Have you seen Tequila the missing Hilton Head Island guppy? $6.50 reward if you have

Add one guppy to the list of unusual missing pets you should be on the lookout for in the Lowcountry.

For the past few weeks, local residents have been keeping an eye out for a missing serval cat, a search that has prompted much discussion on Facebook.

And while a missing pet guppy typically wouldn’t raise to this same level, residents have had their fun with the fish’s disappearance.

Erin Ashley Greene of Hilton Head Island posted on Bluffton/Hilton Head Ask and Answer Facebook page on Thursday that she had lost Tequila, her brand new pet guppy.

“I bought a guppy just yesterday,” Greene said. “Woke up this morning, and the fish is gone! ... Do they turn invisible as a super power?! What the hell happened to my fish?”

By Friday afternoon, more than 55 people had responded to the post and many had amusing thoughts on what might have happened.

“Is the fish tank near a window?,” one commenter asked. “And do you live near water? Maybe he pulled a ‘Finding Nemo’!”

Another asked, “Is there a possibility you got drunk last night and had sushi?”

Quickly, the community formed into a campaign to find the guppy.

One commenter offered a $5.50 reward for any information to bring Tequila home. Another said that if the reward was upped to $6 they would make a 50 cent donation.

A hash tag #bringtequilahome was created.

Later in the day, Green made another post with a picture of Tequila.

It said, “Missing guppy. 1 day old. Name is Tequila. Likes tropical fish flakes. We just want him home.”

Someone responded, “I think I saw him at Petsmart this afternoon but I called his name and he didn’t answer.”

While Greene made light of the situation, it has actually been a bit upsetting for her, she said via phone Friday.

She bought two fish while she was pregnant with her 2-year-old son and those fish died the next day. It has since made her afraid to own fish again.

“My son said he wanted a fish, I decided to do it again,” Greene said. “I went through all the measures to make sure this fish was going to make it because I don’t like to kill things. I even brought the water sample back to Petsmart to make sure it was ready.”

The family named the fish Tequila because it is a Tequila Sunrise guppy.

“We put her in the tank,” Greene said. “She is swimming around. She is happy and we wake up and she is just gone. Like nowhere.”

She has searched the entire tank and pulled out the filter, the heater, decorations, even the gravel.

“I looked on the ground,” Greene said. “There is no fish.”

Many commenters have asked if Greene has a cat but she doesn’t.

“My son is now running around the house saying, ‘Where is Tequila?’” she said.

It is likely the fish jumped out or became caught in the filter, many commenters said. Several others have shared their own disappearing fish stories.

A call to the Bluffton Petsmart on Friday by The Island Packet confirmed it isn’t completely unheard of for a fish to disappear.

An employee who asked to not be named (perhaps they don’t have the authority to speak on guppies?), first had to calm themselves from a laughing fit before replying.

“..................................... Yeah, it is probably in the filter.”

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Have you seen Tequila the missing Hilton Head Island guppy? $6.50 reward if you have."