Crabs are eating my Zoa's

[ItsAName]

So it started off with a Zoa missing a polyp each morning. Then out of nowhere, that Zoa was gone! Then another Zoa obviously had the tops cut off. The next day, the stems were gone too. By the end of the week my Darth Maul's, Clementines, Twizzlers, and a no name Zoa were gone

In my tank, I have the following:

Snails: Trochus, Nassarius, Mexican Turbo
Shrimp: Peppermint, Blood
Fish: 2 Clowns, Starry Blenny, Algae Tailspot Blenny, Purple Firefish, Melanurus Wrasse, Royal Gramma, Baby Green Mandarin
Crabs: Green Emerald, Red Emerald

After being down $100 in corals I needed to take action quick. The only culprits I can think of are the crabs. I was able to catch the green emerald right away and put him in my refugium. The next day another zoa (the darth maul) was eaten. I spent 5 days trying to capture the red one! Finally got him and put him in the refugium too. So far nothing else has been touch. I think it was the red guy all along. Has anyone else experienced this? Do they get the taste for them and go non-stop!? I heard sick corals can be eaten, but these were all healthy. It's only been about 2 days, so I'll give it a full week before I decide 100% it was the crabs, but I'm not sure anything else would have done this?

Should I give these crabs back to the LFS and get new baby emeralds, or should I stay away from crabs all together at this point?

Thanks!

 

[Cnidoblast]

Stay away from crabs. Nobody likes getting crabs
In seriousness give them back to the LFS and explain to them that they ate your zoo's

 

[Chris86]

It could be the wrasse. Read a few stories about them eating zoanthids

 

[KJ]

The only culprits I can think of are the crabs.

Not necessarily. Watch yours Peppermint shrimp to!
I had bought at one time a LFS a peppermint shrimp and he literally ripped my polyps apart right in front of me. Be sure its a true peppermint shrimp not a false one ,there are some that look similar.

 

[ItsAName]

Stay away from crabs. Nobody likes getting crabs

Are you talking about reefing?

 

[ItsAName]

Not necessarily. Watch yours Peppermint shrimp to!
I had bought at one time a LFS a peppermint shrimp and he literally ripped my polyps apart right in front of me. Be sure its a true peppermint shrimp not a false one ,there are some that look similar.

If I showed you a picture would you be able to tell? The shrimp is an aiptasia eating fiend, so I hope it's not him.

 

[Ice]

crabs and the peperment shrimp will eat zoas if they get a taste for them. emeralds usully munch on them if often hungry and nothing much around to snack on. I would take them back, I always use snails in all my systems with a hermit in my sump and never really any crabs or shrimp in the display as I've had too many bad cases.

 

[*K&AreeFers*]

Yup crabs.... never again had an emerald crab he was enormous trucked along the small group of zoas we had and that was the end. He ended up in the sump we he lived out his days

 

[ItsAName]

I just wanted to provide an update. Since I moved the emerald crabs to the sump, no other Zoa's have been eaten.

 

[FreeEnergyReefer]

Wow! I hate hermit crabs and never put em in my display unless they are tiny.but so far the emerald and fire shrimp ive had for 7 months haven't touched anything. Sometimes I see my emerald hanging upside down off the Walt Disney that ticks me off. I guess we'll see, prob like all other crabs once they get big...like dr jeckyl n mr hide

 

[NASAGeek]

Wow! I hate hermit crabs and never put em in my display unless they are tiny.but so far the emerald and fire shrimp ive had for 7 months haven't touched anything. Sometimes I see my emerald hanging upside down off the Walt Disney that ticks me off. I guess we'll see, prob like all other crabs once they get big...like dr jeckyl n mr hide

I know this is an old thread, but I was doing a water change this morning and noticed an electric blue hermit crab eating the last of my Rasta colony. They are monsters. Don’t blame the mellanarus. It’s those danged crabs.