What Ate My Green Brittle Star

djr7879 · Dec 5, 2012

I have (had:squigglemouth

3 green brittle stars as part of my CUC. One was attacked it seems during the night, and all that's left are a couple of legs. I suspect it's the hermit crabs, but wonder if one of the fish might have done it. I have 2 Snowflake Clowns, a Brown Scopas Tang, a Pink Spot Goby and a McClosker's Flasher Wrasse. MY CUC is snails, fighting conchs, a tuxedo urchin, and the brittle stars.

Any thoughts?

Connie · Dec 5, 2012

You may have a rogue crab or shrimp hiding out in the rocks. CUC is just that...they clean up dead stuff, so it wouldn't be them. The fish you have wouldn't do it either. How old is your tank? It could be the water chemistry.

djr7879 · Dec 5, 2012

Thanks for your response Connie. The tank is only 4 months old, so have gone through the typical new tank syndrome stuff as expected. It's a Red Sea Max S Series 500. Parameters are as follows: SG 1.025, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 7 ppb per Hanna Checker, Nitrate >1, pH 8.1, Phosphate 0.19, CA 458, Mg 1150, Alk 8.5 dKh. Running GFO and Activated Charcoal through BRS reactors. Dosing Vodka and Alk right now, building up slowly. Just got through fighting a green hair algae issue, so that disrupted things. Major clean up effort! I don't think I dragged the GBS out with a rock to be cleaned, but I guess it's possible. All of my rock was dry from BRS, so no hitchhikers.

I'm hoping that it's a one time occurrence, but just curious that it would happen at this point. The whole body of the GBS just wasn't there this morning - only two of his poor little legs!