Betta fish disappeared overnight!

Etoile · 10-25-2009, 04:06 PM

Hello everyone,

I'm new here... i came here in desperation to find out if anyone have any explanation to what happened to my Betta fish!

As I'm writing this thread, I remain dumbfounded to how on earth my Betta just disappeared from my tank!

I have had a beautiful half moon Betta with a lot of personality. I've had him for about three months. He's been sharing a 12 gallon tank with three African dwarf frogs, 4 tiny Amano shrimps, 2 tiny ghost shrimps, Olive Nirate snails, and Malaysian trumpet snails. He's very active and very personable. He eats from my hands and he loves it when I rub my hands on him. Today, I went to the tank to feed him and he was no where to be found!!! I have a covered tank and there's no holes on the cover whatsoever! It has a pump, air bubbler and biological filtration. So him being sucked into a filter is out of the question! I opened the pump, and he wasn't there. I tore out my tank... emptied all the water out emptied the gravel and inspected carefully for him or even any his remains... and there wasn't any trace of him!

Even though it was a closed tank and there would be no way for him to have escaped, I did look on the floor and he wasn't there. Cat is out of the question also. So, please, if someone have the slightest idea of how on earth my Betta just dropped out of the face of the earth, I would really appreciate an answer! What happened really doesn't make sense at all!

Please help!

FroggyFox · 10-25-2009, 08:35 PM

Yikes, sorry for your loss! Snails can pretty much take care of a fish in no time once it dies...but if your betta was healthy I'm guessing unless the tank is overrun and you don't feed them that doesn't sound like what happened. How "closed" of a tank is it? Fish can fit through some darn tiny holes...

Do you have any decorations with holes in them? Even ones that you think are too small for him to fit in? Sometimes fish will get themselves stuck inside of things...

Whenever I can't find a fish I usually find them in the most unlikely spot....

bassbonediva · 10-25-2009, 11:48 PM

I agree with FroggyFox. Look in the most unlikely spot in your tank possible. I have a large male crowntail who fit into a tiny hole in a sunken ship decoration I had in his tank. I was completely freaking out because I couldn't find him (he's in a Marineland Hex5 tank that has absolutely no openings in the top, so I KNEW he hadn't jumped out). Then I saw a bit of crimson sticking out of the decoration and shone a flashlight in the tank. Sure enough, there he was. I thought he was stuck for sure, but as soon as I reached in and started to move the decoration, he wiggled out. Same thing goes for my female bettas. I've thought for sure I'd lost a couple of them several times, only to find them hiding in the weirdest places. Gotta love those bettas!

mattmctyre · 10-26-2009, 01:03 PM

well if theres not a top on your tank and you have cat that could be your answer. also its possible that the shrimp pulled the betta under a rock or something

Etoile · 10-26-2009, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FroggyFox

Yikes, sorry for your loss! Snails can pretty much take care of a fish in no time once it dies...but if your betta was healthy I'm guessing unless the tank is overrun and you don't feed them that doesn't sound like what happened. How "closed" of a tank is it? Fish can fit through some darn tiny holes...

Do you have any decorations with holes in them? Even ones that you think are too small for him to fit in? Sometimes fish will get themselves stuck inside of things...

Whenever I can't find a fish I usually find them in the most unlikely spot....

Hello,
I have a nano cube. I actually tore it down yesterday. Removed all gravel, all decorations, all water, opened my pump. Nothing! Nada! As if i did not own a half moon betta fish (his name was Ti, btw

)
I have another crown tail betta, which I moved him from his 5 gallon aquarium to the nano cube yesterday, but i'm still baffled! There's no "fishy" smell in the aquarium.
But how could snail eat the whole thing in one day with no trace of skeleton left or a trace of fin left what so ever?

Etoile · 10-26-2009, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattmctyre

well if theres not a top on your tank and you have cat that could be your answer. also its possible that the shrimp pulled the betta under a rock or something

No, no cat. but shrimp is so tiny! and i put another fish there yesterday and he's still there! It's a nano cube so it's covered very well!

