Yea, we are brothers in bad luck. Mine has just met its demise too, two days ago. I'm a fish hoarder, not keeper, and this is the price.
I've had it since Mar 2016, when I got it from John Gerber's in Dayton Ohio at about 8" for $200. Spent the first months trying to get it to eat cut fish and pellets. It did. Had to rehome it about 3 times between different 240 gal tanks because tank mates bothered it - other brachies, wels, etc. So I thought I'd take a risk and place it in "peaceful community" 4500 gal a week ago. It was ~10". It lasted 3-4 days. Its tail got tattered but it had happened dozens of times before. Then one evening I've found front half of it stuck on the drain screen. Heartbroken. What's worse is that in this big recent reshuffling I have got two 240 gal out of ten empty and could have put it there and no one would bother it anymore but thought it could be better in a 4500 gal because it likes to swim. I've no idea who killed it. I've seen fish "come say hi" and some fleeting interest from a 16" VATF but really IDK who killed it and ate the hind half and whether it was even the same fish.
Slobber is a timid fish. Never bothers others but others bother it. It was not the smallest or the weakest fish in the 4500 gal but someone definitely had a tooth for it. I also placed an 8" tig in there too at the same time along with a 10" one (and there is a 14" one in there too from long ago). So far it's more or less ok. Will see. I am heavily tempted to take the little tig back out now.
