Two Missing Damsel Fish?

[Endless Ocean in My House]

I had in my tank one tomato clown, and three damsels. I had a horseshoe crab as well, but he's always burrowed for days at a time and I'm not too worried about him.

They all got along great.

The past couple days, I have been a little busy and perhaps wasn't giving them as much care as I should--I was taking SG tests and giving them flakes but maybe not enough.

Today, I noticed that the two smaller damsels were nowhere to be found. The largest damsel, for the first time, is coming up to the front and closer to the surface to get his food, while he would usually wait to grab a flake...
I rooted through the gravel, and I'm not seeing anything. No bodies, dead or alive.

So did the clown and the big damsel eat the others?
I think that's what happened, but I don't really know what to think!

Please don't rebuke me for not giving my fish proper care--obviously I've been taught a lesson!

 

[Krocky12]

Do u have an overflow box he could be in there

 

[jsmith]

That's the beauty of saltwater. I've lost fish im sure everyone has but one things certain u will never find them. I don't think going a couple days without feeding will hurt I feed once every two to three days. Its one if those things that's unexplainable. Though a lost is a lost. Just be thankful it wasn't two 80 dollar tangs.

 

[Krocky12]

Yup it sure is

 

[sanchezkk]

It happened to one of my Blue Damsels... One day, he was hiding in the rocks. Next thing ya know, POOF! Gone without a trace!

 

[Krocky12]

That's gotta suck I kinda hope that happens to my damsel cause I really don't want him cause I'm going to be getting a pair of clowns

 

[sanchezkk]

To be completely honest, my two clowns played with him at one point. I feel as though I have some imobster fish. I believe he played Jimmy Hoffa. I'll make you a deal you can't refuse....

 

[Krocky12]

Haha ya really I might go see if my lfs want to do a trade cause I got a sergeant major damsel

 

[sanchezkk]

Are they bad?

 

[Krocky12]

No, not really but I only have a 20 gal so I don't want to put to many fish in there

 

[sanchezkk]

I have a 55g FOWLR tank

 

[Krocky12]

Ya that would be good for them. They grow up to 6 in. And I also have a 55 gal witch I'm converting soon

 

[sanchezkk]

Sounds like a plan.

 

[Krocky12]

Oh ya so I'm trying to just get the 20 as like a miny Frag tank for the 55

 

[Andy Sager]

Missing fish

I had in my tank one tomato clown, and three damsels. I had a horseshoe crab as well, but he's always burrowed for days at a time and I'm not too worried about him.

They all got along great.

The past couple days, I have been a little busy and perhaps wasn't giving them as much care as I should--I was taking SG tests and giving them flakes but maybe not enough.

Today, I noticed that the two smaller damsels were nowhere to be found. The largest damsel, for the first time, is coming up to the front and closer to the surface to get his food, while he would usually wait to grab a flake...
I rooted through the gravel, and I'm not seeing anything. No bodies, dead or alive.

So did the clown and the big damsel eat the others?
I think that's what happened, but I don't really know what to think!

Please don't rebuke me for not giving my fish proper care--obviously I've been taught a lesson!

There may never be a difinitive answer but there are things to look for. As mentioned, look in any filter boxes or behind any larger decorations. If they were being bullied, they could be in hiding. (I used to have fish hide underneath some of my coral decorations and I could only see them from underneath the tank.)
Since Saltwater is so corrosive, I've seen fish deteriorate overnight into nothing but a blob of gook that could have been taken up by your filter.
The most obvious to me sounds like if they died, the horseshoe crab ate them during the night. Horseshoes do come out in the dark and are great scavengers. I'm putting my money on this one
If your other fish killed and ate them, there would be carcasses because the fish wouldn't eat the heads and would leave a skeleton for you to find.

As I said, other than them hiding or in the filter, you will never know for sure what happened.
One suggestion, try not to disturb large areas of your gravel bed looking for bodies. It interferes with the bacteria beds that are existing on the gravel and you'll do more damage to your system than the 2 corpses will.

Hope this helps...

 

[sanchezkk]

Great explanation! I've never would have come to that conclusion.

 

[Krocky12]

Ya that's true

 

[alex07]

I had the same problem, 1 day my blue damsel was missing then a firefish the next day. The following day I decided to check the tank in the middle of the night and caught my peppermint shrimp eating a pajama cardinalfish. Ever since I removed the peppermint shrimp I haven't had any deaths

 

[sanchezkk]

Ha ha! Cold-Busted!

 

[Krocky12]

Haha ya