Etoile · 10-26-2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassbonediva

I agree with FroggyFox. Look in the most unlikely spot in your tank possible. I have a large male crowntail who fit into a tiny hole in a sunken ship decoration I had in his tank. I was completely freaking out because I couldn't find him (he's in a Marineland Hex5 tank that has absolutely no openings in the top, so I KNEW he hadn't jumped out). Then I saw a bit of crimson sticking out of the decoration and shone a flashlight in the tank. Sure enough, there he was. I thought he was stuck for sure, but as soon as I reached in and started to move the decoration, he wiggled out. Same thing goes for my female bettas. I've thought for sure I'd lost a couple of them several times, only to find them hiding in the weirdest places. Gotta love those bettas!

I'm sooo glad for your happy ending! I really am and I wish the same thing happened to me because i really loved Ti. However, the only decoration i have there is big Driftwood and couple of silk plants. I removed the driftwood and inspected very carefully and washed it... nothing.. no sign of him anywhere! He was pooof... out of the aquarium... i have no idea where he went! I mean, if my ghost shrimp at him, i would've seen him in their transparent bodies!! I doubt my snails would've finished him in a day! Where the heck is Ti?

Etoile · 10-27-2009, 12:37 PM

So today, and for the first time, I saw red fins and white flesh flying around the aquarium! Turned off the pump and emptied water again and looked all around... no Ti! I took the pump apart again and i saw big red fin there! I'm so sad just thinking about what poor Ti has been through *tears*.
I put the pump back again and filled water, when the water reached the nozzle of the pump, i noticed that it started spewing red fins and white flesh again! Took pump apart again and looked, no Ti!!! Took out the pump all together from the tank and filled it up with water, but no fins and flesh flying. So, i believe Ti is mysteriously inside the pump, even though, i took it apart and he's no where to be found inside of there... but from what i saw, the only place he would've been is there. The question is, why after two days the fins and flesh started getting spewed from the nozzle of the pump? I don't have the original nano cube pump in there because the fan was kind of exposed...i got one that had the fan inside and the only thing was exposed was the opening nozzle, where the water comes out! I took the pump and put it in a sink and it wasn't letting fins out... water was clear... so obviously, it was picking the fins and flesh from the aquarium, which i tore down. urgh... doesn't make sense!

Poor Ti. I wish I didn't see fins and flesh flying today... i was doing a little better thinking he just pooof, disappeared!

What to you think happened? is it possible he got stock in pump? wouldn't be hard for a fish to enter the nozzle with current of water pushing out?

bassbonediva · 10-28-2009, 04:46 PM

I'm so sorry! :-( That's rough. I'm not familiar with the Nano Cubes, so I don't know if he could have gotten stuck in the filtration or not.

mattmctyre · 10-28-2009, 04:56 PM

well i had a guppy die and i could find him so lifted upp all the rock and it was under one surounded by all my shrimp

10-25-2009, 04:06 PM	#1
Etoile Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 5	Betta fish disappeared overnight! Hello everyone, I'm new here... i came here in desperation to find out if anyone have any explanation to what happened to my Betta fish! As I'm writing this thread, I remain dumbfounded to how on earth my Betta just disappeared from my tank! I have had a beautiful half moon Betta with a lot of personality. I've had him for about three months. He's been sharing a 12 gallon tank with three African dwarf frogs, 4 tiny Amano shrimps, 2 tiny ghost shrimps, Olive Nirate snails, and Malaysian trumpet snails. He's very active and very personable. He eats from my hands and he loves it when I rub my hands on him. Today, I went to the tank to feed him and he was no where to be found!!! I have a covered tank and there's no holes on the cover whatsoever! It has a pump, air bubbler and biological filtration. So him being sucked into a filter is out of the question! I opened the pump, and he wasn't there. I tore out my tank... emptied all the water out emptied the gravel and inspected carefully for him or even any his remains... and there wasn't any trace of him! Even though it was a closed tank and there would be no way for him to have escaped, I did look on the floor and he wasn't there. Cat is out of the question also. So, please, if someone have the slightest idea of how on earth my Betta just dropped out of the face of the earth, I would really appreciate an answer! What happened really doesn't make sense at all! Please help!

