Bn Pleco Missing

hi,I got a baby bn pleco around 3 months ago
he was in a 25 gal tank with 9 neon tetras and 5 zebra danios
around a week ago he went completely missing,cant find him anywhere,cant find skeletons either
looked under all decorations,woods etc
he was healthy,growing,would come at wafers whenever I put them in the tank
water parameters are fine its a 2 year old tank
is it possible he is burrowed in the gravel?

 

How deep is the gravel? I have a Pleco in my tank and I'm pretty frugal with gravel so it's not that deep for him to burrow.

Do you have any snails that could have feasted on his deceased body? Do you have a lid on your tank? They can jump and even if you do have a lid, check the floor and area around the tank just in case he got out and dried up somewhere, if you have pets (Like a dog or cat) and he jumped out, they could've gotten to him first.

Check inside your filter if it's big enough for him to fit in, he could be anywhere.

Hope you find him!

 

A dead fish, especially a small one, will decompose surprisingly fast. If it is dead, I wouldn't hope to see any remains left, even bones.

 

My danios once ate a dead fish they are fast and can rip dead body or move it's pieces around the tank.

 

A dead fish, especially a small one, will decompose surprisingly fast. If it is dead, I wouldn't hope to see any remains left, even bones.

First time I've ever actually found the skeleton to a dead fish was when my Chinese Algae Eater went missing, month later, I'm moving some decorations around, find a teeny-tiny skeleton. Looked just like it does in the cartoons.

 

I've heard a few stories of Plecos and other catfish getting into the filter so I would definitely check in there, otherwise if he/she did die your other fish would be more than happy with the free meal and surprisingly would've been able to take the pleco apart quite quickly without leaving any traces. Even though you've checked your decor I would suggest taking it out of your tank for a minute or two because they LOVE getting into those and hiding out wherever they can fit!!

 

thanks for the replies guys,well I use powerhead filters in all of my tanks,and it is protected so fish cannot get sucked into it,I moved all the decorations again,nothing
yes I have an assassin snail with a small number of mts snails,looks like they took care of the body,the thing I don't understand is how a fish that was growing,acting normal,with decent water parameters dies somehow for no reason,natural causes?

 

If your water parameters are fine then it could simply be something in your tank picked on the pleco or perhaps stress took him out (or a combination of both). I'm certainly not a pleco expert but if he was eating well, growing, acting normal and your water parameters are fine it may be one of those. You said he was growing so I assume it wasn't from old age.