New Fish Gone!!!

[Spazz67]

We brought our Scooter Blenny home Last Monday, after a 3 1/2 week QT at the LFS (My wife's best friend owns it) and she hasn't been seen after we went to bed. LFS said that if we haven't seen her by Friday night to search the tank that she might have jamed herself in a crannie. We've searched the tank, the over flow, the refug. (incase she was hiding in the micro-algae when my wife weeded the tank), Even in the plastic feather duster rock, but still no Blenny. Not even a skull. I researched them before I brought it. I know that they need plenty of pods and mostly eat live foods, which is not a problem my tanks full of them. It was eating frozen food when we got it. I didn't see anywhere that they burrow in sand. Does anyone know if they do?

Water prams were with in correct ranges both before she vanished and after.

This is our stuff.
Our Equipment List
Lighting/Hood = T5 HO Aquarium Reef Light 78W Odyssea
Bulb = T5 1x12000K daylight and 1xActinic 120V
HZ Reef lighting
tank = 46 gal bow face H=21in W= 3ft Short D= 12in Long D= 16in egg crate cover.
Powerheads/wavemakers/Heater = 2x UL 100 wt, UV Sterilizer 9Watt (output 800 L/H powerhead.
Filters= 2x Whisper 10-30i with Biofilters
3in (100 lbs appx) live sand bed (4/50 lbs bags of non sicila playsand mixed with 25 lbs of reef orster shells and seeded with 20 lbs of actural live sand and cycled for about 8 weeks.).
2 Bio Pro Sk-40 Air Driven Protein Skimmer
Trickle filter
29 gal refuge full of micro-algae
23 lbs LR (yeah I know I need more)
Livestock= 2 true PA clowns (could be false PA sold as true)
1 turbo snail
1 Black nassarius snail
1 Cerith snail
2 serpent starfish plus unknown amount of babies >20
1 Peppermint Shrimp
2 Feather Duster
8 Mushroom corals
1(?) bristleworms
1 Scooter Blenny

 

[Zer0]

I do believe blennies are jumpers. Have you checked around the tank? And also, do you have a tight fit cover for your tank of a canopy?

 

[Spazz67]

The cover is an egg crate cover. It fits tightly all around except in two places. The over-flow box (we keep it covered with a towel) and where the return pipe from the refuge goes into the tank. I searched around the tank and under it (Cast Iron stand), so unless the cats (highly unlikely, They hate fish! Strange cats>) ate her she didn't jump out.

 

[Zer0]

Hmm, thats wierd. I dont know what to say. Maybe it is burrowed in the sand. Also, if it does bury itself in the sandbed then theres a chance it starved while it was in the sand and thats why you cant find it. Not really sure but i would just keep an eye out for him.

 

[Spazz67]

Ok Thanks.

 

[Spazz67]

New Fish Prob Dead.

My wife suggested I test the water again.

I just retested my my water and did a 10 gal water change.
Before water change Prams were
High Range PH 7.8
Nitrite .25
Nitrate 10
Phosphate 0.25
Ammonia 1.0
Carbonate Hardness 9 dKH 161.1 ppm KH
Calcium 480 mg/L (ppm)
Silenty 1.024

10 min After water change prams were
High Range PH 7.8
Nitrite .25
Nitrate 10
Phosphate 0
Ammonia .25
Carbonate Hardness 11 dKH 196.9 ppm KH
Calcium 480 mg/L(ppm)
Silenty 1.024

How soon should I do another water change????
I do 5 gal weekly change. I did a 5 gal on Thursday and a 10 gal about 30 min ago.

 

[CementShoes]

how old is the tank?

 

[melosu58]

Any ammonia is lethal in a tank. I would do PWC`s if you have livestock in the tank.

 

[CementShoes]

Esp high with only 3 fish.. 1.0 in 46g with 3 fish.. He's either either in the dead zone or the tank is cycling

 

[Spazz67]

The tank is over a year old so I don't think that it's cycling again. I beleave that the blenny is dead but I can't find the body to remove it. I'll do another 5 gal change tonight, if the levels are still high.

 

[Spazz67]

I just retested my my water and getting ready to do a 5 gal water change Prams were
High Range PH 8.4
Nitrite .25
Nitrate 5
Phosphate 0
Ammonia .25
Carbonate Hardness 11 dKH 196.9 ppm KH
Calcium 480 mg/L (ppm)
Silenty 1.024

My Mushrooms and clowns seem alot happier.