10-25-2009, 08:35 PM	#2
FroggyFox Forum Manager Join Date: May 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 8,479	Yikes, sorry for your loss! Snails can pretty much take care of a fish in no time once it dies...but if your betta was healthy I'm guessing unless the tank is overrun and you don't feed them that doesn't sound like what happened. How "closed" of a tank is it? Fish can fit through some darn tiny holes... Do you have any decorations with holes in them? Even ones that you think are too small for him to fit in? Sometimes fish will get themselves stuck inside of things... Whenever I can't find a fish I usually find them in the most unlikely spot.... __________________ 29, 46 & 55FW 29 SW + dog + horse + catYou can view info & photos of my critters here...

10-26-2009, 01:03 PM	#4
mattmctyre Little Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 133	well if theres not a top on your tank and you have cat that could be your answer. also its possible that the shrimp pulled the betta under a rock or something __________________ 40 gallon tank... 2 gold dust mollys 4 giant danios 2 swordtail kois 2 red swordtails 2 platys 1 common pleco 2 lyretail mollies. 3 hatchel fish and 5 ghost shrimp

10-27-2009, 12:37 PM	#8
Etoile Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 5	The Mystery continues-- Part ll So today, and for the first time, I saw red fins and white flesh flying around the aquarium! Turned off the pump and emptied water again and looked all around... no Ti! I took the pump apart again and i saw big red fin there! I'm so sad just thinking about what poor Ti has been through tears. I put the pump back again and filled water, when the water reached the nozzle of the pump, i noticed that it started spewing red fins and white flesh again! Took pump apart again and looked, no Ti!!! Took out the pump all together from the tank and filled it up with water, but no fins and flesh flying. So, i believe Ti is mysteriously inside the pump, even though, i took it apart and he's no where to be found inside of there... but from what i saw, the only place he would've been is there. The question is, why after two days the fins and flesh started getting spewed from the nozzle of the pump? I don't have the original nano cube pump in there because the fan was kind of exposed...i got one that had the fan inside and the only thing was exposed was the opening nozzle, where the water comes out! I took the pump and put it in a sink and it wasn't letting fins out... water was clear... so obviously, it was picking the fins and flesh from the aquarium, which i tore down. urgh... doesn't make sense! Poor Ti. I wish I didn't see fins and flesh flying today... i was doing a little better thinking he just pooof, disappeared! What to you think happened? is it possible he got stock in pump? wouldn't be hard for a fish to enter the nozzle with current of water pushing out? Last edited by Etoile; 10-27-2009 at 12:46 PM..

10-28-2009, 04:56 PM	#10
mattmctyre Little Fish Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 133	well i had a guppy die and i could find him so lifted upp all the rock and it was under one surounded by all my shrimp __________________ 40 gallon tank... 2 gold dust mollys 4 giant danios 2 swordtail kois 2 red swordtails 2 platys 1 common pleco 2 lyretail mollies. 3 hatchel fish and 5 ghost shrimp

10-25-2009, 11:48 PM	#3
bassbonediva Large Fish Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Northern Arizona Posts: 648	I agree with FroggyFox. Look in the most unlikely spot in your tank possible. I have a large male crowntail who fit into a tiny hole in a sunken ship decoration I had in his tank. I was completely freaking out because I couldn't find him (he's in a Marineland Hex5 tank that has absolutely no openings in the top, so I KNEW he hadn't jumped out). Then I saw a bit of crimson sticking out of the decoration and shone a flashlight in the tank. Sure enough, there he was. I thought he was stuck for sure, but as soon as I reached in and started to move the decoration, he wiggled out. Same thing goes for my female bettas. I've thought for sure I'd lost a couple of them several times, only to find them hiding in the weirdest places. Gotta love those bettas!

10-28-2009, 04:46 PM	#9
bassbonediva Large Fish Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Northern Arizona Posts: 648	I'm so sorry! :-( That's rough. I'm not familiar with the Nano Cubes, so I don't know if he could have gotten stuck in the filtration or not.