How Long to Wait for the Other Shoe?

CarrieB · Feb 20, 2017

So while I have been focusing on my two pygmy angels in QT, my female clown disappeared from my DT. No obvious symptoms. The clown was a locally bred black and white Ocellaris.

The last addition to the tank was a purple firefish mid-December. I did TTM and Prazi but then put her in the DT (I wasn't thinking about velvet then). She is still fine, as are the other clown and a Bangaii, as far as I can tell.

So, I don't want to put any more fish in a tank that has a problem. If I don't lose any more fish in ____ days, can I assume it was something wrong with that particular fish? If so, how long is _____?

I thought I was being so careful, and now I am second guessing.:-(

melypr1985 · Feb 20, 2017

Sometimes things happen and we can't explain them. But.... Have you added anything new to the tank that was wet? Cuc or corals? New rocks or sand? Macro Algae? Anything like that, that wasn't QT'd first?

Humblefish · Feb 20, 2017

Have you checked your overflow, sump, even on the floor for her? We saw how Nemo could so easily come & go from that HOB filter.

melypr1985 · Feb 20, 2017

Humblefish said:
Have you checked your overflow, sump, even on the floor for her? We saw how Nemo could so easily come & go from that HOB filter.

True! I found my female in my overflow a couple times. I think she wanted some personal space away from the clingy male.

CarrieB · Feb 20, 2017

I am pretty careful about not adding things to the DT before it sits for the requisite 76 days. The last stuff I added was before Christmas.

I did look in the overflows and the sump. We do have a cat, so if she managed to somehow get through one of the few holes in the canopy I might not find the evidence, but it seems really unlikely.

melypr1985 · Feb 20, 2017

CarrieB said:
I am pretty careful about not adding things to the DT before it sits for the requisite 76 days. The last stuff I added was before Christmas.

I did look in the overflows and the sump. We do have a cat, so if she managed to somehow get through one of the few holes in the canopy I might not find the evidence, but it seems really unlikely.

Sounds like you are covering all your bases, which is smart. This may end up being just one of those things we can't explain. Keep an eye on your other fish and observe for strange behavior like swimming into the flow of powerheads, scratching or flashing, yawning, head twitching or hiding excessively. If you don't see anything like that, then I'm out of ideas.... which is probably a good thing.

CarrieB · Feb 20, 2017

melypr1985 said:
Sounds like you are covering all your bases, which is smart. This may end up being just one of those things we can't explain. Keep an eye on your other fish and observe for strange behavior like swimming into the flow of powerheads, scratching or flashing, yawning, head twitching or hiding excessively. If you don't see anything like that, then I'm out of ideas.... which is probably a good thing.

Thanks. Any suggestions as to timeline? I am, of course, wondering if I accidentally contaminated the tank with wet hands or something similar. The QT tanks aren't in the same room, but it's so hard to know whether I made a mistake.

melypr1985 · Feb 20, 2017

CarrieB said:
Thanks. Any suggestions as to timeline? I am, of course, wondering if I accidentally contaminated the tank with wet hands or something similar. The QT tanks aren't in the same room, but it's so hard to know whether I made a mistake.

I'd watch them for a couple weeks... close up and far away, for 20 minutes every day. If you don't see any signs of parasites or disease then proceed as normal.

CarrieB · Feb 22, 2017

Well, the other shoe dropped.

Or did it?

Came home to find my other clown missing. Nowhere in the tank. Took a quick look at the overflows (not really thinking he'd be there). Had dinner thinking about how to catch the other two fish and what I would need to treat them with and what it was going to take to QT 4 fish in 3 tanks for 76 days. Went through (again) the exercise of "what happened?"

Checked the overflows again, forlorn hope, and there he was. Little black and white fish in a black box with white pipes. Fish camo.

Still waiting for my heartrate to go back down.

So maybe the female did jump after all? But ended up in a less friendly spot? I have had them both for months? Why would they have gotten jumpy all of a sudden?

Guess I need to get some screens.

sil40sx · Feb 22, 2017

My guess is something spooked them and caused to jump out. Could be a lot of things like, tank mates, stuff outside the tank (people or pets), stray voltage, disease(s), water parameter sudden swings,..

This is what I think happened on your 2 clowns though:

1. first clown did a carpet surfing and your cat found her, and had a feast
2. the other clown jumped but saved by the overflow

CarrieB · Feb 22, 2017

I wasn't buying into the jumping thing until tonight. Now it does seem like the likely cause.

melypr1985 · Feb 22, 2017

sil40sx said:
This is what I think happened on your 2 clowns though:

1. first clown did a carpet surfing and your cat found her, and had a feast
2. the other clown jumped but saved by the overflow

agreed