blenny from liveaquaria and will monitor ammonia and use reduction measures if necessary. Will dose some bacteria at night just for the heck of it. Maybe it will help. Nitrate levels are low right now (1ppm) due to light feeding and some hair algea so not worried about a nitrate spike

 

[MnFish1]

Yeah, honestly maybe the pincushion munched down last night. Ordered a shrimp and a new blenny from liveaquaria and will monitor ammonia and use reduction measures if necessary. Will dose some bacteria at night just for the heck of it. Maybe it will help. Nitrate levels are low right now (1ppm) due to light feeding and some hair algea so not worried about a nitrate spike

Just a quick suggestion - since - you want the bacteria added at the max oxygen - which is normally during the day - I would consider adding it in the AM - Or during a lit period - its probably a minimal thing - but just a comment

 

[Tamberav]

Had a lawnmower blenny die somewhere deep in the rockwork of my waterbox cube 20 and I spent a really long time trying to find him. Was still pretty small. Bad batch from a new LFS shipment where everyone's died within 3 days, ugh. Will start a qt after this. Anyway, I just can't find him, I lifted rocks and sifted sand as much as I could without tearing the entire tank apart and I really, really don't want to do that. I doubt I'd be able to do it and get a decent rockwork back together without killing my other fish and inverts on accident, not to mention coral that are glued to rocks without frag plug. What are my options if it just decomposes in there somewhere? I have quite a bit of rock in there and I have lots of live rock rubble in the sump for bacteria. Can I just monitor ammonia and hit the tank with a bunch of new bacteria? Use some kind of ammonia reducer?

You don't have to do anything. The worms/CUC and bacteria will eat it.