Murderer in my tank!!!

HELP!!! Someone in my tank is going on a killing spree and I can't figure out who. My setup was 3 long fin rams, 2 mollies, 2 peacock gudgeons, 3 platys, 16 neon/glo lite tetra, 2 blushing tetra, 3 angels, a small pictus cat, a bumble bee cat, and 2 dwarf flame gourami. I also have 4 mystery snails and 3 red claw crabs. Everyone was getting along fine. The crabs never even tried hurting a fish and spent most of their day on the turtle dock. The other day I added 2 more dwarf gourami and a very small purple parrot. It has been chaos ever since.

I have lost all 3 rams, 2 of the angels, a peacock gudgeon, a flame gourami, and several of the neon/glo lites. The remaining angel's fins are tore up and several fish are hiding a lot, including the parrot. At first I thought the parrot was the culprit, but he has been hiding with the remaining flame gourami and his fins look slightly tore. I'm starting to lean towards one of the new gourami being the aggressor. His belly is always really bulged hours after I feed and the fish I have lost have been partially eaten.

What does everyone think? I don't want to give away the wrong fish. I know gourami can be aggressive, but do they get this bad? Help...please....

 

The catfish are more than likely the culprit as well as the crabs.

 

I had thought about the catfish, but they have been in the tank since the beginning with no problems. The crabs are about the size of a quarter though...I could see them taking out a neon, but I don't see them getting the rams or angels. If it comes down to it I'll get rid of the crabs though. Could the last remaining angelfish be the aggressor? I know they can be mean.

Some more info, the angles had big patches of missing scales on their sides. One of the rams was hit so hard it busted his air bladder so he was all over the place and the last angel that died had been mostly eaten.

 

Probably the Gourami,s
They can get very aggressive sometimes

 

I just caught one of the new gourami taking a chunk out of a blushing tetra's fin. They will be going back to the pet store tomorrow. My poor blood parrot is terrified. His fins have been nipped and he is running away from everyone, even the peacock gudgeon he had befriended.

We are beyond upset. Since we already had the flame gourami we assumed two cobalts wouldn't be an issue. The following morning Toby (peacock gudgeon) was only half a fish. He was my favorite fish in the tank and had great personality.

I'm really trying to fight the urge to pull the two cobalts out now and euthanizing them. Even one of my crabs is missing a leg.

 

I had a similar experience recently with a nasty boy cherry barb. I didn't have a breeder box available so he spent the night in the net ( secured by the tank cover) until I could bring him back to the store the next morning. Sorry you lost some favorite fishies

 

Sorry to hear about all of your losses!!!! I would guess the gourami.. How big is your tank??

Usually more than 1 gourami in one tank is a no no. Also, your stocking seems.. Heavy, atleast for a smaller tank. Not sure the size however so I may be wrong. If you could fill out your profile, that would be very helpful!

 

This is your 40-gallon tank? The deaths were happening because of the stocking, not because your gouramis are somehow vicious killers.

More than 2 angels in a 40 is probably a bad idea. The pictus cat will need a MUCH bigger tank as it grows, and they are known to prey on other fish in the tank (as they get older they get more carnivorous). The crabs can and will pick off smaller fish that don't get out of the way quickly enough. Finally, I'm not sure that any type of parrot can comfortably fit in a tank that size, although other members here will be happy to correct me if I'm wrong.

Don't take this the wrong way, we all made mistakes when we were starting out, and we're happy to work with you in the best interests of your fish... but these fish were already (and still are) headed for disaster. I recommend you visit our stocking forums and ask for advice.

 

If that is the Asian bumble bee cat, he will eventually start eating all your smaller fish as well as everything said by aylad

 

The Bumblebee cat and the Pictus should each be in a group of at least 5-6 of their own kind.

The crab probably lost its leg to another crab, it's what they do. They're also fish eaters, and could catch, hold onto and eat any of your fish while they sleep (I've watched them do this many times). I would rehome them as well. They don't go with fish.

 

Without knowing the size of your tank, how you have it set up and what kind of hiding places the fish have, I would first suggest updating your profile so that we can have an idea of the size of your tank and the current inhabitants.

I completely agree with Aylad. This is most likely a mistake made in your stocking choices. Partially too many fish in the tank and too many that are not best suited to being mixed together. The gourami with a bulged belly may be piggy, but I do not think he's the one eating your deceased fish. That is what your scavenger crew would be doing, the crabs, the cat fish, the gudgeons and the snails.

Please update us regarding your tank so that we can assist you better.

 

Thank you and I'll do that right now.

We are good friends with the lady who runs our LFS. She has an apartment in the store and was kind enough to let me take the three remaining gourami back at 10 last night. There have been no more casualties and our Parrot seems to be a lot more comfortable in the tank.

I don't think the gourami were eating the fish, but doing the killing. Before we returned them I caught one taking a chunk out of a blushing tetra's fin, so I made the decision to remove them from the tank. So far it seems like the right call.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

....The crabs never even tried hurting a fish and spent most of their day on the turtle dock...

