Mystery wrasse R.I.P.

[swannyson7]

My mystery wrasse was missing for a few days, but figured he might just be in hiding. So last night on my way out the door to work I decided to swap out my filter socks and threw them in a bucket with a bleach solution. This morning when I got home, I went to flip the socks inside out to rinse them a bit and found my mystery wrasse. There was no decomp whatsoever, so he must have been alive when he got dunked in the bleach bucket. I always flip them inside out to check for any snails that made their way down the overflow, but in the rush last night I didn't have time. Figures that it's the one time a fish made its way into the filter sock. :cry: This is so frustrating! If something like this was going to happen, why couldn't it be that stupid damsel that I can't seem to catch?!?!

 

[fsu1dolfan]

My mystery wrasse was missing for a few days, but figured he might just be in hiding. So last night on my way out the door to work I decided to swap out my filter socks and threw them in a bucket with a bleach solution. This morning when I got home, I went to flip the socks inside out to rinse them a bit and found my mystery wrasse. There was no decomp whatsoever, so he must have been alive when he got dunked in the bleach bucket. I always flip them inside out to check for any snails that made their way down the overflow, but in the rush last night I didn't have time. Figures that it's the one time a fish made its way into the filter sock. :cry: This is so frustrating! If something like this was going to happen, why couldn't it be that stupid damsel that I can't seem to catch?!?!

That sucks Swanny! Don't beat yourself up...there is a good chance we was already dead. Either way i feel for ya! Damels always survive everything that's why they are labeled starter fish!

 

[Paul_N]

WOW man that sux! I almost lost my starry blenny while cleaning mine also a couple years back. I was rinsing the sock out in the sink in the laundry room and I thought there wasn't anything in it. I turned it inside out he almost went down the drain. He was very small when this happened and would have fit right down there. Not only that I had fresh water running in the sink. I had to hurry and scoop him up on the lip of the drain.

 

[swannyson7]

I really think he was alive to be honest. I'm so mad at myself right now! I was going to leave them in until this morning, but when I went to empty the protein skimmer before work, I remembered that they needed to be swapped out and rushed through it. :squigglemouth:

 

[RogerWilco357]

wow sorry for your loss , it happens . Just found my wrasse on the carpet funny thing is i have glass covers except one one little corner where the pump hose comes in 2x2 if that inch that is and he jumped guess he wanted out..

 

[greg0385]

This is so frustrating! If something like this was going to happen, why couldn't it be that stupid damsel that I can't seem to catch?!?!

i know your frustration, i had two damsel that i couldn't catch until i took down the tank and drain the water. will never put 3stripe damsel in my tank ever again. what kind of overflow you got? do you have a screen top? would it have made a difference to keep this from happening? i plan on having wrasse in my tank in the future, but afraid of them jumping out so. i bought a 1/4" screen top to fit over the top. sorry for your lose, things like this really are frustrating!! my first tank i had a canister filter and lost a flame hawk when i dumped the dirty water into the tub and right when i saw him swimming he went down the drain. he had been living in there for over a week. keep your head up and hope you the best on those stupid damsels.
greg

 

[Captain Nemo]

Sorry for your loss Swanny..... and I feel you on the damsels, I tore my tank apart trying to catch those stupid things, and what finally worked is holding the net still with some food in it, they investigate ( because I hadnt fed the tank yet), and then they were caught! I caught my clowns too but they were released back out! Anyways sorry for the loss and it is easier to think he was dead before it all started......

 

[swannyson7]

I have a top made of 1/4" screen that covers the tank, but there are small gaps near the corner overflows. The curvature of the overflows was difficult to match with the screen frame, so there's a couple 1/4 - 1/2" gaps. Apparently he managed to squeeze through. I'm not really beating myself up too much, just venting mu frustration. That was one of my favorite fish and he's been doing well with no problems since I switched over to the 180 last August.

 

[swannyson7]

Sorry for your loss Swanny..... and I feel you on the damsels, I tore my tank apart trying to catch those stupid things, and what finally worked is holding the net still with some food in it, they investigate ( because I hadnt fed the tank yet), and then they were caught! I caught my clowns too but they were released back out! Anyways sorry for the loss and it is easier to think he was dead before it all started......

I've tried getting them with the net and also with fish traps. I manage to cathc every fish in the tank except for the damsel. The damsel has actually been a model citizen, trying to disguise himself by shoaling with my chromis, but I know that once he gets bigger I'm going to run into some problems. When I switched over to the 180 from my 125, I decided to toss him in the tank instead of the sump....one of my more foolish decisions. I also had a lemon damsel which I got rid of prior to the move because he was getting pretty aggressive, but against my better judgement, the blue devil remains in my DT.

 

[Captain Nemo]

It took me multiple tries with various foods, ut I had 2 fiji devils to catch, I think in the end it was formula 1 that got him into the net......you could always not feed for a couple days then he would really want the food....:xd:

 

[swannyson7]

It took me multiple tries with various foods, ut I had 2 fiji devils to catch, I think in the end it was formula 1 that got him into the net......you could always not feed for a couple days then he would really want the food....:xd:

Maybe I'll have to give it a try. DId you keep the net toward the surface so that a quick jerk of the net was all it took, or did you have down low and try to pin them against the side of the tank?

 

[Captain Nemo]

I tried both, but since they eat out of my hands, I used the top jerk method with success. Banish him to the sump when you get him!:xd: they earned the name fiji blue devils! that was for sure!

 

[swannyson7]

I tried both, but since they eat out of my hands, I used the top jerk method with success. Banish him to the sump when you get him!:xd: they earned the name fiji blue devils! that was for sure!

Mine is awfully skiddish and hides when I get near the tank.... I think he knows I'm after him 24/7. I can't really withhold feeding for a couple days because I have anthias that prefer multiple feedings each day. If I lost an anthias due to a $3 damsel, then that would be the final straw this week. How big were your blue devils before they really started getting aggressive?