Who is eating my SPS?!

Dondante · Feb 13, 2019

Had an emerald eating my bird'snest. I caught him by picking the rock up he was on. He now lives in my sump. Luckily my birdsnest came back. Took several weeks. He like skinned it.

TexasTodd · Feb 13, 2019

My guess is crab too with how the damage looks. Could even be a hitch hiker. Blennies usually scrape.

ihavecrabs · Feb 13, 2019

Sorry to throw some uncertainty in here but I have witnessed my powder blue tang bite chunks off the tips of my SPS.

Wrasse-cal · Feb 13, 2019

I thankfully have all my frags on a frag rack. Yesterday I moved the rack so the rack does not touch any of the rockwork. My assumption being that if it's a crab, it won't be able to climb onto the rack and access the delicious SPS.

I am now leaning towards the offender being a crab because there is no new damage. I'll give it a few more days and report back. I'll be really happy if I don't have to banish my tang. It's a real sweetheart. Not aggressive like some.

coralbeauties · Feb 13, 2019

Any urchins in your tank? I was experiencing my sps being eaten on its tips and even some of the bases. Wasnt just the tissue, it was the tissue and skeleton. After re homing my flame angel, trapping my desjardine tank a friend suggested the long spine urchin. Moved the urchin into my frag system and sure enough the damage then moved to the frag system. Found the urchin a new home this past weekend.
Jeff

TexasTodd · Feb 14, 2019

Good thought Jeff, I forgot I've had the same thing happen years ago.

Wrasse-cal · Feb 14, 2019

@jjoos99 good idea, but no urchin in my tank.

JDnKY · Feb 14, 2019

I was able to catch/remove my emerald(and “red” emerald) crabs with this little trap. $25 at BRS.

psychobilly07 · Feb 14, 2019

I would think its the bicolor blenny, I only have experience with one but he was a chomper

boltzfan · Feb 15, 2019

Any option of running a camera for a few hours a night, maybe catch them that way? I know I have had emerald crabs be culprits, fox faces as well, but never a yellow tank or blenny...

Wrasse-cal · Feb 15, 2019

Well, crap.

Wrasse-cal · Feb 15, 2019

boltzfan said:
Any option of running a camera for a few hours a night, maybe catch them that way? I know I have had emerald crabs be culprits, fox faces as well, but never a yellow tank or blenny...

Good idea, but I don't have a camera.

JDnKY · Feb 15, 2019

Wrasse-cal said:
Well, crap.

Wow, that stinks. I caught my crabs picking at an encrusting Lepto and got rid of them. Never any damage like that tho.

JDnKY · Feb 15, 2019

Wrasse-cal said:
Good idea, but I don't have a camera.

I just ordered a couple of Wyze cameras because of another discussion on here. The people here that have them seem to really like them and they’re only $20 + $6 shipping for one.

Wrasse-cal · Feb 15, 2019

JDnKY said:
I just ordered a couple of Wyze cameras because of another discussion on here. The people here that have them seem to really like them and they’re only $20 + $6 shipping for one.

Is there night vision?

JDnKY · Feb 15, 2019

Wrasse-cal said:
Is there night vision?

They have a “night mode” but I’m sure it’s not true night vision. There are some videos on their website.

Wrasse-cal · Feb 15, 2019

#reefsquad could a 2.5-3 inch blenny do this? Actually bite chunks of skeleton off?

rkpetersen · Feb 15, 2019

Wrasse-cal said:
#reefsquad could a 2.5-3 inch blenny do this? Actually bite chunks of skeleton off?

I think that would be really unusual. After it bites off a chunk, it would then have to grind it up before swallowing, and blennies don't have that kind of dentition. Sure you don't have a sneaky parrotfish hiding in there somewhere? Also, not to be indelicate, but if it is being eaten by the blenny or another fish, you should see the fish defecating 'sand' (calcium carbonate grains).

Dsnakes · Feb 15, 2019

I was just reading another thread on here earlier about a Bicolor eating SPS. Here’s the discussion-
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bicolor-blenny-eating-corals.556054/#post-5710288

rkpetersen · Feb 15, 2019

Dsnakes said:
I was just reading another thread on here earlier about a Bicolor eating SPS. Here’s the discussion-
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bicolor-blenny-eating-corals.556054/#post-5710288

Well there you go! I've seen them slurp and scrape at the surfaces of softies and lps, but I guess they're actually a triple threat.