Help! My Danios Are Disappearing Overnight!

[fergusek]

I'm brand new to the forum tonight. Can anyone help please.

I have lost 2 of my new zebra danios in 2 days. 180 litre freshwater tank and water readings are normal.

I got 8 danios on sunday, 1 'disappeared' overnight from tue to wed, and another 1 last night? No bodies or bits of bodies found!

I have a catfish whose behaviour has changed so is he the culprit? Could he be eating them in the dark?

I can't remember what kind he is so have attached a picture. Can anyone please tell me what he is? And could he be eating them?

Before this week the catfish had always stayed at the bottom of the tank, hidden in a cave or a plane I have in the tank. He's about 4 inches. Shop said he'd go to about 5 inches. Largest fish in my tank.

I've only ever seen him out before during the small hours when its dark BUT since the danio came in this week this catfish is hyperactive. I've never seen him go near the danios but he swims wildly up and down the front of the glass and zooms about the tank? He doesn't sit still for long.

I have another catfish - nocturnal, black with beigey coloured bands - can't remember what he is either. Any idea?

Apart from them I have 2 blue gouramis, 3 black widows, 3 clown loaches, 1 otocinclus & 2 serpae tetras. They all live happily and have not changed behaviour.

Can anyone help please? Many thanks

 

[CheniseMummy]

Hello have you checked your filter?

I lost one of my danios last week he was inside my internal filter, she is doing well now tho after a little damgae to fins and slight stress.

 

[fergusek]

Hello have you checked your filter?

I lost one of my danios last week he was inside my internal filter, she is doing well now tho after a little damgae to fins and slight stress.

Hi. Thanks for replying to me so quickly. The danios are small but not so small they'd slip through the filter I have.

When I lost the first one I literally spent about an hour checking everywhere but nope, no sign of a body or even bits of a body - sorry for that vision ;( Same thing again with the other 1.

Its a mystery and all I can think is I have a cannibal fish! I'm leaving the tank lights ON tonite!

Thanks very much again for replying to me.

My picture never attached - have no idea why not about that either!

 

[Jen]

I wouldn't think one cat could devour a whole carcass overnight, but I've only had the little ones. I know it seems odd, but have you check the floor around your tank? I found a danio dried up in my carpet once. No clue how long long he had been there, but I did have lots of open segments in the back of my hood that he could have jumped out of.

 

[nosoup4you]

I'd be willing to bet that the cat is the culprit. If they can fit in his mouth, he will eat them.

 

[CheniseMummy]

My danios are adults fully grown with long fins and i didnt think that they could fit into my filter either. i use a fluval 1 internal filter. It took me a whole day to find mine still alive. Its worth checking? at least you can rule it out. They can swim up the water out let. I have no idea how mine got in but it was in there.

 

[fergusek]

Thanks very much for the replies.

I have no missing danios this morning! I did leave the tank lights on all night but whether that made any difference IF its the catfish who's the cannibal culprit I don't know. I wouldn#t want to be leaving the lights on all the time but I hate the thought of a poor wee danio getting attacked in the dark and eaten alive

I am going to look in the filter to rule it out. Good idea, thanks.

Its an Aqua One canister filter that sits in the cupboard underneath the tank, and the intake pipe strainer and tube is inside the tank. The slats on the strainer seem too slim for a danio to fit past BUT definitely worth a try!

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[fergusek]

Danios are not in the filter, on the floor around the tank or anywhere else in the tank.

The catfish I suspect has a biggish mouth but the danios have fins and I don't see that he could swallow them whole. Unless his mouth can open pretty wide.

I don't know what to do now. CAN ANYONE HELP WITH IDEAS PLEASE?

I'd put the pic of the catfish on but can't figure how to attach - can anyone tell me please?

THANKS

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Create an account at somewhere like www.imageshack.com

 

[AstonN24vantage]

what kind of danio and what kind of catfish?

 

[fergusek]

Hi, They're zebra danios and I can't remember the type of catfish. Can't get the pic attached. Catfish is about 4 inches and has large black spots on his body and tail.

 

[fergusek]

I think I've been blaming the wrong catfish! I have 2 as I mentioned and was blaming the spotted one and not the black one!

I've been scouring the internet trying to figure what kind of catfish my spotted catfish is and found pics of the black one instead

Black one is an Asian bumble bee catfish. We don't see him daytime at all, he's nocturnal. I never see him eat unless I'm feeding brine shrimp and he comes out his hidey hole for that.

Theres mixed views from what I've read, but the majority say he'll come out when the lights are out and can eat a fish half his body size.

So, maybe he's my culprit and I've spoiled his fun by keeping the lights on thru the night the last 2 nights?

I can't keep the lights on forever so what do you think? Would putting some brine shrimp food in last thing at night maybe stop him eating teh other fish? If it is him!

I'm so confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Help!

 

[fergusek]

My spotted catfish is a Synodontis

CAN ANYONE HELP PLEASE? MANY THANKS