Advice? How long do you wait to declare a fish dead?

It is hard to say sometimes... I have had fish vanish for months and then all of the sudden see them swimming around in the tank as if they never left. One fish in particular was a Macneills Assesor. This fish was always hiding anyhow in rocks and what not, but I new his spots but could not find him for months at one point and then shows up again. I would say if your goby was out and about quite a bit and you regularly saw him, then he is most likely gone. This is your call though.

 

Following this one.... Great question @DangerJ

 

I also have had this happen to me with an yellow assessor i think i went 6 months and not seen him than bam their he was out and about swimming around now he is back to hiding comes out for food quick than back to hiding.

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Hard to say. I have a watchman goby in my 110 and I probably see him maybe once a month. I know which area of the tank he is in, but when I look for him I can never find him.

 

I once assumed a starry blenny was dead for at least a month and eventually found him alive and well in my overflow. The only reason I spotted him is because I was selling frags to a fellow GIRS reefer and he was checking out my system and asked "what's that moving around in your overflow?". I've also had a yellow watchman goby which habitually made the ride through my overflows and into my sump.

 

I've had a yellow watchman goby disappear on me for about 2 months before I saw him again one day with his shrimp. We know the shrimp is still alive but the goby has been missing for maybe 6 months again. I'm sure he's dead but I prefer to label him MIA because who knows with this fish.

 

I have a maroon clown that has been in my tank for two years. Every time I thnk he must be dead, he makes an appearance. There was a bubble tip anemone that he hosted that vanished about the same time. My theory is that they are both living behind the rocks someplace where I can't see them. Also I have two eels that will be unseen for up to two weeks. My wife constantly declares the dead and then they come out to be fed. I only count a fish as dead when I have to pull the hermit crabs off the carcass