Missing fish!

[Marinebeginner]

How quickly could a clean up crew remove the evidence of a dead fish? My clown fish has completely disappeared. I'm devastated! My tank is a nano tank so no where to hide, he always comes out when I open the lid for feeding time. He was there yesterday . Clean up crew- 2 crabs , two turbos, a conch, a sea star..... :-(

 

[Marinebeginner]

Crikey- just checking levels to investigate nitrates up at 100ppm , 3 days post PWC! Cause or effect??
Salinity spot on, ammonia still in progress but looking like its going to be zero.
Have two other fish in tank. Fed, but looking a bit sluggish - depressed / in mourning ?! / effects of nitrates.
About to prepare more water for water change.

 

[Animal-Chin]

Ya, fish do dissapear. Your clean up crew is very efficient and could eat a clown in a night. If they did eat it, your nitrates are not an effect of the rotting fish. It could be what killed him in the first place. 100 is really high, start changing out that water. Something else is wrong too, it could be a dirty filter, over feeding, over crowding. Something is causing a lot of Nitrate build up, thats the main issue.

 

[Marinebeginner]

I have done a water change. I replaced the filter material in my nano tank with little pieces of live rock. I guess I could take then out and clean them in RO water? I have 3 inches of fish in a 12
Gallon nano tank so just on the cusp of being ok I think. (Its a reef tank)
I feed a cube of frozen seabrine every other day for the three fish . They appear to eat it all but wonder if that's too much?

 

[Marinebeginner]

Will repeat nitrates tomorrow +/- repeat water change.

 

[Animal-Chin]

What other filtration other than some live rock do you have? If you aren't running a skimmer or any other type you should do regular water changes quite often.

How old is the tank? Do you have a sandy bottom and if so do you clean it? Cube of food every second day should be fine if you see them eat it all. The inch thing doesn't really relate to reef tanks. For a nano that size 2 small fish is about right. I had a clown and a cardinal, anything more than that would really effect my water quality. If you do weekly water changes 3 may be fine if they are little guys.

 

[Marinebeginner]

I have live rock in the tank itself and then small fragments of live rock replacing the plastic filter beads / foam in the filter section at the back of the tank. I also have a protein skimmer. Regularly clean protein skimmer but haven't cleaner filter stuff out for good 2-3 months as wasn't sure if I had to. Fish shop has told me that only had to clean filter if it was inorganic (plastic / foam) material....

 

[Marinebeginner]

Tank is 8 months old. Have only couple mm of sand- previously deeper and had probs with nitrates in past hence reduced it. Have been doing 25% changes fortnightly but perhaps weekly is needed...?

 

[Marinebeginner]

Back from the dead?!? I wonder if he got himself into the filter / reservoir section at back of tank and has now freed himself ...?