Peppermint shrimp attacked my new stylophora...???

[cjworkman]

i ordered an ORA stylophora coral (which I believe is a form of birds nest coral).
I acclimated it tonight for about 2 hours and then placed it in a hole in one of the rocks.
Immediately one of my peppermint shrimp jumped on it and started going to town. Normally, they do that to anything new put in the tank, so I didn't pay much attention until i realized it was creating a huge white spot on the coral.
I shooed him away with a pipe cleaner. but he left a big section of the coral that is now white. While the shrimp was going to town dust like material was coming off the coral as it stripped it.
What just happened? was that potentially part of the coral that had died in shipping and the shrimp was actually helping?

 

[nycbob]

any pic? most likely it was picking at the dead spot.

 

[cjworkman]

I can post a pic tomorrow... but after 5 hours.. about 80% of the coral is pure white.
I have a feeling i will wake up to it being stripped clean.

 

[nick76]

Yea sometimes they do that, when I had mine long time ago I used to feed @ the same time I was placing new specimans into the tank to distract them.
People will tell you Peppermint shrimp do not attack corals, the can. Not all do but some will.