My First Aquarium, My Fishes Keep Disappearing :(

Hello everyone! sorry for barging in but I found this forum and I am a beginner, I would really need some help in figuring what I am doing wrong.

I recently started my first aquarium and this is my setup:
Aquarium model: Juwel Rio 180
Juwel Helialux Spectrum
Juwel Helialux Controller
Juwel Oxyplus O2 Diffusor
Juwel EccoSkim
Streaming Pump: Sicce VOYAGER 3
Columbo CO2 System

Over the last week a bunch of fishes disappeared. For reasons not known to me and since I can find no bodies it may suggest that they have been eaten. My dream was for them to live in harmony together but I must have made some mistakes. The fish that disappear are fire neons, neon tetra chinese danio and most of the shrimps I put. I haven't seen any actual "murder" myself but I think the culprit of it is the Apistogramma, still, I would like some help if possible <3

The fish in the tank are:
3 Red cherry shrimp (15 missing)
2 Amano shrimp (13 missing)

5 Fire neon (1 missing)
8 Neon tetra (1 missing)
4 Chinese danio gold

1 Mikrogeophagus ramirezI electric blue
6 Honey Gourami (3M/3F)
2 Apistogramma Cacatuoides (1M/1F)

2 Sewellia lineolata
2 Coridoras Julii
7 Pangio Kuhli

Tank values:
pH = 6.8
GH = 8
KH = 6
Temp 28 C/82.4 F

sorry for the long post but I really don't know what to do, thank you so much for any help!

Pic of the aquarium

Juwel Rio 180

• Camill3
• Jul 21, 2019

 

Just a thought, but....

Lots of places for small shrimps and fish to hide in that rock, so you might not have a murder....you might just have a game of hide & seek, especially if the fish and shrimp are new to the aquarium and are still getting settled and are shy of the human (you) peering in at them

 

Just a thought, but....

Lots of places for small shrimps and fish to hide in that rock, so you might not have a murder....you might just have a game of hide & seek, especially if the fish and shrimp are new to the aquarium and are still getting settled and are shy of the human (you) peering in at them

I thought of that too but I can't seem to find them anywhere and they are quite a lot that I can't see...

 

Of course they could have gone in the rock and can't find their way back out again....that's been known to happen with ornaments and rock many times. Curiosity and all that....

How many come out at feeding time, have you seen any come for food in groups from specific places together, that can also give clues as to where they might be....check the filter too, some fish & shrimp can get trapped behind the filter, in the filter.....you have a good sized aquarium with lots of hiding places

Murder is possible but definitely keep an eye out for areas that seem to attract gatherings

Finally and also before considering potential murder....was the aquarium fully cycled before the fish & shrimp moved in as that can cause premature deaths too and other fish will happily snack on dead bodies and by the same token dead bodies play havoc with ammonia levels too which then kills residents

 

Just a thought and I am not a expert but any small Shrimps would probably get eaten by the Gouramis? My Golden Gouramis made a meal of 6 that I dropped in my big tank out of my shrimp tank... As for the fish missing I am not to sure...

 

Of course they could have gone in the rock and can't find their way back out again....that's been known to happen with ornaments and rock many times. Curiosity and all that....

How many come out at feeding time, have you seen any come for food in groups from specific places together, that can also give clues as to where they might be....check the filter too, some fish & shrimp can get trapped behind the filter, in the filter.....you have a good sized aquarium with lots of hiding places

Murder is possible but definitely keep an eye out for areas that seem to attract gatherings

Finally and also before considering potential murder....was the aquarium fully cycled before the fish & shrimp moved in as that can cause premature deaths too and other fish will happily snack on dead bodies and by the same token dead bodies play havoc with ammonia levels too which then kills residents

Thanks for the reply, I will take note about what you said.

The nitrate cycle has been completed 3 weeks prior to adding the fish. The fish were not added all at once either to prevent an ammonia spike. First just the shrimps, followed by the rest of the cleanup crew (Sewellia lineolata, Coridoras Julii, Pangio Kuhli), then the tetra’s with together with the apistogramma and gourami and finally the Mikrogeophagus ramirezI together with the danio.

By physically inspecting the entire tank there was no sign of any hidden fishes eiher behind the rocks nor in the planted ‘forest’. They do not show up at feeding time either.

Just a thought and I am not a expert but any small Shrimps would probably get eaten by the Gouramis? My Golden Gouramis made a meal of 6 that I dropped in my big tank out of my shrimp tank... As for the fish missing I am not to sure...

I did not know about this, having confirmation would be really helpful as well

 

Hopefully someone will come along soon to either confirm or deny for sure but I know my Gouramis will definitely scoff down any shrimps put into in my tank.

