Missing Fish, Where Could They Have Gone?

[bullgoose]

So i had a single guppy remaining in my tank yesterday.  Behaviour had been a little strange and seemed to just be hanging around one spot. He was eating however.  Today he has vanished, this is only a 54 litre tank which i have searched repeatedly and no sign of a body anywhere.  At this moment it is a mere 18 hrs since last spotted alive. Surely his body would be somewhere.
 
Now this is not the first time either. A month ago i had two guppies and again that one disapeared in the same fashion without a trace. I had the filter out on both occasions and nothing in there.
 
All i have in the tank are shrimp, assasin snails and pygmy corrys  (4 ottos added yesterday afternoon)    surely they could not have scoffed the carcass.
 
Have others experienced this or do you always find at least some remains ???
 
 
confused
 
 
 
wilf wilf 

 

[Freedom]

Oh yes, surely they COULD have scoffed the carcass, it happens quite quickly.

 

[bullgoose]

Really ? 
 
Am i correct in saying ottos and pygmy corys would not eat a dead fish ??    

 

[Freedom]

Corys will eat dead fish, yes.  Otos, I'm not sure. The shrimp are scavengers so they will also eat it.
 
Part of it is just to clean up their territory, not exactly cuz they are hungry.  They eat the fins and belly.  What is left is so small from a guppy, it just gets pulled in to the filter and you don't even see it.  Small fish like guppies have tiny skeletons.

 

[Lillefishy]

Oto's wouldn't, pygmys I doubt, most likely it's the shrimp they're very good at disposing of bodies

 

[sadguppy]

They've likely scoffed him. We had two danios go missing and when we moved the tank we found they had jumped out of a tiny hole at the back...grim! Guppies are unlikely to jump though, so my vote is that he's been eaten.

 

[bullgoose]

Thanks for the info.  Sad yet at the same time relieved rotten carcasses aint fouling up the tank.
 
RIP Tim and Scooter

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Cories are meat eaters mostly, shrimp eat anything, and otos eat algae. The cories and shrimp probably took care of him for you. 

 

[LittleTinca]

I've had guppies go missing before & it's basically been when they've died & become wedged underneath an ornament/rock etc. I find the filter flow & the fish eating them pushes them into the most hard to find places!

 

[Guppy2206]

One of my guppies went missing too, and I had the same problem! Yes they most likely ate the carcass in your case because they could not have been sucked up the filter. But in mine, could a bristlenose pleco eat the carcass? Or would it have been my betta which also shredded another guppies tail?

 

[fluttermoth]

One of my guppies went missing too, and I had the same problem! Yes they most likely ate the carcass in your case because they could not have been sucked up the filter. But in mine, could a bristlenose pleco eat the carcass? Or would it have been my betta which also shredded another guppies tail?

Pretty much all fish will eat dead bodies. Guppies and bettas should never be kept together, as the betta usually will kill the guppies (they think they're other fighters).