Believe me, Red Claw Crabs spend every waking minute waiting for a chance to catch a fish. I suspect they're probably the main culprits. They will work at night when the fish are asleep. The neons Rams and Gudgeon sleep on the substrate so they were easy targets.

Dwarf Gouramies can be that bad, but you would see them in action if it was them.

 

Thank you and I'll do that right now.

We are good friends with the lady who runs our LFS. She has an apartment in the store and was kind enough to let me take the three remaining gourami back at 10 last night. There have been no more casualties and our Parrot seems to be a lot more comfortable in the tank.

I don't think the gourami were eating the fish, but doing the killing. Before we returned them I caught one taking a chunk out of a blushing tetra's fin, so I made the decision to remove them from the tank. So far it seems like the right call.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Didn't see this before I posted. Fair enough, you should have more peace again now. But the crabs will still be a danger, and the cats will soon eat some neons if they haven't already.

 

The pictus cat will be leaving tomorrow along with 5 painted tetra that we just don't like. I am also considering letting the bumblebee catfish go as well and getting a bristle nose pleco in his place.

I've been keeping a very close eye on the crabs and they are just scavenging the bottom. I have watched them as late as 2 am with a light on in the room and haven't seen them go after a fish yet. They are only about the size of a quarter now, but I expect they might try for fish as they get bigger. If so I will just give them back to my LFS. I bought 3 of them at $1.50 each, so it's not big loss. I can only find 2 of them though. I believe one of the females escaped from the tank and became a cat snack.

Luckily I was able to catch the gourami in the act trying to get a blushing tetra. They were getting really savage in their attacks and hit one of the rams so hard it busted his air bladder. It was really sad to watch.

Even though I added the cory cats today I've decided to wait a week or two before I order fish to replace those I lost. Just to make sure everything stays calm.

Thanks again for all the help. I really enjoy being a member of this site.

 

I don’t know how this hideous monster got into my Bettas tank but I’m assuming it either drowned then Salem (my betta) ripped it into shreds or there was a fight and Salem won. Whatever the case, the spider, and it’s torn body parts are out of the water. I just hope Salem didn’t ingest some. Gross!

 

Insects are food..

 

Well done Salem!!! I'm glad he got the upper hand, reminded me of a few days ago when a gecko fell into my female Betta sorority tank over night... I never made a thread for it because some gruesome acts are just meant to be buried away and not remembered... let me just say I felt sorry for that poor gecko who I had to sadly end the life of

 

Well done Salem!!! I'm glad he got the upper hand, reminded me of a few days ago when a gecko fell into my female Betta sorority tank over night... I never made a thread for it because some gruesome acts are just meant to be buried away and not remembered... let me just say I felt sorry for that poor gecko who I had to sadly end the life of

OMG! Poor gecko. Bettas can be so mean!!!

 

Insects are food..

Not this spider! That thing was HUGE!!!!

 

OMG! Poor gecko. Bettas can be so mean!!!

to be fair, the gecko shouldn't have been trying to swim with the fish

 

to be fair, the gecko shouldn't have been trying to swim with the fish

LOL! It just wanted to play!!! Unfortunately playtime didn’t end so well for him.

I found some more body parts.

 

Bettas are quite the little murderers. Shoutout to Salem!

 

I chuck spiders in my tank for food.

 

As I'm reading this a spider like that but bigger attacked my sister in the shower XD

 

As I'm reading this a spider like that but bigger attacked my sister in the shower XD

I’d freak out! I hate and I mean HATE spiders!

I chuck spiders in my tank for food.

Not in my tank lol. Frozen and high quality pellets for my guy. Except for the Fluval bug bites... however I can deal with that as they’re not live lol.

 

Bettas are quite the little murderers. Shoutout to Salem!

Apparently so... I’d hate to be a spider right now. Or in Swlws ‘s case, a gecko. Can we say yikes?!

 

I once fed one of my congos tetras a big spider from my garage. the legs were sticking out of his mouth at first but he swallowed it whole.

 

I once fed one of my congos tetras a big spider from my garage. the legs were sticking out of his mouth at first but he swallowed it whole.

That just made my skin crawl lol

 

Apparently so... I’d hate to be a spider right now. Or in Swlws ‘s case, a gecko. Can we say yikes?!

I don't mind my girls having a fresh meaty snack, what upset me was that their tiny mouths could only eat toes, tail and skin still leaving the gecko alive and though I'm pro nature I'm also a animal loving softy and can't stand suffering

 

I don't mind my girls having a fresh meaty snack, what upset me was that their tiny mouths could only eat toes, tail and skin still leaving the gecko alive and though I'm pro nature I'm also a animal loving softy and can't stand suffering

What type of fish did you say you had?

