Goldfish is missing... what?

Ok, so I have three goldfish (Finny, Cal, and Frankie) along with 6 nerite snails in my 60 gallon. Frankie is the smallest baby at maybe 1.5” and Cal at maybe a little more than that and Finny being the biggest at maybe 2.5”

Frankie is missing! I’m dumbfounded about where the heck he could be. I searched around the tank first thinking he somehow jumped out-no dice. I have decor and some Java ferns but nothing he could hide behind or in without me seeing him (he’s bright orange for goodness sake!) And he isn’t in his usual spot he likes to chill in

Where the heck could he have gone?! How do you lose a fish?

 

could he have flopped around on the ground to under a table?

 

Ok, so I have three goldfish (Finny, Cal, and Frankie) along with 6 nerite snails in my 60 gallon. Frankie is the smallest baby at maybe 1.5” and Cal at maybe a little more than that and Finny being the biggest at maybe 2.5”

Frankie is missing! I’m dumbfounded about where the heck he could be. I searched around the tank first thinking he somehow jumped out-no dice. I have decor and some Java ferns but nothing he could hide behind or in without me seeing him (he’s bright orange for goodness sake!) And he isn’t in his usual spot he likes to chill in

Where the heck could he have gone?! How do you lose a fish?

Hmmmm that odd. Maybe behind the filter?

 

wait this might be a stupid idea, but check inside your HOB filter.

 

could he have flopped around on the ground to under a table?

I checked under the tank stand and the surrounding area with no sign. Unless he jumped out and one of my cats ate him before I could get to him that’s the only thing I can think of. Unless he found some unknown was to get INSIDE the resin driftwood decor I have.

 

If you have a HOB filter, check in there. You'd be amazed how often fish get in those. Also check underneath the tank in the stand, and all around it like Broggy said.

 

Hmmmm that odd. Maybe behind the filter?

I did check there too

 

I checked under the tank stand and the surrounding area with no sign. Unless he jumped out and one of my cats ate him before I could get to him that’s the only thing I can think of. Unless he found some unknown was to get INSIDE the resin driftwood decor I have.

Check for holes on that resin driftwood.

 

If you have a HOB filter, check in there. You'd be amazed how often fish get in those. Also check underneath the tank in the stand, and all around it like Broggy said.

Not in the filter :/

Check for holes on that resin driftwood.

That’s my next place to look.

wait this might be a stupid idea, but check inside your HOB filter.

Checked there and he isn’t there either.

 

I did check there too

Oh I honestly can’t think of anywhere else he could be.... besides if he flopped and made his way under some furniture

 

I hope Frankies ok. my fav female cherry shrimp jumped out of the tank yesterday.

 

I just checked the driftwood and there is a hole on the back that I didn’t see that he MIGHT have been able to squeeze into. I’m going to take the piece out and see if I can see him or not.

 

I just checked the driftwood and there is a hole on the back that I didn’t see that he MIGHT have been able to squeeze into. I’m going to take the piece out and see if I can see him or not.

Keep in mind he is a fish, so water is necessary, and you might have to break it...

 

Keep in mind he is a fish, so water is necessary, and you might have to break it...

I kept it suspended in the water and used a flashlight to look inside. I didn’t see him and it only had a small channel where he could have gone to the bottom.

 

I kept it suspended in the water and used a flashlight to look inside. I didn’t see him and it only had a small channel where he could have gone to the bottom.

Oh no.
If you checked in all the other places he could be hiding, then idk anymore, I'm sorry.

 

Do the snails look a little chubbier than normal?

 

check all around the room. extremely unlikely, but I am dumbfounded.

 

Do the snails look a little chubbier than normal?

Omg lol

check all around the room. extremely unlikely, but I am dumbfounded.

Same!

 

Once a fish dies it doesn't take long for scavengers to consume the corpse, especially a little body.

 

Once a fish dies it doesn't take long for scavengers to consume the corpse, especially a little body.

If he died and the snails got him it was really super fast! I checked on them about an hour before

 

I guess that's true in fact some of my mbuna don't hesitate when there is a chance for them to canabalise

 

In that case, the snails are probably innocent.

 

In that case, the snails are probably innocent.

Could the other goldfish have eaten him? I seriously don’t know what else could have happened.

