Coral killer in my tank

[cheesner]

First I lost a bubble coral (not sure it wasn't something else, because he was big and he died quick)

2 weeks ago it was a brain coral. First there was a postage stamp size wound. I moved him thinking he wanted more light. He was stripped clean in 2 days.

Then last week it was my candy cane. I started with 20 healthy heads. When I noticed something was amiss, there were 8 dead heads. The next day 2 more where dead. Then, every night, I would carefully search my tank looking for the culprit. The only critter I saw was my peppermint shrimp. And I caught him on the candy cane on 3 occasions. Also some margaritta snails, but I am sure they are innocent.

Also, I first noticed a crab living in my acropora. I am quite certain he is a coral crab. He is quite small, and I never have seen him outside the acro. Even checking him at night, he is crouched in their waving his claws around. I think he is innocent.

I believe the shrimp is to blame. Anyone else have a problem like this? He has been in the tank now for 4 months or so without any problem. The candy cane was my oldest coral, it started out with only 4 heads. I hate to evict the shrimp my 4 yo likes him, but will if I was sure he was the culprit. I won't add any corals until I solve the problem.

What would you do?

 

[Toddrtrex]

First off are you sure it is a true peppermint shrimp. Camel back shrimp look very similar to peps. IMO I have never know a true pep attack a healthy coral. The key word being healthy.
What are the water specs of your tank, and what ( if any ) fish do you have in it. I have a feeling there is another cause behind this

HTH

 

[VoidRaven]

Need some more details on the tank and water parameters but something is telling me that it is *not* the shrimp. If it is a true peppermint shrimp I have never known them to attack corals...especially healthy ones. There must be something else in there that you haven't found or can't see yet.

 

[Dubbin1]

I'm also guessing that you have something else going on in the tank.

 

[cheesner]

I do not believe it is a water quality issue. I have a couple acroporas, a BTA, that are all doing very well. Furthermore, the candy cane was dying 1-2 heads per night. The rest looked fine and healthy, and the rest were stripped to the 'bone'. Seems to me this had to be a predator.

For fish I have a 6-line wrasse, a. ocellerus clown, yellow tang and a bicolor blenny.

My water parameters have been excellent.

I will check them again, just to have the latest. I will post again with the hour.

I am certain they are peppermints (I have two) The place I got them keeps both in tanks side by side.

 

[cheesner]

Okay water paramaters are thus:

Temp 79 F
Salinity 1.022
Nitrate <5 ppm
Amonia 0
Calcium 440 ppm

 

[cheesner]

The mystery deepens.

This morning the candy cane corpse was knocked off from where it normally sits. I have two large snails that could have done this, but they have not in the 5 months of that coral sitting there.

I am starting to think there is another predator in there that I have not seen. I suspect that it is a crab. He went back for another meal and climbing around on the candy cane, he knocked it off its ledge. I doubt the shrimp could do this.

I checked 3x last night and saw nothing. I will try the leaning glass trick tonight and see if I can catch something. What should I use for bait?

 

[thehedge]

What kind of fish do you have?

 

[cheesner]

6-line Wrasse
Bicolor Blenny
Yellow tang
Clown fish (Ocellerous)

 

[mystikdragon7]

It might be some type of snail or slug attacking the coral. Like maybe some type of Nudi. I guess the only way to really tell is if you pull and all nighter, make sure you have plenty of flashlight batteries.

 

[ratherbediving]

Could be a Eunicid sp. worm. If a 5' worm was able to hide out in Steve East's 850 gallon tank (and a 7' or so worm before that)....

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=749548

...maybe a small(er) one could be hiding in your tank. I guess Steve spent quite a while on lookout at night before he found that one...

 

[thehedge]

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't Eunicid worms typically go after Softies rather than LPS? I thought I heard somewhere of that, but I do not recall as I have horrible memory.

Also, I am not too familiar with nudi's that go after LPS, but I know quite a few that go after SPS.

Is there a possiblity that your water quality can be too good, without the excess nutrients for LPS corals. I have a friend that has an AMAZING SPS tank, but every LPS he puts in dies off, because it does not have the nutrients that will harm the SPS.

 

[MYDRAAL]

This is my first post, so I hope it comes out.
Anyway, I had a problem with my peppermint
shrimp eating coral. Saw them go after my hammers
and frogspawn like a lawnmower to grass. Never
heard of such a thing before, but they did it in front
of my eyes. Just wanted to let you know not to rule
out those shrimp. Oh, and they were true peps.

 

[Gobie]

MYDRAAL Welcome to reef central

I have witnessed peppermint shrimp picking on polyps, open brains, candy canes, large anemones, my seabae. This was in my tank I had ten of them in my 180 to control aptasias. If you watch them at night with a red flashlight you will see them doing this. They are not reef safe and I know about camel back shrimp I know the difference. This was not just a bad shrimp or two all of them were doing it. I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t think they will consume a coral in a couple of days, they will do damage but not that fast.

 

[jmack]

What eats peppermint shrimp?