Fighting conch or brittle star

[Plata01]

Hello everyone. I bought a fighting conch and a brittle star yesterday, both which are supposed to be reef safe. I looked today and my mushrooms, which were starting to grow and looking nice,are now gone. Any idea which can be the culprit? Might just get rid of both before I loose more coral. Thanks

 

[cmcoker]

My conch has never bothered any corals, never kept a star.

 

[Plata01]

My conch has never bothered any corals, never kept a star.

Thank you for responding

 

[saltyhog]

I don't think either would be a suspect. My brittle star is almost a foot across and has never bothered anything. I have multiple fighting conchs and they occasionally move corals on the sand bed during their wandering but never have damaged anything.

 

[Mike N]

Hello everyone. I bought a fighting conch and a brittle star yesterday, both which are supposed to be reef safe. I looked today and my mushrooms, which were starting to grow and looking nice,are now gone. Any idea which can be the culprit? Might just get rid of both before I loose more coral. Thanks

What else is in the tank?

 

[Plata01]

What else is in the tank?

I have a green bird wrasse who has been in there foe a while. He has been acting weird for 3 weeks and only coming out for a few minutes at a time. He hasn't been eating when I try to feed him for about 2 weeks so maybe he got hungry and ate it. Everything else died about 2 weeks ago from ick. Besides that, it's all coral.

 

[Plata01]

I don't think either would be a suspect. My brittle star is almost a foot across and has never bothered anything. I have multiple fighting conchs and they occasionally move corals on the sand bed during their wandering but never have damaged anything.

Dang it, maybe the green bird wrasse then?!?!

 

[Mike N]

Bird wrasse would be the most likely culprit out of the three IMO. Sorry about your losses

 

[Plata01]

Bird wrasse would be the most likely culprit out of the three IMO. Sorry about your losses

Thank you. He hasn't bothered anything else until today, or at least that I have noticed. Guess I can put him in the sump and let him hang out there.

 

[Plata01]

Bird wrasse would be the most likely culprit out of the three IMO. Sorry about your losses

I also just put two things together. My xenia was really full and thriving and now that I look, it is a lot less of it and smaller than what I had. Now that you pointed it out I'm starting to believe that it is the wrasse.

 

[cmcoker]

What's your nitrate? If all your fish recently dies, maybe lack of nutrients? You've mentioned corals that like it a little dirty..

 

[azbigjohn]

Definitely second on neither the Brittle Star or Fighting Conch being the culprit. I had a 10" brittle start that came out at feeding time, but never touched or disturbed a coral. It is possible he might have knocked it loose, and it blew somewhere else in the tank, but certainly not eat it.

Likewise, my Fighting Conch always sifted sand, hardly ever getting on top of the sand fully