 

I’ve lost fish before and I’ve had to remove every piece of decor etc etc until I found them. Even a bright yellow lab! I’ve also lost fish that truly are gone but could you maybe take everything out?

 

I’ve lost fish before and I’ve had to remove every piece of decor etc etc until I found them. Even a bright yellow lab! I’ve also lost fish that truly are gone but could you maybe take everything out?

Yeah, that’ll probably have to be my next step.


So, guess who is just casually chilling in his favorite spot after I left the tank alone for an hour? Yup! I have NO idea where the heck he was because I tore the tank apart looking for him. SMH.
He was just chilling! Like “hey guys, what are we looking for?” The little jerk LOL.

 

Here’s the little jerk this morning. Like nothing happened LOL

 

Here’s the little jerk this morning. Like nothing happened LOL

he's so tiny omg i love him
my goldfish did the same thing and i panicked for a WHILE... he turned out to be hiding behind the filter

 

he's so tiny omg i love him
my goldfish did the same thing and i panicked for a WHILE... he turned out to be hiding behind the filter

Haha, I still have no idea where he was but I’m thinking maybe behind one of the sponge filters and I just didn’t see him. He is so tiny! I was like not the baby ;.;

 

Yeah, that’ll probably have to be my next step.


So, guess who is just casually chilling in his favorite spot after I left the tank alone for an hour? Yup! I have NO idea where the heck he was because I tore the tank apart looking for him. SMH.
He was just chilling! Like “hey guys, what are we looking for?” The little jerk LOL.

my betta did that once.. i looked over the entire tank for at least 10 minutes and couldnt find him then a few minutes later he came out from wherever he was and was acting as is nothing had happened

 

my betta did that once.. i looked over the entire tank for at least 10 minutes and couldnt find him then a few minutes later he came out from wherever he was and was acting as is nothing had happened

The jerks! Lol

 

keep an eye on this Frankie lol

 

So, more news with Frankie. He has hovered near the sponge filter pretty much since I “found” him and now he is floating about in the tank but it looks like he has no control of it and he is just going wherever the flow of the water takes him. He is making no attempts to swim. A little bit ago I caught him attached to the intake of the HOB filter and gently got him off. Should I turn my HOb off for a little bit and just leave my sponge filters on for now?

 

So, more news with Frankie. He has hovered near the sponge filter pretty much since I “found” him and now he is floating about in the tank but it looks like he has no control of it and he is just going wherever the flow of the water takes him. He is making no attempts to swim. A little bit ago I caught him attached to the intake of the HOB filter and gently got him off. Should I turn my HOb off for a little bit and just leave my sponge filters on for now?

I think that's probably the best thing to do now, just to make sure he doesn't stress out too much. Do you think it could be swim bladder? I've heard deshelled peas help a lot with that. If you think it's swim bladder but don't have any peas on hand (who even likes peas?) Not feeding him for a day or two should help. It helped when my spaghettini got it

 

I think that's probably the best thing to do now, just to make sure he doesn't stress out too much. Do you think it could be swim bladder? I've heard deshelled peas help a lot with that. If you think it's swim bladder but don't have any peas on hand (who even likes peas?) Not feeding him for a day or two should help. It helped when my spaghettini got it

Thanks! Do you think maybe leaving the HOB filter off overnight and the sponge filters on would be ok?

 

Thanks! Do you think maybe leaving the HOB filter off overnight and the sponge filters on would be ok?

What are the sponge filters rated for?

 

I would think so. I have accidentally left my HOB off after cleaning my tank for a few hours but I still had my sponge filter running, and everybody was fine. As long as there is aeration, I would think that it would be fine *temporarily*.

 

What are the sponge filters rated for?

Up to 60 gallons and I have two. (I’m a little paranoid on filtration LOL)

 

Totally, and the goldfish are young too, they'll be fine.

 

I hope that he will be okay. I just joined this topic and thought that little Frankie was SOO cute. I've only kept comets, but I always liked the way that that kind of goldfish wiggles.

 

I hope that he will be okay. I just joined this topic and thought that little Frankie was SOO cute. I've only kept comets, but I always liked the way that that kind of goldfish wiggles.

He is super cute and my littlest baby right now. I’m hoping maybe he is just struggling with the current :/