Green Terrors GONE!!

Question
QUESTION: I had 3 green terror chiclids 3 days ago. I said had because now I'm down to only one. They were in a 30 gallon tank which I was told would be plenty big even though they would grow as big as they possibly could. They were housed with a large catfish. I'm pretty sure that the more aggressive of the 3 is the one that is left. The strange thing is that there is nothing left of the other two fish, its like they disappeared into thin air. The only thing I could think is that the other terror killed them and the cat cleaned up the mess. There is absolutely no evidence the other two even existed. Also with the tank size are there any comparable tankmates for my green terror and cat. Thanks so much for your time.

ANSWER: Hi Rich,
 Do you have a lid on the tank?  Fish often find a way to jump through even the tiniest hole.

 Also, how large were they, and how large is the catfish?  Many catfish can swallow very large fish.  Finally, what kind of catfish is it?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@csus.edu


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: THE CAT I BELIEVE IS A PIMELODID. HE SEEMS NOT TO BOTHER THE GREEN TERRORS. ALSO I DO HAVE A LID ON THE TANK AND IT IS ON A VERY LARGE STAND SO IF THEY JUMPED THEY WOULD BE SEEN. THE TERRORS THAT WENT MISSING WERE APPROX. 2-3" AND THE CAT IS APPROX. 8". SINCE I'M DOWN TO ONE TERROR ARE THERE ANY COMPATIBLE FISH FOR MY 30 GALLON AQUARIUM.
THANKS AGAIN-RICH

Answer
Hi Rich,
 It is very possible that the catfish ate them.  

 I'm not sure it would be a good idea to put any smaller fish in with that catfish.  The choice is yours.  

 Keep in mind that green terrors grow to about 8 to 9 inches so you don't really want green terrors in a 30 gallon tank to begin with.  I would much more strongly recommend blue acaras or other smaller cichlids in that tank (but the catfish will be a problem for them).

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>