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"If a fish dies in my tanks it just disapears. "

Yes that happens in my tank aswell. I like to think of it as the circle of life its nicer that way.

The problem with the circle of life is it makes it really hard to return fish for a refund. I'm lucky if I can dig out half a skeleton and the fish store won't accept that. But I've never had a water quality issue due to dead fish. The snails, shrimp, loaches, or plecs just get a little fatter for awhile.
The only time I have fish leap out of the tank is when I clean the largest filter on the 29g and forget to place it a few inches over instead of right at the corner. The next day one of the plecos will be dried up on the floor. My blue gourami also has a habit of doing suicide leaps when getting caught. As soon as I'm about to pull the net and fish out of the water he flips himself over the edge. I've picked him up off the floor 3 times. Other than that mine are content to stay in the water.

I had some elderly tiger barbs I knew were going to die, out of four I found the partial remains of only one, the other fish and shrimp in the tanks (140 gal) easily ate that much meat and bone by morning.They just all died during the night at various times in a couple of months and got cleaned up- at least I know the scavenger crew does its job very well.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 15-Sep-2005 21:25

When I was first stocking the 55g I had about 10 zebra danios, among other things. We left for vacation, so the house, dog and fish tanks were left in the care of one of my friends. When I got back the entire danio school had been wiped out. I asked her if she'd noticed any dead bodies, but she hadn't

I have never seen so many fish jump out of tanks like racso's do. He had a tank with a swordtail and 2 platies and all 3 of them disappeared. About 3 weeks later we found a platy and the swordtail on the desk beside the tank. The other platy is still missing. I also found a whole slew of fish behind 2 of his stacked tanks a few months back. I don't think he remembered half of them :%)

I'll never forget the day one of my bettas "disappeared"... he was in a 1g tank with an UG filter and tube for the airstone. The airstone wasn't in the tank, and he decided to swim into the tube and wound up under the filter plate

Last edited by gartenzwerfe at 15-Sep-2005 13:06

Crayfish are very good escape artists, sometimes even when there's a lid onthe tank. My dad is a custodian at an elementary school, and one of the classrooms has a big tank that has had all manner of creatures in it. Well, a few years ago, my dad gets a call from the librarian because there's something alive behind one of the shelves, and it was one of about six crays kept in the tank at the opposite end of the hallway from the library. He also found two dead ones in other parts of the school, and you really have to wonder how they got in places like a cafeteria cupboard. He caught one of them in the act as it jammed its big claw in the crevice where the airline tubing went under the hood and pried the lid up enough for it to crawl out.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Heh, here's a funny story. About 8 years ago (I was starting out as an aquarist), I kept two crayfish in a 10gal tank in my room on the 2nd floor. No tank covering, since I didn't think that they could get out. One day I find both of them gone, without a trace. I looked everywhere for them: around the tank, around the room, then around the house. Finally, after hours of searching I find them...in the basement, dead. By the looks of it, they seem to have died from dehydration of the gills. Lol, it's still beyond me how they managed to get out of my tank, not to mention the 2nd to 1st floor free fall that they undoubtedly performed, and then managed to find their way to the basement! Maybe they just didn't like me...

This happens in all of my tanks with ottos and dwarf crayfish. I can always count one less than I know should be in there. Sometimes I can't even count that many. So I honestly never know how many ottos I have in any of my tanks.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

that has always been my case when it comes to my otto..ill always look around relentlessly...but to no avail....but it will just almost always comes out....out of nowhere...i did it again last nite...cant find it...and im hoping this is not for good.

that happend to one of me CAE before then after a good look in and around the tank i checked in the HOB filter and there he was alive an well, though a little shocked i do believe.

and my koohli loach would be gone for months at a time before i would see him browsing for food.

have you ever just lost a fish?
2 days ago i got a new fish for my 55 gallon that was very much to big to fit in any of my other fishes mouthes. but i have not seen it all day and i even turned all my decor over to see if it would float to the top, nothing.
anyone else have the problem?

MONKEYS ARE COOL, BUT SEA-MONKEYS ARE BETTER.

Yes Sham same here!

it is sort of gross but if a fish disappears I assume it has died and been eaten. If I am aware of a fish being ill then I do watch carefully

but for example the ADF I had that were supposed to be fine in the tank weren't. THey got eaten, and that was by my mollies....!

I think my fish have got into the habit of eating other fish - the livebearers have babies all the time and they get eaten

oh well that's life I guess.

GFG

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Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

If a fish dies in my tanks it just disapears. It doesn't matter if it's a tiny tetra or a huge pleco. My cleanup crew will not fail to eliminate the body within at least 24hrs. If whatever died is less than 5" long you can expect it gone within the hour. There is no such thing as wasted food in my tanks.

FOUND IT!
I turned off the lights on my tank and kind of for got about it, then when I looked in there he was just swimming around. I swear I checked everywhere but he is still in there, so no crusty fish. By the way since you asked it is a Spotted African Leaf Fish. Check my last post to find out more if you want. He is cool loking.
Thanks for the replies!

MONKEYS ARE COOL, BUT SEA-MONKEYS ARE BETTER.

I have had a couple of fish jump ship on me. It wasn't too fun finding crispy fish on the floor. I have also had fish trap themselves in things in the tank. This also could be possible. The fish that did that to me all the time was a loach I used to keep. I wouldn't see the thing for days at a time. What kind of fish did you lose? I hope everything turns out well for you. Best of luck!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

I have *thought* one was missing but always see it in a day or two.

You, on the other hand, have done a thorough search.

I did have a crispy one on the floor the morning after I got it. just too adventurous for its own good. Poor Hongi Island fishie

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

just lost one? as in i've removed everything and it's just not thereyes, recently...I've looked everywhere around the tank, in the tank, and one of my 2.5 inch acei are just gonecan't find it anywhere...rather scary though when you think about it

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

It may have possibly jumped out. Just check really well around the tank.

Also, check in the filter itself. I've found multiple fish in my filters before. Just a lucky jump or like a salmon hopping up stream.

Also, depending on what fish you have and what fish it was, it could have been nibbled apart by the fish and the rest sucked up by the filter. Usually it takes a little longer than one day, but still a possibility.

Most likely, its around SOMEWHERE...

jumped out? crusty and full of lint on the floor?

72 gallon bowfront:Tanganyikan Lake set up
75 gallon: A. Baenschi trio,Cyanotilapia Afra Cobwe(4), copadichromis trewavase, protomelas sp. tangerine tiger(breeding pair)