Neon tetras disappearing and tail fins nipped off

I’ve had my tank since January 15 2021 and up until a couple days ago I’ve had 11 neon tetras, 1 Dwarf Gourami, 1 yo yo loach, 1 Dalmatian Molly, 1 gold panda molly, and 1 baby common pleco in a 55 gallon tank. For the most part, everything has been fine, however, about a week ago I added 1 African dwarf frog, 1 platy, 1 bamboo shrimp, 6 ghost shrimp, 1 pea puffer, and 1 nerite snail. 2 days ago I noticed there were only 10 neon tetras. Then today I noticed there were only 9. I have searched the whole tank and can’t find any corpse for either one. I also noticed that every single neon tetra has their tail fin either completely nipped off or partly nipped. The dwarf gourami also has nips in his tail fin. What could it be?

 

welcome to fishlore. im not very knowlegable on pea puffers, but what i do know is that they are cranky little guys. i wouldnt even be suprised if its eating some smaller tetras. have you noticed any agresion coming out of it?

 

I would say the dwarf gourami but you said he also has nipped fins. Probably either the molly or pea puffer

 

Almost certainly the puffer.

 

I’m shocked that little guy can do so much damage but I think you’re right. At first I thought it might be the African Dwarf Frog but after doing more research based off of what you all said, it most likely is the puffer. What do you suppose is happening to the bodies of the tetras? Killed by the puffer and eaten by the other tank mates?

 

... eaten by the other tank mates?

As far as eating the dead fish, a round-up of likely suspects would include the shrimp.

Ghost Shrimp Eating My Neon Tetra | Ghost Shrimp Forum | 331393