Missing neon tetras?!

Last night when I was watching my 36 gal. tank, the tank that has my neon in it, I went to the other room to turn the lights off for the 10 gal. and when I went back I couldn't find it anywhere and my shark was swimming in the middle of the tank, which is unusual for my shark, and I still can't find my neon. My neon was about 1" long and my sharks mouth doesn't look like it is able to eat something that big. Could my shark have eaten my neon?
Tom

 

It could have. May not have been able to eat it in one bite, may have killed it and then chewed on it a bit. Otherwise it may have been hiding. See if it shows up later. If it is unusual for your shark to be swimming in the middle of the tank, I would assume the worst. Hope it shows up, though.

 

It still hasn't and 2 new harlequin had disappeared as well. They are no were to be found, I did a 25% water change on Monday and there was no sign of them at all.
Tom

 

I few weeks ago, I was doing a water change and I scared one of my neon's with the siphon and he wedged himself between the gravel and the tank glass. If I hadn't seen it happen he would have died under there. If the shark chased it around something like this might have happened.

 

Probably was the shark. Sometimes those things are just so small that you can't see them, but if they are missing and continue to be missing, I would assume the shark got them.

 

yeah, also could ave been the sahrk... I know bala sharks will eat neons...

 

gotta eat when they're hungry.

 

that's weird though if its unusual for the shark to be swimming in the middle of the tank-the neon must have looked good

 

It wasn't usual for the shark to do that. Most of the time it just sat underneath a rock cave I have.
Tom

 

Nrion tetra

That's pretty wierd. Maybe he just got territorial or something and saw the neon and thought it as food. Has he been aggressive to other fish

 

Like I think I said earlier, I believe he ate some new harlequin rasboras as well. I was kinda happy and kinda sad when I traded him for 2 full grown black neons. Then I went and got some more harlequins.
Tom

 

my neon has just went missing too, I think that died from some unknown cause and then my shark may have eaten his remains, this may have been what happened to your neon

 

I have a well established tank and recently added a small school of neons (7 fish). There are now only three left and I haven't found any bodies. I've even checked the filters. The other fish in the tank are a variety of tetras, 2 plecos, 2 angels and a dwaft african frog. Would the angels or frog have eaten them?

 

the plecos tetras and angels might have thought they were feeder fish

 

I blame it on :;z .

 

I think the angels probably ate them. they've buddied up probably and are working on the neons, when they're done with them, they'll go to the next species. how big is this tank? with 2 plecos, 2 angels and the others, you're looking at 75-100g minimum needed probably due to the size of the fish.

 

keep in mind that African dwarf frogs will eat fish near its own size. mine ate 4 glass catfish over a period of a week.

 

really? hmm.. didn't know that about the ADFs.

 

sorry I was mistaken I have a clawed frog not a dwarf so I might have given you fauls info. my clawed frog is the fish eater

 

yea, that makes sense.. the clawed are more aggresive and all than the dwarf.

 

I agree with others. If your Angels are adult (or almost adult), and if your Neons were still small, the Angels could have easily fit the Neons in their mouths, and therefore could have easily eaten them

 

I try to make sure all my fish are at least half the size of my largest fish.

Beeboy

 

Thank you to everyone for their imput (I love the icons, AlisonChristine!) and let everyone I appreciate the feedback. I suspect mine might have been one of those :"duh! what's this newbie thinking" emails.

The tank is a 55 gallon and as of today all but 1 neon, two pristellas and 2 little don't-know-what's have "vanished" from a total of 12. The neons, in particular, were quite tiny. The plecos are still there, the angels and the frog. I feel pretty dumb and I think I will question the LFS people a little more when I buy fish. I'd brought a list of what I had with me and I did have some doubt when the fishguy said I could add so many fish. Here's another (probably) stupid question -- are these guys eating my little one's because I'm not adequately feeding them, or is it more of a "why eat Chef Boyardee if you can go to Olive Garden" thing?

 

i'm pretty sure your little guys became olive garden appetizers and deserts

 

I had same problem with those neon tetras years ago back in high school all 4 completely disappeared; were in with fire bellied newts, bala shark, guorami's, and crabs. Someone had to eat them. I think they are just too small to survive with larger fish.

 

hI there I have had the same problem with my neons I ve had them for 7 or 8 weeks and I had 6 now I am down to 3 this is within 3 days they were quite big as well I have a red tail shark some glow lites and platys, sepia tetras and a couple of corys and they all seemed to get on well

 

are these guys eating my little one's because I'm not adequately feeding them, or is it more of a "why eat Chef Boyardee if you can go to Olive Garden" thing?

the thing about most fish is you NEVER feed them enough - in THEIR opinion.. they'll gladly eat little fish even though you're feeding them enough.

