What's Eating my Corals???

[Just started reefing]

General parameters that have to be measured to keep coral are:
Alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate, calcium and magnesium.
I recommend salifert test kits.
Also that light may not be enough for coral, I would do some research on it.

 

[Jekyl]

Have always used tap water

This could pose an issue that I'm not smart enough to answer.

 

[Just started reefing]

My lights are LED and they have a percentage of these colors. Here are the percentages I use.
pink - 16%
cyan 100%
blue 100%
purple 100%
cold white 76%
This is the best I could do using what I found on the web. If anyone has better settings I would greatly appreciate them.

 

[BostonReefer300]

Before your lights come on in the morning and while it's still relatively dark in the room, look around the base of the rocks and sand bed for a big nasty looking worm. Also, do you have a lid or screen top on your tank?

 

[QuarantinedCorals]

I have heard of engineer gobies eating small fish when they get larger

 

[Just started reefing]

Before your lights come on in the morning and while it's still relatively dark in the room, look around the base of the rocks and sand bed for a big nasty looking worm. Also, do you have a lid or screen top on your tank?

glass top with light above it

 

[Just started reefing]

I have heard of engineer gobies eating small fish when they get larger

but would the engineer gobies also be eating my mushrooms?

 

[BostonReefer300]

glass top with light above it

OK. Was wondering if you're losing fish to jumping due to no top but that doesn't sound like it. Engineer gobies aren't well known as predators, but big aquarium fish generally might eat very small fish. I suspect that my big engineer goby ate a baby engineer that disappeared from my tank a few months ago. However, unless all your missing fish were truly very small, I'd think it's highly unlikely that your engineer was the culprit behind all of them. I'd bet money you have a big bobbit worm in there. If you can spot him in low light, the next step would be eradication. For small bobbit worms, you can use a worm trap. For big ones, I believe you have to remove them the hard way by tearing down your tank and catching him manually unfortunately. But don't borrow trouble just yet---first step is to make a positive ID.

 

[Just started reefing]

OK. Was wondering if you're losing fish to jumping due to no top but that doesn't sound like it. Engineer gobies aren't well known as predators, but big aquarium fish generally might eat very small fish. I suspect that my big engineer goby ate a baby engineer that disappeared from my tank a few months ago. However, unless all your missing fish were truly very small, I'd think it's highly unlikely that your engineer was the culprit behind all of them. I'd bet money you have a big bobbit worm in there. If you can spot him in low light, the next step would be eradication. For small bobbit worms, you can use a worm trap. For big ones, I believe you have to remove them the hard way by tearing down your tank and catching him manually unfortunately. But don't borrow trouble just yet---first step is to make a positive ID.

If a bobbit worm eats a big fish one night will it continue to feed or will it be full for a couple of nights?

 

[BostonReefer300]

If a bobbit worm eats a big fish one night will it continue to feed or will it be full for a couple of nights?

I don't know unfortunately (or fortunately)

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Parameters and lighting issues don't make coral frags disappear over night.

It very much sounds like you've got a Bobbitt worm in there.

 

[Just started reefing]

Great.. Now I have to figure out how to get rid of it. Problem is I'm getting a complete hip replacement tomorrow and won't be very mobile for a while. any suggestions on an easy way to trap or get rid of it?

 

[BostonReefer300]

First step is positively identifying and then next is removal. Now that you're pretty sure you have one, I'd suggest starting a new thread titled "Help-Bobbit Worm ID and Removal" or something like that. That should attract people who have the right experience. Good luck with your surgery and that nasty worm. If you catch it, please post pics and tag me so I don't miss it!

 

[Atul]

Traps are useless if you really have a Bobbit worm. Depending on size, they don’t mind eating a fish every night.
Use red light (ideal) or your cell phone light to look every so often at night. Put in a piece of shrimp (ones we eat) and see if it comes out.


Greater than 3 feet Bobbit worm in my tank.
Bobbit worm
Six foot Bobbitt worm in a Reef tank
Six foot Bobbit worm out of my tank

 

[BostonReefer300]

Those videos are going to give me nightmares