condy the clown eater?

I'm missing a clown fish, my only assumption is that someone at him. my tank has been without fish for 6 weeks, and a day after putting a pair of clowns in, my male has disappeared. he was only like an inch long.. and has been missing over night. i have a condy purple tip in my tank who has been there for quite some time.. (he was fine with fish in there before).. but lately he's seemed to be particularly thriving. i had to move my candycane away from him because he was getting too close where in the past, he wasn't even close to touching. my condy hasn't moved since i've had him, but last night started migrating a bit. i put him back where he was at and he's stayed put. from what i've read, this kind of anemone and clowns come from different oceans, and therefore it isn't unlikely for the anemone to eat them... my only other thought is a purple lobster that i added while my tank was invertebrate/coral only. i was under the impression that a lobster would only eat a dead/dying fish >.< so. ASSUMING that it was my condy that ate my clown... any suggestions? i usually feed him a dime sized piece of shrimp 1-2 times a week... is he hungry? should i feed him more to prevent him from trying to eat my fish? move him to a bigger tank? (currently in a 29).. has anyone had luck with condy's splitting? maybe if he were smaller.. :/ i'd like to avoid selling him if i can. i love anemone's! they are just so pretty! help? >.<


 




Edited by juliagulia - January 07 2014 at 12:53pm

checking the back was my first stop.. nowhere to be found >.< i've got my finger crossed that he's just hiding.. i would be surprised for him to leave his lady friend behind while he curls up in a cave :p we thought we saw him hiding in the rock.. but that was very briefly and haven't  been able to spot what we thought was him again. with my nem's unusual moving i guess i jumped to conclusions... well.. conclusion. thanks for the tips >.<

Aloha,

A healthy fish can escape a Condylactis Anemone and avoid a Lobster. I hope the clown has just slipped into a small place in the tank.

I know it is discouraging to experience this, but new fish can stress, get sick and even die within the first 24 hours. A Lobster is a scavenger that will chew on most anything that floats by. Also, there is an entire clean up crew of hermit crabs and things called bristleworms that live in the sand and under rocks. All these devour fish, sometimes overnight so not a trace is left.

Be sure to check the Reefkeeping Tip in the thread below on how to add new fish while keeping them as healthy as possible.

Mahalo,
Mark
808-345-1049


Edited by Mark Peterson - January 07 2014 at 9:37pm