The Puffer Forum

Is there any possibility at all of someone or something removing them from the tank? I've had algae eaters burrow in substrate, but never a dwarf puffer.

Kalvin says he didn't do it.

Small fish can disappear pretty fast after they die, especially in a tank with predatory fish.

Is it just me, or was that tank kind of overstocked?

I would have just kept the 2 DPs in there myself, but PP knows what she's doing.

Have you lifted decorations? I had that happen to me one time with a goldfish and it turns out he got caught under a decoration trying to get at some food, got caught, and died =( I am really sorry = /

I had a similar case... until a very well camoed dragon fly larvae was found.

This might be a daft suggestion, but if any of the animals in the house had chomped a dwarf puffer, wouldn't they be feeling a bit sick? Just a thought.
Otherwise, I'd reckon check the filter and the ornaments really thoroughly, and hope for the best.

Sorry for the bad news, you never know, maybe they're hiding out somewhere in the tank laughing at you whilst you search for them! (hopefully, anyway)

I'm of the theory that when this happens they're usually not found secondary to rapid decay or an unseen predator of some sort. I had a rat thieving from one of my tanks when I was younger, it was swiping native kilifish one after another. The only way I caught him was he fell in to a metal garbage can that I kept along the tank and I woke up to his scratching and jumping to get out. I've also had tanks that were in good enough shape that they would break small dead fish down without so much as a hiccup.

If you don't have an octopus hiding in your reef, I like the dragonfly larva.

The odds of DPs being toxic are tiny. They are not wild caught anymore are they?

I always start looking on the floor, or anywhere near the tank when fish are missing. When it's tanks that are in a rack, I also have to check between them. I've found two fishes in between tanks in one of my racks. The puffers I've lost from jumping, all jumped out of tanks that had covers. It's amazing how small holes they need to be able to get out of the tank. And they can get pretty far on the floor too, when they are flopping around.

For most hobbiests, this tank could have been considered overstocked but it is filled with a large anubias plant & a pretty large piece of that holey stuff that holds tons of bacteria (I forget what the product is called), in addition to weekly 80% WC. No fish on the ground.

There is nowhere for them to hide. I think Kalvin is playing games..... I would be freaking out if my fish were MISSING, hope for the best PP!

that huge plant ate them! those things are evil.

Thats 2 damn freaky! Ive had a black damsel dissapear but theres a Candy Anemone in the tank so I just figured he got eaten! But with your hex theres a lid and seems to be nothing in there that could have gotten them . Very freaky!

That's creepy about the rat thing. I didn't think they would get into tanks.

Wow, I wonder what happened to those little guys = / also, being the complete n00b that I am, why would dragonfly larva cause your fish to disappear? That one went over my head, and I was just curious about it