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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Marine Reef / January 2008How to tell if something is dead?
Got me a golden headed sleeper goby who I haven't seen for more than a second or two since adding him (about a week ago). Would I see a spike of something if he was laying dead someplace??? Mitch > Got me a golden headed sleeper goby who I haven't seen for more than a > second or two since adding him (about a week ago). Would I see a > spike of something if he was laying dead someplace??? The protein skimmer might start working overtime, but you probably won't see even that if you have a good scavenging crew. With a small fish like that and a decent size tank like yours, even that is unlikely. That's one of the reasons all of these suppliers can confidently guarantee their stuff. In a reef tank, things that die usually just disappear without a trace. Don't get accusatory about it though. I had a firefish show back up over a month after I thought he had died. Shellfish are even worse about this; I have had a conch disappear for months; right now, I may or may not have two in my tank. My Mandarin disappears for weeks at a time (I caught a glimpse of him tonight). George Patterson Worry doesn't improve the future; it just ruins the present. > Got me a golden headed sleeper goby who I haven't seen for more than a > second or two since adding him (about a week ago). Would I see a > spike of something if he was laying dead someplace??? A week isn't a long time. I'd give it a month before declaring him dead. Sadly, you often don't find any sign of the missing fish, so you're just left wondering. The clean up crew will take case of him. I had a maroon clown fish that would disappear for weeks at a time. After a while, I just stopped worrying about it. I also have a feather duster that disappeared within days. 6 months later I spotted him on the back side of the tank where I don't clean the glass. Not sure why he's there, but I think he found a good spot to pick up detritus. --Kurt > > Got me a golden headed sleeper goby who I haven't seen for more than a > > second or two since adding him (about a week ago). Would I see a [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > --Kurt I actually spotted the golden head this morning...I wasn't necessarily writing him off yet, but I was definitely starting to wonder...to the point where I was testing my water twice a day to make SURE I was reading everything right and wasn't missing something obvious (would have been odd since the cardinal and clown were both happily chugging along). It looks like he's just found himself a happy place behind the rocks...but this morning came out and gave me a little show of him sifting through the substrate...pity he's not a bit more social since he's really nifty looking...hopefully he'll be out and about a bit more once he's comfortable in the tank. I appreciate the advice on how to know if I got a dead thing or not...I didn't know if it would cause some kind of detectable spike in anything, since all my tanks in the past have been wide open and as such, fairly obvious if there was a dead fish laying on the bottom. Speaking of protein skimming, I have another question about that...but I'll move it to another thread :p Mitch > I actually spotted the golden head this morning...I wasn't necessarily > writing him off yet, but I was definitely starting to wonder...to the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > he's really nifty looking...hopefully he'll be out and about a bit > more once he's comfortable in the tank. Well my latest addition is a Regal Tang......"she" hid for a couple of weeks and sometimes I was convinced that she was a goner......but now she comes out of hiding when I go to the tank rather than doing the great disappearing act when I approached the tank - food is the motivator and the association that tank lid opening and me going up to it normally means chow..... It has actually been my experience that newly added fish do go through not only the physical acclimatization process but also a settling in process and it is natural instinct to hide.... > I appreciate the advice on how to know if I got a dead thing or > not...I didn't know if it would cause some kind of detectable spike in > anything, since all my tanks in the past have been wide open and as > such, fairly obvious if there was a dead fish laying on the bottom. I know exactly where you are coming from here......in fact I'm currently missing a lawnmower blenny but have no idea if he is dead or chowing down somewhere I can't spot him......I fear the worst but there has been no body or any change in water parameters to indicate any spike....I think one thing to remember is that we have "clean up" crew in our reef tanks for a reason (and these aren't just the ones we add but the stuff in the LR) and they are pretty efficient if you have enough so it would be unlikely to even notice a spike unlike a FW tank.... Gill > > I actually spotted the golden head this morning...I wasn't necessarily > > writing him off yet, but I was definitely starting to wonder...to the [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Gill Gill, Absolutely know what you're saying: my clown and cardinal, and even the cleaner shrimp come tearing out of whatever they're doing like gangbusters when they 'hear' the tank lid open. The goby, on the other hand, has shown little interest in the foods being offered, though I've seen him sifting my substrate like mad, and each morning do notice that much of the sand has been moved...so I'm not terribly concerned about him starving...though I may go by