Disappearing fish...RBTA to blame?

[erinangele]

I have been in the hobby almost 2 years now and have never had fish just disappear, until now. Since introducing RBTA 2 months ago I have lost 3 fish. A Six Line Wrasse who I have had for 1.5 years, a small Flasher Wrasse who I've had for 4 months, and now a Chromie who I've had for 6 months. Is this typical for reef tanks with BTA's? All of these fish were healthy, in fact i was just admiring my Six Line the day before it disappeared

 

[Postal]

Very doubtful that the RBTA would be to blame. They jut don't pack a punch powerful enough to take down a healthy fish. If the fish were sick for some unknown reason then the RBTA might make a meal of them in that situation. The fish might have died and the cleanup crew made short work of them. Any chance of disease from a recent addition? Or is carpet surfing a possibility?

 

[bearpeidog]

I've kept several RBTAs in my tanks - never had a fish come up missing. I do have a 6 line that is around 7 years old. As stated, Nems don't seem like they could catch and hold a healthy fish. Not sure how they feed in he wild, but just don't see it happening in my tank.


Now, I did catch my saddle back clown feeding the nem a fire shrimp. I do not know if the fire shrimp was sick but it was still alive. I'm guessing the shrimp was on its way out for the clown to have bothered him. It was neat to see as I've heard about clowns feeding their hosts just wish it wasn't that expensive of a meal. In no way though could my clown feed my 6 line to the nem. That 6 line is a tough, fast fish - no one is going to catch or mess with him.

 

[edsbeaker]

I have been in the hobby almost 2 years now and have never had fish just disappear, until now. Since introducing RBTA 2 months ago I have lost 3 fish. A Six Line Wrasse who I have had for 1.5 years, a small Flasher Wrasse who I've had for 4 months, and now a Chromie who I've had for 6 months. Is this typical for reef tanks with BTA's? All of these fish were healthy, in fact i was just admiring my Six Line the day before it disappeared

Is your tank covered?

 

[erinangele]

Yes, I have glass covering the top so that the wrasses can't jump out. My most recent addition was the Flasher Wrasse 4 months ago.

I spend a lot of time admiring the fish, they all *looked* healthy. I do a water change every couple weeks and everything seems to be thriving. I feed my fish a varied diet of prime reef, spectrum pellets, frozen mysis, nori, and spirillina. I soak their food in selcon and garlic twice a week.

I'm really stumped as to what could have happened to them. I was suspecting the Nem, then last night i saw a chromie trying to sleep between my birdsnest and anemone and even thought It was too close for comfort. Today I'm missing a chromie. You guys are more experienced with BTA's than I am, so i trust your judgement. I just wish i knew what was going on...

Here's the tank

 

[cet98]

the true answer to your question is yes...your BTA can be eating your fish.

while BTAs are typically one of the mildest anemones with regards to stickiness and stinging power, a healthy BTA can sting any fish enough to, in the very least, stun it severely.
I have lost a few fish to my BTAs when they are slower/sleepy in the evening when all lights are out and it's more difficult for the fish to see it's surroundings.
once stunned, a fish can easily lose it's bearings and swim directly into the grasp of the anemone and become a meal...
wrasses are notorious for getting easily spooked and can accidentally run into an anemone at anytime

now I'm not saying that this is definitely what happened to your fish, but it is a possibility