Mushroom ate my Wrasse?

[Rcfiftyone]

Two days ago I picked up little Corris Wrasse from my Lfs. After drip acclimating him I released him in the tank. He swam around happily picking at the rocks until lights off. The following day I saw no sign of him anywhere. I checked all the usual spots like overflows, filter socks, ground etc. Then my 5yo daughter says, "daddy he's sleeping on the rock!" My heart sank as I saw the lifeless body laying on the rock. Upon closer inspection I realized that its head was actually being swallowed by a small green hairy mushroom.

My question is this.... Did the fish die of natural causes and end up drifting into the mushroom? Or, did the mushroom actually manage to capture him while alive. I have to believe the first scenario. I cant imagine this fish getting trapped like that.

Ill include some pics. It wasnt an expensive fish by any means but I dont like loosing any fish.

 

[cloak]

The fish most likely died of natural causes and the mushroom is just disposing of the body. A healthy fish would have had no problems whatsoever getting away from that mushroom.

 

[Grey Guy]

Many mushrooms are carnivorous and will trap fish. I believe harry mushrooms, at least some varieties are able to catch fish. A very large mushroom can catch a very large fish. I saw it on YouTube. Sorry I don't remember the link , but it's probably easy to look up. I read that the mushroom puts out some kind of oder that lures the fish close enough to fold in on it.

 

[Grey Guy]

I think your fish was murdered by a mushroom.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

IMO No way at least in this case. A very large hairy mushroom maybe. But this fish is several times larger than the mushroom and I have never heard of mushrooms being able to sting prey or anything.

 

[Grey Guy]

I think the problem is that if the fish decides to stop and take a nap over a carnivorous mushroom, the outcome might not be so good. I am worried about it enough to avoid known carnivorous shrooms in my tank.

 

[saltyhog]

Except H. chrysus almost never stops moving and sleeps in the sand bed not on rocks.

I had a hand sized hairy mushroom and never lost anything to it.

 

[Grey Guy]

Well, I guess there is mo arguing that the fish is dead, and then having that uneasy, feeling that you don't know why, and you don't know what to fix.

 

[Baker Co.]

That sucks sorry for the loss

 

[Katrina71]

Sorry about your little fish.

 

[Rcfiftyone]

Well, I guess there is mo arguing that the fish is dead, and then having that uneasy, feeling that you don't know why, and you don't know what to fix.

Thats the thing... I have a lot of these mushrooms scattered over my tank. Most are 10 times the size of this one. Are they just little death traps waiting to swallow my fish? Ive never lost a fish in this way yet. Guess there's a first time for everything.

 

[PiscesPower]

My clown sleeps every night is a St Thomas Rhodactis, that's about 5" in diameter.

 

[Grey Guy]

I've been avoiding Rhodactis because of there reputation as carnivores. Maybe it matters which kind, or how much there fed or, just bad information, or something. I don't know what to think. I'd like to have mushrooms 5 inch in diameter mushrooms.

 

[Treasure Coast]

That mushroom could never catch that fish alive.

 

[jeff williams]

My guess to his death is that bacterial infection on his side. Did he have that white spot on him when you added him to the tank.

 

[liveround69]

Sorry about your loss.....

Personally that looks to be a "ball anemone"and are known to eat fish and inverts. Actually they pack a heckuva sting in relation to the fishes size. They basically come in two varieties. The pacific and caribbean . The caribbean is the one to worry about mostly due to the size they can achieve but the small pacific is more common and is a lot smaller in size but still can kill tank inhabitants. I have a few myself. I have found empty hermit crab shells near the spots they favor constantly.

 

[Forsaken77]

My guess to his death is that bacterial infection on his side. Did he have that white spot on him when you added him to the tank.

That white spot, to me, actually looks like something was nibbling on the dead fish's body. Maybe a crab grabbed him down by the sand, killed him, had his fill and the shroom caught the floating carcass?

I have had crabs, especially green emeralds, that grab fish much larger than them. That's why I don't keep crabs anymore.

 

[Gabriel_115]

1p

Sorry about your loss.....

Personally that looks to be a "ball anemone"and are known to eat fish and inverts. Actually they pack a heckuva sting in relation to the fishes size. They basically come in two varieties. The pacific and caribbean . The caribbean is the one to worry about mostly due to the size they can achieve but the small pacific is more common and is a lot smaller in size but still can kill tank inhabitants. I have a few myself. I have found empty hermit crab shells near the spots they favor constantly.

Sorry for your loss. I also have a coris wrasse in my tank and like you have these things all over as well looking to eradicate them!;Nailbiting

 

[kireek]

I would say that the wrasse died of some other cause.Although ball anemones are capable of eating large pieces of food, I believe that a healthy fish would be okay around them.Your surrounding mushrooms look like the common green Rhodactics.They should be perfectly safe around fish.Small inverts may on the other hand may become a meal.I know of one variety that will eat fish.It is commonly referred to as the Elephant ear mushroom. This type grows over a foot around and creates a purse shape when feeding.It is unlikely that you have a group of these giants.

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/marine-invert/amplexidiscus-fenestrafer.htm

 

[Salty1962]

I'd bet the wrasse just settled on the mushroom. They aren't known to be fish killers, especially a wrasse;Jawdrop