Tailspot Blenny suddenly died, and Goby has disappeared.. Can't figure out why

[Saltbøtta]

I don't think you ever mentioned what kind of goby you have but most gobies, and many other species, can go missing for weeks at a time. If you don't see a body or the remains of one it is never save to assume it is dead. I've put fish that I found carpet surfing and totally dried-out looking back in a tank and watched them recuperate. Jeff Goldblum was right: "If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh... well, there it is."

It's a yellow watchman. And in hindsight, you are of course right, but he would usually come out every day for a snack, and since I hadn't seen him for several days, and being shocked by the death of the blenny, I presumed that he died as well. Happy to see him eating. Still a mystery why the Blenny died, though. I guess it could have been for many reasons. Adding to your Goldblum statement, I think Werner Herzogs view on nature is descriptive of my experience with having a reef tank these last two weeks:



"Nature here is violent," ... "I would see fornication, and asphyxiation, and choking. And fighting for survival, and growing, and just rotting away." ... "Of course there is a lot of misery, but it is the same misery that's all around us. The trees here are in misery. The birds are in misery. I don't think they sing, they just screech in pain".

 

[Lyss]

I don't think you ever mentioned what kind of goby you have but most gobies, and many other species, can go missing for weeks at a time. If you don't see a body or the remains of one it is never save to assume it is dead. I've put fish that I found carpet surfing and totally dried-out looking back in a tank and watched them recuperate. Jeff Goldblum was right: "If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh... well, there it is."

I learned this lesson once when I had a betta that went missing -- I even pulled everything out of the tank except for the substrate and nothing, seemingly vanished into thin air. A few hours later I looked over and it was there just chillin on it's leaf bed like nothing ever happened.

 

[tharbin]

It's a yellow watchman. And in hindsight, you are of course right, but he would usually come out every day for a snack, and since I hadn't seen him for several days, and being shocked by the death of the blenny, I presumed that he died as well. Happy to see him eating. Still a mystery why the Blenny died, though. I guess it could have been for many reasons. Adding to your Goldblum statement, I think Werner Herzogs view on nature is descriptive of my experience with having a reef tank these last two weeks:



"Nature here is violent," ... "I would see fornication, and asphyxiation, and choking. And fighting for survival, and growing, and just rotting away." ... "Of course there is a lot of misery, but it is the same misery that's all around us. The trees here are in misery. The birds are in misery. I don't think they sing, they just screech in pain".

Great quote and congratulations on finding your goby.