I think I lost a fish

[badazztealcobra]

Well I have a 29 gallon oceanic biocube and I had a yellow tailed damsel in the tank when I first set it up to try to jumpstart the cycle, but this morning I go over to the tank and its nowhere to be found... I looked all around the tank, I checked the 3 back chambers, and still I see nothing. If the fish died wouldnt there be some sort of "remains" somewhere, or would the 12 hermit crabs make short work of him.....

I didnt get any type of ammonia spike or anything when I checked the water parameters this morning so I dont know what happened.... Maybe Ill have to rip a[art the back chambers to try to find him or something.....

 

[revenge53142]

he's probly alive in there somewhere
i dont suppose he could jump out if its a
biocube?

 

[badazztealcobra]

Nope.... the only place he could jump is into the back chambers and I checked those for him but saw nothing..... beats me.

 

[jjjimmy]

I am probably going to get hammered for this but, I would be grateful to have lost a damsel. They are notorious for making it very difficult in adding any other fish.

 

[Illuminati]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8497821#post8497821 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jjjimmy
I am probably going to get hammered for this but, I would be grateful to have lost a damsel. They are notorious for making it very difficult in adding any other fish.

I was thinking the same thing. In a tank that small he would be a terror. I did a fishless cycle in my cube.

 

[hansnfrans]

He could die at night and there'd be no trace when you woke up in the morning. The Pods and hermits would make short work of him. Had 2 larger fish die in my 29gal tank and they were eaten so quick that it didn't even affect my ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels.

 

[badazztealcobra]

Thanks hansnfrans.....

I really didnt care if I lost the fish, I just was more concerned if I would have some huge ammonia spike in the tank because he might have kicked the bucket.

I dont think anyone would hammer anyone for saying that about the damsel jjjimmy....

He was really really small..... like MAYBE a half an inch at the most, I just was more worried about any possible spikes then the little fish. All I ever hear is how the damsel is a pain in the ***, would it still be bad if the fish I buy for the tank are larger than the damsel is ?? I wanted to get a mated pair of either maroons or true percs as the main fish with an anenome in there too.... that was about it besides corals, would the damsel be bad for the clowns ??

 

[desjardiniidj]

hansnfrans is right on the $$.

jjjimmy just doesn't want any drama.

A damsel might bother the percs. Less likely with the anemone. Hopefully the damsel wouldn't be stupid enough to mess with a mated pair of hosting maroons.

 

[nmprisons]

jjjimmy took the words out of my mouth ... consider yourself lucky, your little tank is now safe for other fish.

if they were a mated pair (particularly the marroons) there would be all kinds of trouble with the damsel, most likely.

 

[whiirly]

I think Maroon get a little to big for a 29 biocube JMO

 

[badazztealcobra]

I thought about that myself, but the liveaquaria "guide" said they would be fine in it... I think I'll stick with a mated pair of true percs just to be on the safe side.

Well I found the little guy, he was inside the liverock... this rock that I got has just way too many hiding spots in it, i finally saw the little blue face in there.

Should I get it out before I even attempt the pair of clowns, or try it first and see if he bothers the clowns firsthand ??

 

[revenge53142]

I thought yellow-tails are supposed to be way less
aggresive?????????????????????????????????????
NOT TRUE??

 

[badazztealcobra]

Thats what I thought too so I gave it a try... I was told the domino and devil were the most aggressive but the yellowtailed was the most passive... I got the smallest one I could hoping that its small size would help knock it down a peg or two.

 

[redvipe2010]

I've had my yellow tailed for a year now with no problems.

 

[hansnfrans]

Seriously man, I'd get him out (IMO: it's not guaranteed that he'll cause a problem, but to me it's just an unnecessary risk). Especially since all you have to do in order to remove him is to pull out the rock and shake it over the toilet bowl.....whoops, I mean a holding tank/refugium. Damsels are bad news, yellow tails aren't terrible, but I'd bet ya that he'll still cause a problem with the clowns.

The worst are the Domino (like you said) and the Blue Velvet. I had a Blue Velvet that would smack the crap out of my; Humu Trigger, Grouper, White Eye Moray, and especially my Whitemouth Moray. I dunno, damsels just seem to have balls of steel .

 

[badazztealcobra]

He is gone..... I didnt do it, the largest hermit crab did.... I caught him eating the damsel at like 1 in the morning before I went to bed. Should I be concerned with how the damsel possibly died or just be happy that its gone ?!?!?

 

[jjjimmy]

don't worry, be happy

 

[aaronpentz]

I have two damsels in my tank. I have a three stripe and a Velvet. The three stripe is more passive than my sleeper gobie. But the velvet on the other hand I consider a waste of bio-load. I would love to get him out but 250 lbs of live rock with three different anemones, bunch of corals, and just not wanting to mess with the tank, hes still in there.

Go buy a new fish and forget about it.