Firefish died?

[Cole_Voeller]

So I got a quarantined Firefish a while back. Incredibly healthy, was doing amazing. Check on him this morning before I went to store, was doing fine and I fed him as well as the others. Just got back, and my hermits are all eating him, it’s an awful sight. I recently had a peppermint shrimp die as well, and he was also being devoured by the two large Halloween hermits. I find it incredibly hard to believe that my Firefish just died- he has been in incredible health ever since I got him, and he eats like a champ. It it possible that a Halloween hermit grabbed him when he was hiding or something? I was planning on adding my Dragonets to the the tank soon, and then this happens. I have never had a fish die in this tank before. Should I just remove the Halloween hermits?

 

[Fish Think Pink]

So I got a quarantined Firefish a while back. Incredibly healthy, was doing amazing. Check on him this morning before I went to store, was doing fine and I fed him as well as the others. Just got back, and my hermits are all eating him, it’s an awful sight. I recently had a peppermint shrimp die as well, and he was also being devoured by the two large Halloween hermits. I find it incredibly hard to believe that my Firefish just died- he has been in incredible health ever since I got him, and he eats like a champ. It it possible that a Halloween hermit grabbed him when he was hiding or something? I was planning on adding my Dragonets to the the tank soon, and then this happens. I have never had a fish die in this tank before. Should I just remove the Halloween hermits?

Water parameters?

 

[Cole_Voeller]

0 Ammonia (though I worry that will change quicklike), 0 nitrites, 10-20 nitrates, 1.023 sg, 8.2 ph, 78 temp. Tank has been the same forever, only change I’ve made recently was puting an airstone in.

 

[Cole_Voeller]

Water parameters?

Sorry didn’t press reply.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

0 Ammonia (though I worry that will change quicklike), 0 nitrites, 10-20 nitrates, 1.023 sg, 8.2 ph, 78 temp. Tank has been the same forever, only change I’ve made recently was puting an airstone in.

hmmm... nothing outside of ordinary there...

You seem to have a good handle on feeding based on nitrates... most overfeed driving nitrates up and keeping crabs happy so can't rule out your crab theory (personally - I'm not a crab fan... IMO they are all opportunistic... its in their nature as part of their own survival)

Since you mention mandarines and I'm doing well with my lazy, easy spirulina banana peel method in a beverage container, here is my link to culturing pods to feed mandarines (and all other fish - everything loves pods):

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

 

[Cole_Voeller]

hmmm... nothing outside of ordinary there...

You seem to have a good handle on feeding based on nitrates... most overfeed driving nitrates up and keeping crabs happy so can't rule out your crab theory (personally - I'm not a crab fan... IMO they are all opportunistic... its in their nature as part of their own survival)

Since you mention mandarines and I'm doing well with my lazy, easy spirulina banana peel method in a beverage container, here is my link to culturing pods to feed mandarines (and all other fish - everything loves pods):

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

Honestly I tend to overfeed more than I know is best, as I like to make sure that all fish get enough, but also so lots of my hermits can get a meal as well. I just do water changes really often to keep the nitrates down. I hate the idea of the Halloween hermits killing the Firefish, and it sounds impossible with how fast they are, but I don’t know what could have possibly happened to it in that short of time. Other fish are Neon Cleaner Goby, Starry Blenny, Harptail Fangblenny, Striped Fangblenny, Royal Gramma, and a Cleaner Wrasse. They’ve all been incredibly peaceful (albeit the Gramma and Harptail are new), but every Fangblenny I’ve ever kept is a saint, and the Royal Gramma is a baby.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Honestly I tend to overfeed more than I know is best, as I like to make sure that all fish get enough, but also so lots of my hermits can get a meal as well. I just do water changes really often to keep the nitrates down. I hate the idea of the Halloween hermits killing the Firefish, and it sounds impossible with how fast they are, but I don’t know what could have possibly happened to it in that short of time. Other fish are Neon Cleaner Goby, Starry Blenny, Harptail Fangblenny, Striped Fangblenny, Royal Gramma, and a Cleaner Wrasse. They’ve all been incredibly peaceful (albeit the Gramma and Harptail are new), but every Fangblenny I’ve ever kept is a saint, and the Royal Gramma is a baby.

You wrote "how fast they are" and wondering if you mean firefish... and a sleeping firefish isn't moving. Mine likes to sleep in a rock hole... if something could get in to get my firefish sleeping in rock hole... well, I'm not a crab fan based on an experience many years ago.

My roots are Maryland.. so I guess my attitude that the only good crab is a steamed crab (with Old Bay) isn't a popular reefing statement... but +20 years ago watching a crab celebrate eating my fish it likely caught while it was sleeping just made me sick. I can't even remember the particular fish in my FOWLR after this many years... but I know I loved that fish... so I was angry with that crab... but... its what they would do in the wild...

 

[Cole_Voeller]

You wrote "how fast they are" and wondering if you mean firefish... and a sleeping firefish isn't moving. Mine likes to sleep in a rock hole... if something could get in to get my firefish sleeping in rock hole... well, I'm not a crab fan based on an experience many years ago.

My roots are Maryland.. so I guess my attitude that the only good crab is a steamed crab (with Old Bay) isn't a popular reefing statement... but +20 years ago watching a crab celebrate eating my fish it likely caught while it was sleeping just made me sick. I can't even remember the particular fish in my FOWLR after this many years... but I know I loved that fish... so I was angry with that crab... but... its what they would do in the wild...

Yes that’s I meant haha. I had checked on the fish an hour after the lights had turned so I can’t imagine it was still asleep, but maybe. Homestead hearing this just makes me want to get rid of my hermits. I have never had any issues until I got the Halloween hermits, only because I heard they eat Digitate Hydroids (which I can not confirm). Maybe I will lessen the amount of hermits I have, just keep a few blue leg and scarlets, and get more snails instead. I would hate for something like this to ever happen again.