Missing Fish

[Patrick_G]

Yesterday evening I noticed my male Swordtail hovering at the surface in the corner of my tank. I took a pic to post and ask what I should do. About 30 min later he was on the bottom but still upright and not moving. I decided I’d keep and eye on him for a few hours since the prognosis looked bad. I checked after about an hour and he was gone. I’ve since looked over the entire tank many times but still can’t find a body. Could he have died and been consumed in an hour? 

Edited January 7, 2022 by Patrick_G

[Fish Folk]

Well, so sorry to hear your male Sword is struggling. I've noticed that sometimes when I over-dose dechlorinator, they gasp for air. I think it cuts away oxygen content in order to bind chloramine and ammonia. Also, winter weather affects the gas levels in my tap water. Smaller water changes are safer and better.

But maybe this is something totally different.

I think an hour is awfully fast for a body to be eaten unless you've got something strong-jawed and desperate in there. I've seen BNPs drag dead fish bodies into hideouts and work on them. It's not their normal fare, but hey . . . everybody likes seafood.

I always find "lost fish" dead in really random places. Occasionally, I've even found some dried up on the floor after taking a fateful jump!

Edited January 7, 2022 by Fish Folk

[Patrick_G]

On 1/6/2022 at 8:22 PM, Fish Folk said:

I think an hour is awfully fast for a body to be eaten unless you've got something strong-jawed and desperate in there.

The swords are by far the biggest fish in this tank. The rest are pretty much Nano fish. I have a tight fitting lid so I’m thinking the body must be hiding somewhere that I can’t see. 

[lefty o]

other fish could certainly eat the corpse, but doubtful they did it in an hour. id bet he got himself wedged in somewhere out of sight. many animals will try and hide when sick or dying.

[HH Morant]