Something eating frags?

[griff500]

I've found that a couple of frags that are on the sandbed have been pulled under the edge of the rock and when I pulled them out I found that the tips had been chewed up. This wasn't damage from pulling them out.

Any ideas what could do that? Possibly a worm of some kind?

 

[TheAquarian]

Pics?

 

[griff500]

Taken just a couple of days ago and looking like that yesterday:

At night so briefly put the living room lights on, hence the poor picture. The one on the right is the one in the first picture! Both of those frags were on their sides pulled together into that gap at the bottom of the rocks behind them, tips in the gap.

 

[TheAquarian]

What’s the livestock in the tank?

 

[griff500]

Nothing I have should do that as far as I am aware:

- Powder Blue Tang.
- Yellow Tang.
- Purple Tang.
- Two Picasson Clownfish.
- Five Scribbled Anthias.
- Cleaner Wrasse.
- Tuxedo Urchin (this has been up on the top of the rocks all day and nowhere near the frags).
- Matted Filefish.
- Some snails of the usual type.

 

[Elegance Coral]

The filefish is not reef safe..........

 

[griff500]

I've never seen him going at corals and the ones up on the rock are untouched. It's only corals near that gap in the rocks and that isn't somewhere I've ever seen the filefish hanging out - he's usually grabbing any of the other food in the tank or scouring the rocks for aiptasia. Based on his colours I think he finds plenty of food. I also don't know how he would pull them into that gap. Also, frags have often been on the sand and others are there as well at the moment - only the frags near that gap in the rocks get pulled under there.

 

[TheAquarian]

From https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/2562/?pcatid=2562

The Matted Filefish is also known as the Bristletail Filefish, Matted Leatherjacket, Tomentosus Filefish, or Aiptasia Eating Filefish. The body is a mottled green, brown, and tan coloration.

It is a shy fish, and rarely aggressive towards other fish except those of its own genus. It is best suited for aquariums 30 gallons or larger that does not contain small invertebrates.

The Matted Filefish is known to eat Aiptasia anemone in the home aquarium, but normally nips at soft and stony corals as well. The diet should include shaved shrimp, squid, scallop, mysis shrimp, freeze-dried krill soaked in a vitamin supplement, and frozen marine algae. The Matted Filefish should be fed small quantities of food several times per day.

These fish have been known to spawn in captivity, and males are normally large than the females, having fine bristle-like hairs on each side of their body down the caudal peduncle or base of the tail.

Approximate Purchase Size: Small: 1-1/2" to 2"; Medium: 2" to 2-3/4"; Large: 2-3/4" to 3-1/2"

 

[Reefpharmer]

Maybe you have a worm?

 

[griff500]

I really do not think it is the Filefish. It would be very odd if it only chose frags on the sandbed that happened to be close to that tiny gap in the rocks but none of the ones to the left of that on the sandbed and none on the rocks. He gets plenty of food and that's visible by his colouring.

I'm thinking it's more likely to be some kind of worm.

 

[jda]

That could be alk or light burn. I doubt that a fish did that.

Search for "burnt acropora tips" and see if this is what you are experiencing.

 

[griff500]

I don't think it's a fish and it's not burnt tips - the two frags had been pulled under that gap in the rock - the were on their sides with the tips in the gap and under the edge of the rock.

It's not alk burn and it's not the lights - no other corals are like it because no others have been pulled under the rock.

 

[TheAquarian]

Do you have a qt tank?

 

[jda]

If it is the tips that touched the rock or sand, then the bacteria will cause some die-off.

 

[griff500]

I guess that's a possibility but something pulled them into the gap in the rocks and it's happened several times now but only to the frags near that gap. Whatever is doing it is surely doing it for food, unless I've got a secret aquascaper in the tank.

 

[griff500]

No QT unfortunately.

 

[Second Shot]

Maybe a Euclid or bobbit worm

 

[griff500]

I hope not but it's got to be something like that. I hadn't read about something like this before.

 

[Surfside74]

How old is the tank and did you put live rock in originally or use dry rock? Sometimes crabs and other pests cam come in on live rock. Maybe a gorilla crab or something?

 

[griff500]

No live rock (real reef rock) and the tank has been going for at least two years - perhaps three.