Lost my first fish today...arghhhh

[yankeeslover]

sad morning for me...arghhhh... went to feed my fish and noticed my royal gramma was missing...after some searching i found him on the floor....still trying to figure out if i am gonna replace him or not... i have a 46 gallon tank..started out as a FOWLR, but i have since been getting into the coral phase... i now have 2 clowns and a firefish... nitrates are always hovering around 20-30 even after water changes and with a skimmer.. im wondering if now having one less fish will help with bioload... still very very upsetting... I liked him..
BTW, I dont have a top on the tank because i heard glass tops can filter out light.. i am using T5 ho lighthing... I tried to stay away from jumpers, never pinged a royal as a jumper...arghhhhhhh:facepalm:

 

[Xxero]

My condolences...

I even get a little morose if I lose a snail. :sad2:

 

[Duke4life]

Sucks to hear. Just so you know firefish are known jumpers as well. At 1 of my LFSs they had 1 jump, jumped immediately again into a 3rd tank next row over, just so happened a lion fish was right there in that one. I'd seriously consider some type of screen.

 

[yankeeslover]

Its funny, because, when I started this tank a few months ago, I swore I was only gonna do fowlr... I then started out with two clowns.. I slowly added the royal and then the firefish..
I think after awhile added a small zoa frag, and from there my coral addiction started.. so much that I don't care to even add anymore fish.. I don't know if I will replace fish as they go, might just stick with corals and two clown fish..
I never belived that I would get a coral itch like I have lately.. I'm still not ready for SPS corals as my nitrates will never be zero.. but in the past two months, I went from never wanting a coral too now having, 2 zoa frags, red people eater frag, yellow polyp frag, blue mushroom frag, pipe coral organ and as of yesterday a frog spawn frag... that will probably do it for now, but my interest in fish is not as high as it once was... I also of course have a bunch of snails, hermits and a bristle star...

 

[Duke4life]

A thin screen mesh won't put a damper on the light to much.

 

[hotelbravo]

A thin screen mesh won't put a damper on the light to much.

I wouldn't go under 1/4th inch clear mesh. anything under that would imo damper the light to much

 

[Marchillo]

I've read a bunch of people write that all fish can jump. I use eggcrate which isn't foolproof. Most of my fish seem too big to fit through but it wouldn't shock me. At the right angle it could certainly happen.

 

[fishgate]

Clowns jump too. I lost one a few months ago that jumped into the overflow and got stuck in the plumbing.

 

[thegrun]

Use 1/4" clear mesh bird screen, available at Marine Depot and Bulk Reef Supply and mount it on a window screen frame available at Home Depot or Lowe's. The cost is less than what it is going to take to replace your firefish which is also a known jumper. Clowns will also jump. The screen blocks very little light and really isn't that noticeable. It's good fish husbandry.