Missing New Bubble Tip...

[cwatkins]

Came home from the LFS yesterday with a small zoa colony, 2 clown fish and a bubble tip for them. Our tank is 3.5 months old and they were our first fish.

Currently have just a CUC. 5 red scarlet hermit crabs, 10 blue hermit crabs, a bunch of snails and a white sea star.

This morning this clowns were swimming around but no bubble tip! Last night we placed it on a calm overhang after acclimitizing it, before going to bed it had moved itself under the overhang upside down.

This morning we checked all over the tank and cannot find it. Even removed a few pieces of live rock that it could be hiding behind.

Would the crabs have eaten it? It was a good 3 inches in diameter, so I highly doubt that the crabs could eat it in 10 hours. Do these guys like to hide themselves in little spaces?

It didn't climb out of the tank for sure (it was hanging on the side of the tank wall when we picked it out, so it was a climber).

Any ideas?

Should I just not worry and hope it comes out on its own?

It was $50, and I'd prefer to be able to see it :-)

And besides, the clowns never even got to befriend it.

Thanks.

[The Grizz]

It could be hiding almost anywhere. My large GBTA was in the same spot for almost 3 weeks untill ot decided to go for a walk to the other side of my tank. My small GBTA hides behind the rocks and peeks his head out when the lights come full on.

[ALBERTA REEF]

It most like moved into a crack or a hole on the live rock. Just in case check your over flow, drain pipes and sump. Don't want it to plug your drain pipe.

do you have a deep sand bed I have a seabee that desided it wanted to be a sand sifting seabee and started crousing around the sand bed and when it felt like it it would hide under the sand. I know they shrink when they have to poop theres just no outher way for them to do it. My pink tip Nem folds it self in side when he does his poop thing and he gets realy small about the size of a golf ball maybe a bit bigger but not much. when exstened he's about the size of a soft ball or a tad larger 5-6" turn the lights on and he will exspand in no time and show him self. Aclimation time may have been a bit short for your Nem and he is just sitting it out till he is happy. There could be a number of things that will make a new Nem do strange things. My pink tip has resently moved him self into a piece of branching coral LR from the rock that he has been on for the last 6 months. It's a new tank to him and he now likes being tangled in this new rock His tenticals have gone green with pink tips very nice colors for him to be. He started out white with pink tips turned brownish with pink tips and now he is green with tip tips. I love how they adapt to thier seroundings and change over time.

Bill

[imcosmokramer]

I'm sure it's hiding, still needs to get used to your tank. Although 3.5 months may be a little early, if your params are all good, I'm sure it will be fine. Tell us about your setup, size, lights, flow.

It's very unlikely that it died overnight unless something terrible is going on in your tank

edit. mine still move around every once in a while.
________
Cannabis Collective

[cwatkins]

I highly doubt he died as well. It's interesting to hear about the theory he might be in the sand bed. That could also explain it but I don't have a DSB but it's 3 inches in most areas.

I'm sure he's in a crack getting used to the water.

Tank: 90G with 33G sump.
120 lbs of Live Rock.
2x 96W PC, 2x150W MH
Single corner overflow
PH: 8.4
SG: 1.026
All the usuals @0. Trites'/Trates'/Phates'

~500gph turnover from the sump
1x Vortech MP40w on order.

[marie]

Bubble tips like to find a hole in the rocks and peep out when they want to. They aren't usually partial to sand like sebae nems. Make sure your powerheads are protected so it can't be sucked up.

If it hasn't shown it's face in 3 or 4 weeks you may have to go looking for it to make sure it's getting enough light

[trilinearmipmap]

I second checking your sump.

My first BTA somehow went thorough the slits in the overflow, through the 1/4" holes in the drain pipe, and down into the sump where I found it some time later.

[whatcaneyedo]

Lighting and chemistry sound alright but 500gph in a 90gal is barely any flow. Do you have anything else you add to increase the flow while you wait for the vortech to arrive? Or do you have other powerheads running that you simply didnt list? 120 lbs of rock is a lot of hiding place for a BTA... hopefully it comes out on its own and you dont have to tear everything apart to find it.

[Felix]

Don't worry overly about your bubble tip, mine has walked over my rock work and down the back to hide in a cave at the back, which incidently is where my clowns like to hide!!