Killer at night - help!!

[csreed]

Ok, something is attacking my creatures at night! So far it's gotten a skunk cleaner shrimp, torn up my long-tentacle anemone, & now taken half the arms off a sand-sifting sea star. Augh!!!! Ideas??
I've got a flame hawkfish (who always seems really docile), a yellow tang, a fox face, a clownfish, a Royal basselet, some chromis, & a brand-new coral beauty, a coral banded shrimp, & a flame angelfish. The tang is a jerk but he goes to sleep at night - what's happening? This is the second time I've had a round of killings - last time I thought it was my cardinalfish & when I caught him & removed him the killings stopped. Now it can't be him. I'm so sad & frustrated I'd like to get rid of the tank & walk away from the thousands I've put into the dang thing...

 

[reef heaven]

Probably a hitchhiker. I would set a trap with some bait over night. I hope you find out what it is and catch it.

 

[Mark Teitelman]

My money is on the Hawkfish. I love then but they murder inverts, especially shrimp. The sea star may have done you a favor--everyone always says those things suck out all the good stuff in your sand bed and then die of starvation. Don't get too frustrated...the hobby has ups and downs! Ride it out and keep an eye on the Hawk!

 

[4FordFamily]

It's not likely any of your fish, I agree on the hitchhiker. I would bet the farm it is not the flame hawk. Some other hawks can be demons but flames are surprisingly harmless.

The coral banded shrimp is the most suspect but still doubtfully the culprit. Do you have any harlequin shrimp? That might explain the star.

I'm at a loss.. hopefully someone more useful chimes in.

#reefsquad

 

[csreed]

It's not likely any of your fish, I agree on the hitchhiker. I would bet the farm it is not the flame hawk. Some other hawks can be demons but flames are surprisingly harmless.

The coral banded shrimp is the most suspect but still doubtfully the culprit. Do you have any harlequin shrimp? That might explain the star.

I'm at a loss.. hopefully someone more useful chimes in.

#reefsquad

No harlequin shrimp.

This time I only added fish, snails & shrimp - no corals or rock. How would I have gotten a hitchhiker? The anenome is a big boy, & he was torn up pretty badly this morning [emoji53]

Any suggestions on how to catch the banded coral shrimp? He's a shy one so far...

 

[Eva Rose]

As 4FordFamily mentioned , the reef squad will help.
Also after tank lights have been off several hours , turn off all lights in that room .Approach the tank slowly, then shine flashlight on lower setting in tank (so you don't blast the tank suddenly with bright light). . Check sand bed 1st. I once found a huge worm that had hitchhiked this way. I got the worm out with a trap, as suggested.
Oh and I had not added coral etc at the time I found him like you, either. This creepy crawly had been in the live rock that the guy who 1st set my tank up used. It had been hiding deep inside a crevice in the rock for months.

 

[csreed]

As 4FordFamily mentioned , the reef squad will help.
Also after tank lights have been off several hours , turn off all lights in that room .Approach the tank slowly, then shine flashlight on lower setting in tank (so you don't blast the tank suddenly with bright light). . Check sand bed 1st. I once found a huge worm that had hitchhiked this way. I got the worm out with a trap, as suggested.

And how do you trap? I had 3 huge polychaete worms loose in there once & couldn't catch them for anything. Had to gut the tank to get them. I still check the tank every few nights looking for offspring, but none have been spotted after nearly a year...

 

[4FordFamily]

Is your coral banded pretty large?

 

[csreed]

Is your coral banded pretty large?

I'd call him medium-sized

 

[jdl513]

If no live rock or live coral have been added don't see how a hitchhiker could have been introduced.

If the coral banded is on the big side it would be my prime suspect. Don't see any of the fish tempting fate with a LTA.

 

[csreed]

If no live rock or live coral have been added don't see how a hitchhiker could have been introduced.

If the coral banded is on the big side it would be my prime suspect. Don't see any of the fish tempting fate with a LTA.

I put a wine bottle with a silverside in it in the tank. I'm afraid my skunk shrimp, which I adore, will get stuck in there with the murderer...

 

[csreed]

I put a wine bottle with a silverside in it in the tank. I'm afraid my skunk shrimp, which I adore, will get stuck in there with the murderer...

Lol - the LTA is named Cthulu for a reason...

 

[Eva Rose]

And how do you trap? I had 3 huge polychaete worms loose in there once & couldn't catch them for anything. Had to gut the tank to get them. I still check the tank every few nights looking for offspring, but none have been spotted after nearly a year...

I was lucky in that it was such a big worm, that I just used one of those gladware plastic containers (laid on its side) on the sandbed. I put a small piece of food in the container.

 

[jdl513]

If this is reboot display not a start from scratch something tiny that has grown up could be the culprit.

Not sure what worm species would be interested in various victims you mentioned. A predatory crab is possibly if was small enough to go unnoticed during the reboot but has grown big enough to cause trouble. Best of luck finding out.

 

[jsker]

How big is the clown? The reason I ask is, I had an experience with this kind of disappearing of my tank residents. It came down the the clowns. That mean pair of percula clowns even would go after large fish.

 

[masssnapz]

I found this guy last weekend and he's been growing in there for at least 3 years

Only cost me a couple hundred in rbta and fish over the last month.

 

[csreed]

I found this guy last weekend and he's been growing in there for at least 3 years

Only cost me a couple hundred in rbta and fish over the last month.

Die, evil one! How did you find him & catch him?

 

[Areseebee]

Could it possibly be unrelated things? The flame hawk offing the shrimp would be totally expected, do you have power heads that could have shred the lta?

 

[csreed]

Could it possibly be unrelated things? The flame hawk offing the shrimp would be totally expected, do you have power heads that could have shred the lta?

No - power heads are nowhere close. This one has been living in the same spot for 2 years.

 

[Eva Rose]

Here's another link for you:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/worm-trap.299919/
I'm not saying it's a bristleworm but you might check this trap out.