Whos eating my coral???????

[Cbray305]

Ok guys, i have made 3 posts in the last couple of days about my acans in literaly over night will just lose complete head or all 3 on 2 diff frags. My alk is a little high at 10...but to knock em off overnight??? No way...

So, emerald crabs or peppermint shrimp (could be camel shrimp)
I have 5 colonies of zoas and they have never been touched, but added highlight cloves and they just die off overnight or a couple of days. Thought it was weird but maybe my tank, now 2 highlight clove and 2 acan frags later... something must be eating them...

The peppermint shrimp have ate a single aiptasia out of a zoa frag and thats why i got them but there are 3. So i assume they are authentic peppermints or at least 1 is.....
So emeralds? Or peppermints?


Thoughts? Ideas?

Cleanup crew(guessing numbers because they do switch shells)
Astrea snails-9?
Blue leg hermit-12?
Cerith snails-4
Halloween hermit-1
Emerald crabs 4- 1 is HUGE.
Tuxedo urchin.

 

[tehmadreefer]

The peppermint shrimp without a doubt

 

[Cbray305]

Could be, they ar jerks... i added cerith and they were pickem them off and trying to pull.them out of their shells. Real killers

 

[DangerDave]

I dunno. I’ve been through so many peppermint shrimp, I’ve never seen them do anything but steal food (in a violent manner) or eat dead tissue.

I’ve never had any, but camel shrimp are coral eaters, and look very similar.....

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

Looks similar to the work that my peppermints did on my lps corals (including $100+ torches)

 

[Cbray305]

There is this big clawed beast

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[Marsh980]

I’m surprised to hear peppermint shrimps eating corals. Camel shrimps on the other hand, coral eating opportunists.

 

[tehmadreefer]

Could be, they ar jerks... i added cerith and they were pickem them off and trying to pull.them out of their shells. Real killers

well when they run out of aiptasia, they still have to eat and lps Are part of their diet. Plenty of info out there if you research purchase prior to buying.

 

[muzikalmatt]

I would definitely guess the peppermint shrimp. I had one that I caught red handed devouring a frogspawn coral. I thought maybe it was because I wasn't feeding him/the tank enough so I went out of my way to spot feed him heavily over the next several days. Didn't matter. I caught him eating it again and I had to remove him.

If you want to know for sure, I would recommend viewing the tank an hour or so after lights out to see if you can catch the culprit and confirm who's the guilty party.

 

[Marsh980]

well when they run out of aiptasia, they still have to eat and lps Are part of their diet. Plenty of info out there if you research purchase prior to buying.

well I better becareful as have 10 peppermint shrimps. I’ve only read and been told that they’re completely reef safe and are 50/50 at eating Aiptasia. Mine better behave, maybe the marine betta and blue throat trigger got them anyway!

 

[muzikalmatt]

well I better becareful as have 10 peppermint shrimps. I’ve only read and been told that they’re completely reef safe and are 50/50 at eating Aiptasia. Mine better behave, maybe the marine betta and blue throat trigger got them anyway!

I don't think they're all coral eaters, but I definitely don't think they're 100% reef safe as advertised. There's also the issue that some camel shrimps are falsely sold as peppermints.

 

[tehmadreefer]

well I better becareful as have 10 peppermint shrimps. I’ve only read and been told that they’re completely reef safe and are 50/50 at eating Aiptasia. Mine better behave, maybe the marine betta and blue throat trigger got them anyway!

that’s exact why I added a niger trigger, so it could eat the last few I had.

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[Cbray305]

This 1 is carrying eggs

 

[Cbray305]

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[tehmadreefer]

I

I hear it depends on the actual species. That's why I want to see photos. Apparently Lysmata wurdemanni is the one that leaves coral alone and the one you want for aptasia control. The other members of the Lysmata genus are hit or miss on eating aptasia and can go after coral.

(A) Lysmata wurdemanni
(B) Lysmata rathbunae
(C) Lysmata ankeri
(D) Lysmata boggessi
(E) Lysmata pederseni
(F) Lysmata bahia

It doesn’t depend, they all will go after lps and-or softies...

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[Cbray305]

Well, i can can get the peppermints in the open easily... pretty much add snails and they are ready for attack... so i could eliminate that prob and just give back to LFS... the emeralds? They dont keave the rockwork lol