Can't find my RTBS?!

[kooter]

I have a newly set up 125G tank with lots of caves and hiding places.
There is this one piece of "look-alike" driftwood ornament that the clowns go in. I think my RTBS is in there too but I haven't seen him for days? Even my clowns go in there and I haven't seen all 4 of them for awhile. Can fish get stuck in ornaments??? I actually lifted the driftwood a little bit and turned it over, around and upside down (slowly of course) and I couldn't see anything in there? When I put it down, a couple hours later 3 clowns came out but I haven't seen the 4th one for awhile, is it stuck in there with the RTBS?
I would hate to leave it alone and find out later that they were stuck and couldn't get out. :help:
Any thoughts or advice would be great.

this is the driftwood (please excuse the quality, it was taken with a camera phone)

thx.

 

[Teelie]

Fish can and do get stuck in ornaments. I've had one die this way by panicking and stressing itself to death but more likely, your shark is just being moody and sulking. Clowns can be the same way too.

My LFS "loses" Clowns and some smaller species of catfish all the time to hiding in ornaments and may not be seen for weeks or even months later. In fact, I found a bumblebee cat alive and healthy once that was in a tank which had been wiped out months before by a bad batch of other fish. This little guy survived the disease, treatment, then went on to appearently live off scraps at night without any of us knowing. I think he had been in there for over 6 months.

The best though not necessarily nicest way to find out if one or both has died is if you test your water and get an ammonia spike. Usually bacteria loads can't handle a sudden decomposition of a fish.

 

[kooter]

Thanks Teelie. I don't want to "upset" the fish anymore than they may be already by lifting, tilting, rotating, etc. the ornament to see if they are indeed in there. I will keep a good eye on the water parameters. As of today everything was a-o-k! (keeping fingers crossed). :look:

 

[Emg]

You might try shining a light in the tank later at night after the lights have been out for awhile. Maybe they come out at night after the house settles down some.

 

[patoloco]

I would't take the chance. Once I had this Black Ghost Knife that only came out of "his" ornament to pick up food and then retreated. Then I stopped seeing him, I didn't worry and after 4 days I moved the ornament and the dead fish was rotting inside. If you are worried you should move the driftwood and look closely.

 

[kooter]

Good News and Bad news. It was killing me wondering what was going on, so this morning I fed the fish (this is when the loaches come out of the driftwood and feed) and when I saw all the loaches out I quickly grabbed the driftwood. The good news... ALL 4 clowns were in the tank and doing excellent! So, once I had the driftwood out I examined it all throughout and no RTBS?? sidenote: I know now that the driftwood is fish safe, all the holes are nice and smooth and don't go all the way through. :dance:
Now, where could the RTBS be?.....hmmm uh oh! I just glanced up and thought I bet it got sucked up my new powerhead that doesn't have a screen on the intake! Well, sure enough I reversed flow the powerhead and out came the carcass. :sad:
It's amazing how you can get so emotional over your aquarium.

 

[patoloco]

It's amazing how you can get so emotional over your aquarium.

I'm sad to hear that. I lost a comet goldfish the same way: It tried to hide inside the power head. That's a though way to learn a lesson.

But life still goes on, man. Now the most important thing you have to do is check your ammonia in case your died fish started rotting the water. I'd recommend you to do a 50% water change right after the test, no matter what the results were.