 

I don't mind my girls having a fresh meaty snack, what upset me was that their tiny mouths could only eat toes, tail and skin still leaving the gecko alive and though I'm pro nature I'm also a animal loving softy and can't stand suffering

That is horrible!!!! I can’t believe Bettas are capable of such monstrosity! I can understand putting a male betta in with another (which I don’t ever condone and can’t stand people who do it for entertainment), but I couldn’t imagine Bettas tearing up something 10 times their size. It’s bullying at its finest.

I don’t feed my betta live food. The only meaty snack he gets are the microscopic creepy crawlers in the tank. I’m not sure what they are but he loves eating them.

 

What type of fish did you say you had?

in the "gecko incident" it was a 5x girls Betta sorority, other than that I have 5x 5 gallon tanks with male Bettas in and a 55 gallon with a Betta, Bristlenose, 2x Pearl Gourami, 6x Panda Cory and Guppies.

That is horrible!!!! I can’t believe Bettas are capable of such monstrosity! I can understand putting a male betta in with another (which I don’t ever condone and can’t stand people who do it for entertainment), but I couldn’t imagine Bettas tearing up something 10 times their size. It’s bullying at its finest.

I don’t feed my betta live food. The only meaty snack he gets are the microscopic creepy crawlers in the tank. I’m not sure what they are but he loves eating them.

Right?!? I was shocked when I saw it myself, I thought they would have swam away from it.

 

in the "gecko incident" it was a 5x girls Betta sorority, other than that I have 5x 5 gallon tanks with male Bettas in and a 55 gallon with a Betta, Bristlenose, 2x Pearl Gourami, 6x Panda Cory and Guppies.


Right?!? I was shocked when I saw it myself, I thought they would have swam away from it.

This reminds me of that teeny bopper movie “mean girls” because your Bettas really are mean! I was pretty shocked to find a dismantled spider. I can’t imagine your reaction when you saw your gecko. I’d keep a lid on your Bettas tanks if you don’t have one already. Just to make sure they don’t destroy and terrorize anything else that accidentally jumps in their tank. My goodness. RIP gecko.

 

What type of fish did you say you had?

Bettas! Freaking Bettas tortured an innocent lizard and left it for dead! Unbelievable.

 

that's just bettas, imagine that with something like a five star general.

 

This reminds me of that teeny bopper movie “mean girls” because your Bettas really are mean! I was pretty shocked to find a dismantled spider. I can’t imagine your reaction when you saw your gecko. I’d keep a lid on your Bettas tanks if you don’t have one already. Just to make sure they don’t destroy and terrorize anything else that accidentally jumps in their tank. My goodness. RIP gecko.

You got that right! I made sure to clear everything up before my wife or daughter woke up to spare them the trauma of seeing what their "sweet girls" were capable of . Fingers crossed all the creepy crawlies stay out of our tanks in the future

 

You got that right! I made sure to clear everything up before my wife or daughter woke up to spare them the trauma of seeing what their "sweet girls" were capable of . Fingers crossed all the creepy crawlies stay out of our tanks in the future

I hope your daughter wasn’t attached to that gecko... that would be a brutal conversation to have... when I was a kid, my very first cat died. I begged and begged my dad for a white cat with green eyes... about two years later, my cat went missing... parents said that it ran away instead of telling me the truth, just so I wouldn’t cry like a baby. Eventually I figured it out and cried anyway.

 

I hope your daughter wasn’t attached to that gecko... that would be a brutal conversation to have... when I was a kid, my very first cat died. I begged and begged my dad for a white cat with green eyes... about two years later, my cat went missing... parents said that it ran away instead of telling me the truth, just so I wouldn’t cry like a baby. Eventually I figured it out and cried anyway.

Sorry, I wasn't clear earlier... it was a wild gecko that took up residence in my living room air vent, I fed him occasionally since he was gorgeous but I didn't want to catch and cage him, I just let him live there rent free therefore he technically wasn't a pet, looking back at "the incident" he would have lived longer if I did catch him.

*ps: I'm sorry, my gecko story hijacked your thread let it be noted that I'd take a gecko in my tank over a spider like you had ANY day of the week!

 

Sorry, I wasn't clear earlier... it was a wild gecko that took up residence in my living room air vent, I fed him occasionally since he was gorgeous but I didn't want to catch and cage him, I just let him live there rent free therefore he technically wasn't a pet, looking back at "the incident" he would have lived longer if I did catch him.

*ps: I'm sorry, my gecko story hijacked your thread let it be noted that I'd take a gecko in my tank over a spider like you had ANY day of the week!

LOL!!!! Well in that case, no need to dread that conversation about telling your daughter what happened to her pet because technically it wasn’t a pet to begin with. I would’ve caught the lizard and would’ve released him back into the wild where he belonged.

No worries... the spider incident is nothing in comparison to what you went through. I’d probably faint if I were to ever see something like a lizard in my tank... I’m going to have nightmares just thinking about what Bettas are actually capable of.