Who Is Stealing My Fish?

[This Old Spouse]

First my pleco, which I've given up on (it's been weeks). Now today I've noticed one of my tiger barbs and one of the Serpae tetras is missing. Gone. Nowhere to be found. None of the fish acting unusual. Readings all normal. No fish floating or stuck to the filter intake. None on the floor. What the ...?

 

[Carlovel1]

Your Chinese Algae Eater

 

[This Old Spouse]

Seriously? With no trace? I just put it in this tank a week or so ago. It's not even 3" long. Really??

 

[minxfishy]

Most likely the CAE or they have gotten into the filter, have you checked it?

 

[moochy13]

have you taken out all the decor? plecs will stick to the underside of ornaments even out of the water, and fish will get in/under/behind filters.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I didn't take out all the decor, though when my pleco went missing I did move all of it to see if it was hiding. No trace of it. I just checked the filters. No fish. The CAE seems utterly disinterested in anything but eating. The only time it showed any aggression was when I added two female guppies to the tank it was in previously, which is why I moved it out of that tank and into the bigger one, where it has shown no aggression whatsoever.

 

[Carlovel1]

Maybe the Serpae Tetra and the Tiger Barb died, then the CAE or the pleco ate their bodys. Try searching for fish skeletons. During christmas I was away, and I returned to find one of my Apistogramma Borellii's skeleton on the tank floor...I was shocked

 

[This Old Spouse]

Honestly, I have looked and looked and looked for skeletons or ANY trace of these fish!! Alien abduction??

 

[Carlovel1]

Honestly, I have looked and looked and looked for skeletons or ANY trace of these fish!! Alien abduction??

Maybe the fish jumped out?

 

[This Old Spouse]

And went where?

 

[Carlovel1]

And went where?

To fishy heaven

 

[karin]

Jumped out and the cat or dog ate them?

 

[ChrissyBoy]

I had a similar problem with my neon tetras. I did have around 40 in my tank and noticed the numbers dwindling quickly with no visible signs of the dead fish. I found a lot of them stuck behind my internal filter when I had a bit of a clean up! There's obviously an explanation, as things don't just disappear.

 

[myrtle]

If you have a cat or dog they'll find any umpers prety quickly! I caught my lurcher munching on a jumper recently (Dwarf Neon Rainbow).

 

[ZoddyZod]

Try searching for fish skeletons.

you might not even find that evidence. I've had fish die, seen the skeleton and within a day even that had vanished.