What is the longest a fish has hidden in your tank?

[Formulator]

I haven't seen my new royal gramma in almost a week… I’ve had new fish hide, but typically 48 hours is enough to at least see them come out for food. I’ve heard crazy stories of fish hiding for several months assumed dead, only to reappear during re-aquascaping.

So let’s hear it! What’s your experience?

 

[ryanjohn1]

I’ve got a dotty back that hides all the time. I don’t know how or what it eats.

 

[Formulator]

I’ve got a dotty back that hides all the time. I don’t know how or what it eats.

So how do you know its alive?

 

[doubleshot00]

1-2 weeks for my firesfish but I haven’t seen him in over a month so I assume dead now.

 

[Signalhead]

4 of july last year, my female frostbite clown went missing, so I looked for Caitlyn, (those Kardashians they are cursed). so I figured she jumped, . I looked behind the stand, blame the wife dogs. I look some more under the couch, opened the Irobot. Nothing, no carcass so I blame the dogs again. I gave my friend poor Bruce (they are jinx) In April of this year we are removing everything from the tank to switch stands, removed the pipes from the back and she is in the overflow. Eating scraps for 9 months. She is happy, healty back in the tank and waiting on a new partner, I hope it takes.

 

[ryanjohn1]

So how do you know its alive?

If I peak under a very specific rock I can see it.

 

[mfinn]

I had a swiss guard basslet hide from me for about 5-6 months. I thought it was long dead. Then one day there he was.

 

[>>klong<<]

I have a .5 inch $160 pink streak wrasse that I dumped into my tank 2 years ago that I've never seen.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I had a Mandarin that entered the water, scooted into the rock and I never saw it again. It was terribly anticlimactic.

 

[Formulator]

I had a Mandarin that entered the water, scooted into the rock and I never saw it again. It was terribly anticlimactic.

Me too! But I assume he died…

 

[Gumbies R Us]

When my light's power supply was broken on my tank, my firefish and goby would just hide periodically throughout every day, I guess cause they were confused why they had no blue lights anymore haha

 

[o2manyfish]

I've always loved the Golden Angels. I have been keeping them for over 20 years. They are super reclusive and if I catch a glimple of one every other month I'm happy. At one point in my 400g I had a trio of them. And then when I thought I had seen one dart through the rocks I had a chance of seeing 1 or 2 more following.

I had the trio for about 3 years. I only saw all three together maybe once a year if I was lucky. We had a Kalkwasser disaster and wiped out over a 100 fish in the tank. The Kalk overdosed at night - so many of the fish died hidden away in their sleep spots. In our 400g we had about 115 fish at the time. The Goldens tucked away somewhere deep and dark was a given that they were gone.

18 months later I was shooting some photos of my corals. When I get in the photo mood, it's not just a cell phone and a pair of orange glasses - It's DSLR, Big lenses, Tripods, Cantilever arms, multiple flashes -- All to shoot 200-300 crappy photos. Sometimes I'm shooting using the screen on the camera, sometimes I'm controlling the camera via a laptop.

I get in the mood - pull out all the gear - shoot a few hundred crappy pics - put away all the camera gear. Next day sit down with Lightroom and start going thru the photos.

And there in the background of a coral photo - behind the coral - in a dark cave - illuminated by the flash --- A pair of Golden Angels.

It had been more than 18 months since the Kalkwasser disaster - and here the two were.

And during the next 3 weeks, not only did I see them.... But the 3rd of the trio was still alive.

A few months after that I was hosting a birthday party at my home for the late Jake Adams. Vincent Chalais was visiting from Bali. A little after 9pm Vincent walks past the tank and sees that 2 of the Goldens out. Vincent freaks out. In his lifetime of diving and collecting fish and corals - he had not see Golden Angels living their lives happily. Vincent rushed out to the car and grabbed his photo gear.

I'm laughing as he goes running away to get his gear telling everyone, that those Goldens aren't going to be spotted for at least 3-6 months.

But Vincent sets up all his gear and sits back on the couch with a beer and waits. And then after a bit of a wait - to his total delight --- The pair of Golden Angels not only reappear in front of his camera -- But then they spawn before his very eyes. As the Golden Angels slip back into the rock work - their deed being done - and as Vincent is wide eyed in disbelief a pair of Pseudochromis Frimandi come into his camera view dragging a string of Pseudochromis eggs.

Vincent stayed glued to the front of the tank till dawn the next day. He never saw the Goldens again.

Vincent turned this event into an article on advanced reef keeping and it was published in a French Reef Keeping Magazine.

Dave B

 

[kdx7214]

Around 25 years ago I had a 40g tank setup with one of the old wet/dry filters underneath. I happened to have a convict damsel that disappeared. Couldn't find him and didn't see a body anywhere. I did have a BTA at the time and assumed he got too close and it ate him. So three years later I go to break down the tank to move and there in the wet/dry filter is that fish now 4" long and mean as hell. It had spent three entire years living in this little 6" x 6" space in the filter, eating whatever food happened to make it through. Shocked the hell out of me.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Around 25 years ago I had a 40g tank setup with one of the old wet/dry filters underneath. I happened to have a convict damsel that disappeared. Couldn't find him and didn't see a body anywhere. I did have a BTA at the time and assumed he got too close and it ate him. So three years later I go to break down the tank to move and there in the wet/dry filter is that fish now 4" long and mean as hell. It had spent three entire years living in this little 6" x 6" space in the filter, eating whatever food happened to make it through. Shocked the hell out of me.

So what happened after? Did you keep him? Give him away? How did he like his upgrade?

 

[Provate]

I haven't seen my new royal gramma in almost a week… I’ve had new fish hide, but typically 48 hours is enough to at least see them come out for food. I’ve heard crazy stories of fish hiding for several months assumed dead, only to reappear during re-aquascaping.

So let’s hear it! What’s your experience?

A week and a few days

 

[AydenLincoln]

I had a wrasse hide under the sand for a week. And then another wrasse I thought was long dead turned out he was living in the sump for around a week and somehow this happened multiple times and he so so so skinny. He’s a fat little buddy now. Wrasses really do jump ship, hide, and get sucked into places they shouldn’t be.

 

[Formulator]

My royal gramma turned up and has been coming out regularly for feeding. He stayed hidden for a little over a week, apparently just scared and acclimating. He now lives hidden in the branches of a large anacropora colony.

 

[aminals]

When do I assume my leapord wrasse is gone? Been atleast 6months and I've probably looked 20 times after dark.

 

[KrisReef]

Fishes, shrimps, have all gone underground in my tanks for months, years until I do a deep clean and move the rocks around and they reappear. They usually are a lot bigger than I remembered, (if I remembered?).

Often times the disruption of the aquascape is the offense that brings them out of the shadows. Once out of the shadows, many disappear again for a second time and the return of those creatures is very, very low. I suspect that what ever they were hiding from ate them once they lost their cover?

 

[Formulator]

When do I assume my leapord wrasse is gone? Been atleast 6months and I've probably looked 20 times after dark.

I think its safe to assume he is gone. Wrasse are pretty active fish. They are also notorious jumpers and quite sensitive. Do you have a lid or net covering you tank? That is a must-have for wrasse.