Dead danio search?

I have six zebra danios in my 55-gallon tank. One appears to be missing, so I think it might have died. The tank has a plethora of fake plants, so searching for it means undoing everything and replanting.

If indeed it has died - it was used for cycling the tank, so its life expectancy should be pretty short - is it crucial that I locate the carcass, or is it not a big deal? There are a couple of trumpet snails at the bottom that would probably clean up any "leftovers," but I do not want the dead fish to disrupt the biological filter, pollute the water, or pose a danger to my other fish in the tank.

I am more than willing to hunt for it if this is necessary (today is even water change day), but if it doesn't really matter, I won't bother. Thanks!

hi
to be honest,i would look for it,remove it
and then do a water change.it can pollute the water
quickly,as the body will begin to break down with
the warm water.
hth. :)

Thanks. Just wanted to make sure before I set about doing it. Off to go hunting... :)

Hmm...I dug through the whole tank and took out all plants, rocks, and driftwood but no danio. He wasn't anywhere swimming in the water, either, so I think he either jumped out (which has happened before), the snails got to him in record time (though I didn't think they ate skeletal material), or the dim lighting and the multicolored substrate hindered me from seeing him lying on the gravel. At any rate, I am down a fish. Oh, well. I have plenty left. Just wish I knew what became of him.

most fish will eat a dead fish in a few hours,
it is natures way of cleaning up.

often the only thing you find is hard bones, like the skull

yeah, i lost a guppy once and all you could see was a small chunk of bones huddle in the middle of a plant. at least the rest of the fish looked content. especially the cories EW

You check all the filter intakes?

Yeah, I checked the vents and there was nothing there. I will pull up the entire intake tube and check at the top. I am not sure how long he was missing - probably about 48 hours - so he could have long been eaten and the rest pulled up into the tube.