Harlequin Sweetlips MIA? Need Opinions

[exiowans]

My Harlequin Sweetlips has gone missing since he was last seen last night. Before everybody says I have the wrong fish in this tank and I do, the harlequin, my Purple Tang and Red Sea Sailfin are/were bound for bigger quarters in month or 2. Here goes. This tank is a 250L/66gal Red Sea Max. The population consists of 2 wild true percs (2in), 2 black false percs (2.5in), a cleaner wrasse, purple tang (>3in), Red Sea Sailfin Tang (4in), I short tentacled sebae anemone (5-6 in diameter) and a green bubble tip anemone 7-8 in diameter, 2 cleaner shrimp and a 1 clawed coral banded shrimp. 2 weeks ago a bought a 3.5in harlequin sweetlips to house temporarily until I have a new tank ready (150 gal). He has eaten very little if at all in 2 weeks and I have not seen him since 11 pm last night. I do have a live rock reef with numerous coral on the back wall of the tank, but can pretty well see behind it as well as in nearly every crack and cave witha flash light. No sign and with this type of tank set up there is no chance he jumped. Is there any chance the tank ate him completely in like 17-18 hours? Opinions?

 

[six2sevenproductions]

Happened to me once before. One day he simply disappeared. I checked every possible location but did not find my tang. Two days later the skeleton appeared. I don't know what killed him but I know the clean up crew took him under the rocks, ate him and released him when they were done with him. The skeleton was pretty cool.

 

[exiowans]

Came home from work and found a very deteriorated carcass near my green bubble tip. I'm guessing that he either died and the bubble got him or he was dying and the bubble got him. He was farther gone than had he just died and floated around for a day, so I'm pretty sure that the anemone ate what he could and spit the rest back out. Anyway problem solved.

 

[cmor1701d]

Sorry for your loss.