 

are these guys eating my little one's because I'm not adequately feeding them, or is it more of a "why eat Chef Boyardee if you can go to Olive Garden" thing?

the thing about most fish is you NEVER feed them enough - in THEIR opinion.. they'll gladly eat little fish even though you're feeding them enough.

Absolutely true, you have to think like a fish, what else can they do besides eat? Swim, eat, sleep, and mate about covers there potential. It is not your fault for lack of feeding, some fish are just natural prey to other fish, it's the life cycle.

 

there's more than a few people who gladly eat anything that fits in their mouths too.

 

20 gal tank. 2 days ago I had 7/8 neons. One hides, I always think he is dead & then I found him a few weeks ago.
Last night I had 5 neons.
This morning there are 4.
No bodies. No new fish for weeks. Water parameters PERFECT.
I did a really thorough tank clean, vacuumed under decor yesterday. No bodies then.
There are plenty of hiding places, but the neons have been with me for months, and they always School with the glolites (except that one weirdo). Last night I fed bloodworms for the first time in eons, they didn’t show up. Flake food at bedtime, still missing 2/3 neons.
Tankmates
3 corys
4 glolite tetra
A nerite snail
A killfish (tiny thing, hitchhiked with ghost shrimp)
There MAY be a ghost shrimp ‍♀️
Any idea where they went!?

 

Are there any little crevices in any decor that you might not have thought to check? I thought I lost my cory the other day and it was inside a little bridge decoration I have that I didnt think he could hide inside.

 

Are there any little crevices in any decor that you might not have thought to check?

They are such piggies, they never miss a meal but I did get a new hiding spot yesterday. I’ll have another look.

 

Did you check your filter intake / inside your filter? Perhaps they jumped out of the tank?
Are you absolutely sure its a ghost shrimp, and not a whisker shrimp?

 

20 gal tank. 2 days ago I had 7/8 neons. One hides, I always think he is dead & then I found him a few weeks ago.
Last night I had 5 neons.
This morning there are 4.
No bodies. No new fish for weeks. Water parameters PERFECT.
I did a really thorough tank clean, vacuumed under decor yesterday. No bodies then.
There are plenty of hiding places, but the neons have been with me for months, and they always School with the glolites (except that one weirdo). Last night I fed bloodworms for the first time in eons, they didn’t show up. Flake food at bedtime, still missing 2/3 neons.
Tankmates
3 corys
4 glolite tetra
A nerite snail
A killfish (tiny thing, hitchhiked with ghost shrimp)
There MAY be a ghost shrimp ‍♀️
Any idea where they went!?

It happened with me once in a fry tank. They could have jumped if they are stressed.

 

Well, if they weren’t stressed before I stressed them now!! I turned it upside down today. The only thing I didn’t do is check the floor behind the tank. I do have a full hood with fluorescent light, so there’s not much room to make a jump. Odds of 3 fish making it must be impossible.
The filter is an aqueon 20, motor isn’t big enough to run with a fish body in it. I had a neon die a few years ago & he was just stuck to the inlet. I just swapped the replacement insert. Again.
It was definitely a ghost shrimp, but just as every other ghost that came before him, he’s gone now. He ghosted me, lol.
I’m following another thread that has less advice as to where HER neons may have gone to.
The hubby thinks the sterbI did it, lol.

 

...I found one - not much space between the stand and the wall, but he was there. I’ll have to be more careful with water levels & I suppose it might be a good time to make some sort of gap cover for that space between the filter and the cover.

 

Sorry to hear that's how you found one, wish you luck with covering the gap

 

I have found neons, and glowlights, across the room from where they jumped out.
I was skimming your post and read where you said you "just swapped the replacement insert." Are you talking about a replacement filter cartridge?

 

We lost a Cardinal tetra shortly after getting them, it turned up alive and well inside our filter 2 days later.

 

I have found neons, and glowlights, across the room from where they jumped out.
I was skimming your post and read where you said you "just swapped the replacement insert." Are you talking about a replacement filter cartridge?

Yes, I guess it would be the filter cartridge. Had to google that lol.




So there are definitely 5 neons in the tank alive. I wonder if the dog found 2 of them, lol.

They just had a full substrate change to white “sand” after the 3 fish went missing. They seem to have calmed down. The little least kill fish that hitched a ride with the former ghost shrimp is schooling with the neons now. So cute. The cories seem to appreciate the gravel being gone.

This was before the substrate change



Thanks everyone!

I have the cover raised and a second hob filter which I am trying to seed for my 10 gal. Different thread, but the cycle crashed so I’m hoping to fix it before I lose the fish I just added in there. And since I just changed the substrate I can’t change the filter. Sigh.
The 10 gallon