the LFS to see if they have a food alternative for him as well...plus, its time to up the cleanup crew. Phosphates are still at 0, but the algae growth is still present, though nowhere NEAR as bad as previously. I guess for a 72 gallon tank, I need more than 8 snails and 6 hermits. Don't plan on adding more hermits, since the little guys are almost never out and about where I can see them, but I am going to be adding another 5 or 6 snails this weekend. Other recommendations for 'filling out' the cleanup crew? Keeping in mind, the tank is still very young, only around 3 - 4 months in at this point. Mitch > Absolutely know what you're saying: my clown and cardinal, and even > the cleaner shrimp come tearing out of whatever they're doing like [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > about where I can see them, but I am going to be adding another 5 or 6 > snails this weekend. All of my fish have gone through the hiding thing.....don't know too much about gobies (yet) so maybe it is just normal behaviour....anyway if you are now seeing more of him I would be my guess it is only a matter of time.... One thing on the phosphates being 0 - mine are usually 0 but I also have algae in the tank....algae will use up the phosphates making the results a little bit deceptive......I guess the best situation is no algae and still zero phosphates - a goal I am working towards as well.... As for clean up crew I recently found someone in the UK who specialises in clean up guys and have got some interesting creatures from him not much help to you I know but - Mexican turbos - the size of golfballs.....banded stars that hide a lot of the time but do sometimes come out to play (especially if the food is laced with garlic) but do a great job on the substrate in their immediate area, small conches, multiple snails of too many varied species to remember and one of my favourite oddities which is an abalone - now this is a weird creature - looks like a hairy slug but does an awesome job on the hair algae....apparently it is a delicacy when eaten but I'm quite fond of the chap.... > Other recommendations for 'filling out' the cleanup crew? Keeping in > mind, the tank is still very young, only around 3 - 4 months in at > this point. Snails (take a look at the Mexican turbos), hermits but only the same type as you already have although I do understand that Halloween Hermits might be OK as they like different shaped shells to the blue and red legged.....I opted out of putting it to the test....Pin cushion urchins might be a good plan but some will strip coralline or upset corals so very much a YMMV kind of thing.... As the the 3 -4 month thing your best bet is to do things slowly but if you are in to critters keep an eye out for the more unusual as they do sometimes become available.... Gill > Mitch I put a purple lobster in the tank and it dissappeared. Thought for sure the brittl star ate it because it was pretty small. Then I saw the shell on the bottom ant thought "crap, it died". then last week there was another shell, lrager this time, from the second time it molted. I still haven't seen the damn thing. Even sitting in the room all dark with the moon lights on in the tank. Time to get a flashlight I guess. >> I actually spotted the golden head this morning...I wasn't necessarily >> writing him off yet, but I was definitely starting to wonder...to the [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Gill > I put a purple lobster in the tank and it dissappeared. Thought for sure the > brittl star ate it because it was pretty small. Then I saw the shell on the > bottom ant thought "crap, it died". then last week there was another shell, > lrager this time, from the second time it molted. I still haven't seen the > damn thing. Even sitting in the room all dark with the moon lights on in the > tank. Time to get a flashlight I guess. I'd written off my Peppermint shrimps as it is well over two months since I last saw them - then Friday morning I found a cast - one of the darn things had moulted so must still be in there somewhere.....some night viewing of the tank may indeed be in order - apparently a torch with a red filter over the light is supposed to be good for viewing the nocturnal stuff but haven't tried it myself yet Gill Easy to tell if its dead, the entire aquarium starts to smell like Gill Passmans douche water. Hey Gill this can all end, email me and we can work it out! Your ball game Gill, I love overtime innings myself though. > Easy to tell if its dead, the entire aquarium starts to smell like > Gill Passmans douche water. > > Hey Gill this can all end, email me and we can work it out! Your ball > game Gill, I love overtime innings myself though. >>I find that if the bitch I eat washes her pussy regularly it does not stink like a dead fish. I personally have eaten a lot of pussy and sucked a lot of dick, and the most nasty stinking pussy ever was my >>current girlfriends.Gill Passman............but I hear its a british thing to have a nasty pussy.....................You can't tell that pussy of hers from the a.shole it reeks so bad.................but she is a good lay, if you >>have enough soap and water to clean up with after. I love shagging Gill and Gill just loves my new dick. Gill can suck with the best of them and I know that for sure as I am one hell of a good cocksucker. >>Pussy and a.sholes is what makes this chick with a dick, world go round. Oh well what can I say, time to crawl back up on Gills a.shole and give her the daily shagging she requires so she can keep >>those bowel movements coming! Tynk aka Kelly TYNK7@aol.com |
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