Missing Fish

[JL27AY]

I bought a cleaner warsse couple of days back. Two days ago, i found that it was missing. Today after i came back from my ops, it is still missing?? I understand that these fishes sleep in the sand bed or in holes in the LR rite??

Could could have eaten it?? The worms in my sandbed? The crabs in my LR??

Pls advise

JL

[alanyeo]

Cleaner wrasse...you mean those with blue n black stripes all length? This one doesn't go underneath sand! Hide between crevices maybe. It is a lively fish and swims most of the time. Most probably dead by now, sad to mention that.

[aStRoBo|]

They like to hide under rocks when not active. shld be able to see it come out swim occasionally. If for a day nv come out..sorry to say, shld be dead..

[Pinnacle]

IMO, could be dead when it did not appear for a couple of days.... my doctor fish will go and hide when the lights are off and will be around when it is feeding time.... during feeding it will also try to clean the parasites on the tang and clowns.... until now, i'm still cannot find its hiding place.... it's quite interesting if i can find out where it is hiding.... maybe videocam the tank just before and after lights off...

[AquaRa]

it's dead. don't buy it next time

[JL27AY]

Why dun buy it next time??

the one i bought is from ML and very healthly leh.. Been feeding and was cleaning my YT. Then sundenly its gone.. so sad. But the question is what could have caused its death??

Could crabs be the reason since it hides in rocks to sleep. Or those so called piston shrimps?? Sometimes can hear snapping sounds from my tank leh ... can confirm thought, never seen them b4?? anyone has a pic of a snapping shrimp

[Terryz_]

How long have it been missing... if a few days... it might be hiding... mine is like that one... But it is advised not to get them as they dun do well in captivity...

[terryansimon]

cleaner wrasses are not known to survive long in captivity. there are exceptional cases however.

[SBS_Transit]

even if its dead, but WHY ???? if u dont know why , the next time u buy a new fish it will get missing again.

[terryansimon]

ask the fish why it died then.

[lightningstrike]

the lifespan of a cleaner wrasse aka doctor fish does not last more than 2 to 3 mths. most lfs owners will tell u that if they r kind enuff. after they finish their jobs eating the parasites on ur fishes body, they will hv nothing more to eat. that's what i heard from most lfs owners.

[SpiderOne]

they can be weaned onto brine shrimp. but in certain cases only.

yours most likely eaten by crab/mantis

[victorp]

In other words, cleaner wrasses are very fussy eater - they only eat parasites off of living fishes and nothing else. Very rarely will they eat other types of food, so in captivity, they would willing starve to death if they are no parasites to eat or the other fishes refuse to let them inspect their bodies for parasites.

[SpiderOne]

not exactly very rarely. Some lfs have cleaners that eat brine shrimp

[Aspire]

Same thing happen to my wrasse.. It went missing for few days. juz when I thought it's dead, saw it swimming happily with the rest of the fish. Doesn't seem to eat at though. Be paitent maybe it juz happens to come out from the rock when u are not ard...

[JL27AY]

Hey Guys,

Tks for the advise and encouragment... I guess my cleanner has already "GUI XI" already...

Tks all