Jawfish Attacked

[rabidric]

This is in the same tank where we lost the angels so it may have something to do with their deaths. The biggest fish in the tank is a jawfish who is around 2 and 1/2 inches long, everything else is small. The other inhabitants are chromis, dartfish, clown goby, maroon clown, a fuzzy dwarf lion and a scarlet hawk and they are all, as I said, small. Nothing is even half his length, perhaps with the exception of the dart. That's to give an idea of the size of things - that we know about. This morning we noticed that the jawfish has had both of his side fins chewed off, almost up to the body. I'm guessing that the only two aggressive tankmates are the clown and the hawkfish, but are they capable of this sort of damage? If not what should I be looking for that's coing out of the live rock?
Not that we ever saw any marks on the angels or any of the other fish.

Also just noticed the jawfish has a chunk out of his side! He's seriously been in the wars. Treating with melafix just to try and help the recovery.

Baffled

 

[Lynden]

It may have been some invert hidden in the rocks. How long has the tank been set up? I ask because if it's a new tank with new rock, you may have missed some sort of predator, like a crab.

Also, for skittish fish, running into rocks is not unheard of. That would only explain the chunk out of his side, though.

 

[rabidric]

Thanks Lynden. The jawfish was never skittish and rarely moved from the safety of his burrow unless it was to grab some passing food so I don't think that's likely. The tank's around 10 weeks old I suppose and he's been there since very early days. I asked because I assumed it would have to be something large enough to chew at him in big mouthfuls or he'd have swum away surely. Wouldn't anything small have taken time and he'd have noticed? That's why I wondered about one of the other fish.

I keep looking with the aid of a torch after lights out but all I've seen is a stella thing, looks like a slug with a tiny shiny shell, as you can tell I'm good with the names!

I guess I'll just have to keep watching, but he won't go back to his burrow so something has obviously disturbed him.

Thanks again

R

 

[SkiFletch]

Thanks Lynden. The jawfish was never skittish and rarely moved from the safety of his burrow unless it was to grab some passing food so I don't think that's likely. The tank's around 10 weeks old I suppose and he's been there since very early days. I asked because I assumed it would have to be something large enough to chew at him in big mouthfuls or he'd have swum away surely. Wouldn't anything small have taken time and he'd have noticed? That's why I wondered about one of the other fish.

I keep looking with the aid of a torch after lights out but all I've seen is a stella thing, looks like a slug with a tiny shiny shell, as you can tell I'm good with the names!

I guess I'll just have to keep watching, but he won't go back to his burrow so something has obviously disturbed him.

Thanks again

R

You'd be surprised how well crabs can hide rabidric. I discovered one in my tank a full YEAR after adding the rock... Only happened to notice him at night when I used a red-bulb flashlight to poke around.

 

[rabidric]

Thanks Lynden. The jawfish was never skittish and rarely moved from the safety of his burrow unless it was to grab some passing food so I don't think that's likely. The tank's around 10 weeks old I suppose and he's been there since very early days. I asked because I assumed it would have to be something large enough to chew at him in big mouthfuls or he'd have swum away surely. Wouldn't anything small have taken time and he'd have noticed? That's why I wondered about one of the other fish.

I keep looking with the aid of a torch after lights out but all I've seen is a stella thing, looks like a slug with a tiny shiny shell, as you can tell I'm good with the names!

I guess I'll just have to keep watching, but he won't go back to his burrow so something has obviously disturbed him.

Thanks again

R

You'd be surprised how well crabs can hide rabidric. I discovered one in my tank a full YEAR after adding the rock... Only happened to notice him at night when I used a red-bulb flashlight to poke around.

I know what you mean about suddenly showing up. In my little tank we've suddenly got a glass anemone - where from after 8 or 9 months?! Oh well I guess something will show up some when or other. Judging by the chunks out of the jawfish fins it would have to have a large mouth so it will have to put in an appearance soon cos it must be getting hungry.
Thanks for taking the time guys, really appreciated.

 

[rabidric]

Well, come home to a dead jawfish. Both fins completely removed, even the skin was damaged where they join the body. Two patches down his sides with skin removed and a chunk missing out of his head. God knows what got him, and I'm not sure I fancy grabbing hold of it to remove it! I'll keep looking.

Thanks again

 

[rabidric]

No sign of anything doing the damage but this morning I now have a semi shredded dartfish, Patches of damage all down one side and the mucus is hanging off in tatters. Any ideas on finding whatever it and then how to get it out? It's obviously something in the sandbed as the only ones affected are the burrowing creatures.

 

[SkiFletch]

Get a red flashlight and go spelunking in the night

 

[ally--19]

you could take out all the sand out untill night time and shine torch and see if any thing is on the glass.
if not take out the live rock and get a very small cup/glass and add your sand back in very slowly and see if you find any think like crabs/brissle worms stuff like that