I think I have a killer Blue-Green Chromis named Swimmy.
Stop laughing at me.
I posted about this two weeks ago, when I lost a sand sifting goby, and a new to tank yellow coris wrasse went MIA. I started to suspect my largest of 3 chromis, Swimmy, of foul play, but the came out of hiding 3 days later, and fish die, so I thought I was overreacting . . .
However, I'm back to square one and suspecting I have a killer Chromis. To recap, it is a 180g tank with a 45 g sump, cycled, now about 8 weeks old. Water levels appear perfect through 4 top-to-bottom tests, including during testing last night.
However, in that time I have lost 6 fish, and I think 5 were . . . murdered. The MO is always the same - they are there one day, eating and behaving normally, next day disappear, usually to be seen as meaty-bits in a crab's claws. Here is the series of events:
Week 1: add CUC (snails and hermits), a rock-dwelling blenny, and 3 blue-green chromis, including Swimmy. One chromis never recovered from freshwater dip, dies next day. I don't blame Swimmy for this. Other Chromis, Flat Tire (had a bum fin), hides in rocks from day 1.
Week 3: Add sand sifting goby and replacement blue-green Chromis (now 3). New chromis is harassed initially by Swimmy, sets up in one set of rocks on right side of tank, with Flat Tire Chromis sets up on left side of tank. Swimmy owns the middle, but leaves sand sifter and blenny alone. Occasionally charges at ther chromis, but no harm seems to be done. That goes on for weeks.
Week 4: Fine, same behavior.
Week 5: Add Yellow Wrasse on Saturday afternoon. Sand sifting goby was MIA at time, but I thought nothing of it because it would hide under rocks. However, discover sand sifting goby dead in claws of crab Sunday. Wrasse disappears for 4 days, but comes back a few days later. Assumed goby just died. Maybe tank too new.
Week 6: Add fire goby, two cleaner shrimp, and some nasarius snails. Fire goby eats, explores tank, seems fine. Disappears next day. Never saw any meaty bits. Shrimp, snails, thriving.
Week 7-8: Added tuxedo urchin over weekend. Then the escalation: small Chromis disappears Monday. Flat tire disappears Thursday. Tested water, all fine. Wrasse disappears Saturday. Did a 25% WC anyway, levels remain perfect. Saw crabs eating something meaty on Sunday night, suspect it's wrasse.
I don't get it. I've now lost two blue-green chromis, a sand-sifting goby, a fire goby, and the yellow wrasse. Every single time seems to be the same thing - they are fine, eating day before (mysis shrimp), but disappear overnight. My water is fine, tested it 4 times during this timeframe (had my friend do it once, too), always same - zero nitrates/nitrites/phos/ammonia, ph at 8, salinity at 1.025, water temp at 76. All of my inverts are fine - not a single invert mortality to date (~18 crabs/hermits, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 fire shrimp, 1 tux urchin).
No question this Chromis set up in middle of tank and is territorial. He would take runs at the other Chromis, which I have heard could happen, and I saw him take a run at Yellow Wrasse in days leading up to its disappearance.
The only common denominator is this freaking Chromis - its' been there the whole time. The Blenny seems to have escaped harm, but it more or less lives in the rocks.
I'm going to try to catch the little bugger, stick him in my fuge, and get some more fish over the weekend. If they do fine, then, I think I have a killer chromis.
Stop laughing at me.
I posted about this two weeks ago, when I lost a sand sifting goby, and a new to tank yellow coris wrasse went MIA. I started to suspect my largest of 3 chromis, Swimmy, of foul play, but the came out of hiding 3 days later, and fish die, so I thought I was overreacting . . .
However, I'm back to square one and suspecting I have a killer Chromis. To recap, it is a 180g tank with a 45 g sump, cycled, now about 8 weeks old. Water levels appear perfect through 4 top-to-bottom tests, including during testing last night.
However, in that time I have lost 6 fish, and I think 5 were . . . murdered. The MO is always the same - they are there one day, eating and behaving normally, next day disappear, usually to be seen as meaty-bits in a crab's claws. Here is the series of events:
Week 1: add CUC (snails and hermits), a rock-dwelling blenny, and 3 blue-green chromis, including Swimmy. One chromis never recovered from freshwater dip, dies next day. I don't blame Swimmy for this. Other Chromis, Flat Tire (had a bum fin), hides in rocks from day 1.
Week 3: Add sand sifting goby and replacement blue-green Chromis (now 3). New chromis is harassed initially by Swimmy, sets up in one set of rocks on right side of tank, with Flat Tire Chromis sets up on left side of tank. Swimmy owns the middle, but leaves sand sifter and blenny alone. Occasionally charges at ther chromis, but no harm seems to be done. That goes on for weeks.
Week 4: Fine, same behavior.
Week 5: Add Yellow Wrasse on Saturday afternoon. Sand sifting goby was MIA at time, but I thought nothing of it because it would hide under rocks. However, discover sand sifting goby dead in claws of crab Sunday. Wrasse disappears for 4 days, but comes back a few days later. Assumed goby just died. Maybe tank too new.
Week 6: Add fire goby, two cleaner shrimp, and some nasarius snails. Fire goby eats, explores tank, seems fine. Disappears next day. Never saw any meaty bits. Shrimp, snails, thriving.
Week 7-8: Added tuxedo urchin over weekend. Then the escalation: small Chromis disappears Monday. Flat tire disappears Thursday. Tested water, all fine. Wrasse disappears Saturday. Did a 25% WC anyway, levels remain perfect. Saw crabs eating something meaty on Sunday night, suspect it's wrasse.
I don't get it. I've now lost two blue-green chromis, a sand-sifting goby, a fire goby, and the yellow wrasse. Every single time seems to be the same thing - they are fine, eating day before (mysis shrimp), but disappear overnight. My water is fine, tested it 4 times during this timeframe (had my friend do it once, too), always same - zero nitrates/nitrites/phos/ammonia, ph at 8, salinity at 1.025, water temp at 76. All of my inverts are fine - not a single invert mortality to date (~18 crabs/hermits, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 fire shrimp, 1 tux urchin).
No question this Chromis set up in middle of tank and is territorial. He would take runs at the other Chromis, which I have heard could happen, and I saw him take a run at Yellow Wrasse in days leading up to its disappearance.
The only common denominator is this freaking Chromis - its' been there the whole time. The Blenny seems to have escaped harm, but it more or less lives in the rocks.
I'm going to try to catch the little bugger, stick him in my fuge, and get some more fish over the weekend. If they do fine, then, I think I have a killer chromis.