 

If there are places to hide in the aquarium like rocks or plants, your fish could be in a hiding spot. Or, you neon tetra could have been eaten.

 

If there are places to hide in the aquarium like rocks or plants, your fish could be in a hiding spot. Or, you neon tetra could have been eaten.

plenty of space to hide, yes but I couldn't find any. I was wondering if the Apistogramma is known for being aggressive or not

 

I believe the Apistogramma Cacatuoides males are aggressive towards other males in spawning times... But not towards other fish... So I don't believe they could be the culprit... But again I am not a expert and only speaking from experience. I'd keep the eye on your Gouramis if they are fully grown in my tanks I've had I've had issues with Gouramis and barb's being the bullys...

 

I looked around and the honey gouramis only chase their own kind, the three males chase each other away from their claimed piece of the aquarium, they also push away the three females into the 'forest'. Other than that they ignore all the other fish. Instead, the male apistogramma cacatuiodes is challenging all other species that try to get inside its own auto proclaimed area.

the apistogramma is completely ignoring the 'cleaning crew' which are the (Sewellia lineolata, Coridoras Julii, Pangio Kuhli, amano shrimp and red cherry shrimp.

 

Maybe the missing fish got eaten, but I would guess that the shrimp are in there somewhere, hidden and gobbling away at a delicious patch of algae

 

I have loaches and they will scavenge a carcass clean fast. Ive lost a fish to other causes, couldnt find the body for nothing... I finally found it deep inside an ornament picked clean by the loaches. They won't hunt, but theyre great at cleaning. Especially with small fish, they could make a body disappear fast. Its very possible these fish have all passed from acclimatization issues and have just been cleaned up without you knowing any better.

 

Three weeks ago I set up a 5-gallon planted shrimp-only tank with seven amanos and six cherries. I did not see a single shrimp for two weeks after I added them- which amazed me in such a small tank. I was monitoring ammonia levels so I was pretty sure there were no dead bodies rotting. After two weeks I added eleven more cherries, and lo and behold- the next day all seven of the amanos appeared, front and centre, and all of the missing cherries too (I can tell which ones I bought first as the new ones were higher grade and much darker in colour).

My point is that shrimp are masters of hiding, especially in a new tank, and you shouldn't assume that they're dead unless you see bodies. Also, shrimp are scavengers and if a fish hid away and died (as new fish are prone to do), the shrimp may well have eaten the body. I hope you are monitoring the ammonia levels, as a sudden spike will tell you that there's a dead body somewhere.

 

What are your pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings now? With a few dead rotting fish in a tank, deaths can start increasing because of elevated levels of toxins from the decomposing bodies.

 

Three weeks ago I set up a 5-gallon planted shrimp-only tank with seven amanos and six cherries. I did not see a single shrimp for two weeks after I added them- which amazed me in such a small tank. I was monitoring ammonia levels so I was pretty sure there were no dead bodies rotting. After two weeks I added eleven more cherries, and lo and behold- the next day all seven of the amanos appeared, front and centre, and all of the missing cherries too (I can tell which ones I bought first as the new ones were higher grade and much darker in colour).

My point is that shrimp are masters of hiding, especially in a new tank, and you shouldn't assume that they're dead unless you see bodies. Also, shrimp are scavengers and if a fish hid away and died (as new fish are prone to do), the shrimp may well have eaten the body. I hope you are monitoring the ammonia levels, as a sudden spike will tell you that there's a dead body somewhere.

I agree when it comes to the shrimp. When I first added the cherries to my new tank I initially thought they had all died. I added two more females the other day and I rarely see them because they hide most of the time.

The fact that fish are also going missing should definitely leave room for considering other possibilities though. I can't help much more than that because my knowledge is limited, but I just wanted to say good for you for doing all your research before setting up your first aquarium and welcome to Fishlore

 

100% the Apistogramma Cacatuoides ate the shrimp if u can't find them I had a collany of shrimp and moved my apistos in they cleaned the tank of all my shrimp
It was so cool watching them hunt the shrimp
As for the fish going missing someone mentions the kuhlI loaches ? Mine have also devoured a fish that died
Back on the apistos they are semI aggressive anyfish that they feel is a threat in their territory they will defend tho they can be housed as a community fish and most are docile some are just for other words "bad apples" some think they own the whole tank others only hang out in a spot still others are only territorial when breeding
agassizI are like the Cacatuoides usually only aggressive when breeding but I have had some that r just plain aggressive have even gone after the females
Not that I'm blaming the apistos they are my favorite fish but with any cichlid it depends on the fish