Help solve alien fish abduction

[Bojangles]

I lost 4 fish in the last 2 weeks in my 200g and have no idea why...heres the stats

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ph 8.0
Salt 1.023

I have 2 large pieces of ML LR that I got from the LFS, run 72 lbs together. Got another 50 lbs of Fiji from a guy that was moving to the east coast, was fully cured but came with aiptasia and bubble algae. The aiptasia run from micro to large (about 4in foot and 2in across head).

Inhabitants:
2in Coral Beauty Dwarf Angel - Found body next day after missing half there
1.5in Clown Tang - MIA
3in Lawnmower Blenny - Found Full Body same day
2in Six-Line Wrasse MIA - there yesterday, gone today
2in male osc clown - perfectly healthy, around 7 years old, got from the guy for free that was selling the LR because his female died.
4 x Turbo snails - all in tact
1 x sm peppermint shrimp - just to help with the aiptasia (experiment)

At first I thought it was the aiptasia. They are large enough for my small clown tang to randomly disappear. Then I thought it was the clown, since he's all thats left. However they all living together for a good month with no signs of stress, all ate fine, no bickering. Now I'm thinking its either aliens that have chosen me for some random experiment or dare I say...Mantis

Please let me know what you all think because I really have no idea

 

[Bojangles]

I havent heard any noises comming from the tank at night or during the day. The sixline went awol last night and I was up from 11pm - 8am and didn't hear a thing. Actually now that I think I heard a loud pop and my digital thermo unsuctioned from the glass and fell to the ground, but it might have just been the sound of it hitting the ground.

 

[JennM]

If you aren't finding bodies it could be a predatory "hitchhiker" crab.

You can set a trap by baiting a tall drinking glass and standing it upright with the lip of the glass against a rock. Do this at night or the fish will eat the bait.

Crab will smell the bait, jump into the glass to eat the bait and will be trapped and waiting for you the next morning.

If it's a mantis shrimp, the shrimp can swim away but a crab will be stuck there til you remove him.

Try this for a week and see what happens. Typically a predatory crab will nab the fish at night as they sleep. You might not even know he's there except for the fact that your livestock disappear without a trace.

HTH

Jenn

 

[Bojangles]

Ive found all the bodies now except for the clown tang, which was the smallest fish in the tank. Its wierd now all the inhabitants are doing perfectly fine. Both the fish, clown fish and mandarin goby, the snails and the shrimp are all looking good.

I had tried the cup trick as soon as you told me about it but didn't manage to catch anything except my peppermint shrimp.

I wonder if its a mantis? I've been looking into the tank with a flashlight at spiratic hours during the night and morning with no luck of finding anything.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not so sure it's a predatory problem...I would think the turbos would be the first to disappear if it was. That said, I'm not sure what else it could be. What kind of test kits are you using, and how old are they?

 

[Bojangles]

I'm using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals master test kit which contains:
High range ph
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
Deep Six salt tester

They are all new, I just bought them 2 days before the problems. I've tested everyday for the last 5 days. Everything is the same no deviation.

Ph 8.0
Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite 0

 

[Anonymous]

Do you have any powerheads in the tank that could be leaking voltage? I know this is a stretch, but I really don't have any other ideas. You say all the current inhabitants are doing fine?

I think your pH could be a tad higher, but that's not causing the problem we're talking about here. Also, I'm a bit surprised that you don't have at least a trace of nitrate with all the dead fish you've had lately.

Dude, I dunno.

 

[Mouse]

Also, I'm a bit surprised that you don't have at least a trace of nitrate with all the dead fish you've had lately.

maybee thats a clue, perhaps your clean up crew are a little too efficient.

If it werne't a mantis id have guessed it was the wrasse, but then thats MIA too, maybee it bit off more than it could chew with its last victim and became one itself.

 

[Bojangles]

The six-line was put into that tank about 2 weeks after all the others had gone.

It might be some of the equipment. I have 4 1140 powerheads, some visatherm heaters that are about 7months old and an emperor 400 that I've had for about 2 years. Now I actually wonder if its the heater, I just had one break that I've had about the same time...when I transfered another tank I noticed that the heater had water in it.