Star Polyp Disaster!

[captain hook]

I noticed yesterday that a section of my Green Star Polyps was missing. Now today I only have about 20 polyps left out of at least a couple hundred (the rock was totally covered). I think something must be wiping them out because the 20 that are out look fine. My first guess is that my brittle stars are the culprit, but wondered if anyone else has had this experience. I've had the star polyps for about 6 weeks and they've definitely been growing and spreading on the rock, so I don't think it's a water quality issue, although I haven't run any tests yet. Other inhabitants/suspects include blue legs, scarlet hermits, astrea snails, baha snails, yellow tang, hippo tang, firefish goby, pygmy angel, green chromis and tomato clown. Please help I don't want to lose them all.

 

[grouperhead]

my vote goes to the pygmy angel...what species is it? it could also be a tang or starfish, but some angels are notorious coral eaters. bo

 

[captain hook]

I got the pygmy angel from this site approximately 15 months ago. I've never seen him pick on any corals and I find it hard to believe that he took out that many in less than 48 hours. According to the web site he a pygmy/cherub angel, centropyge argi. I'll keep an eye on the fish, but so far I haven't seen any of them pay any attention to them. I thought it was most likely happening at night, that's why I targeted the brittle stars, since the only time they really come out is after the lights go out.

 

[gerry]

Just a hunch, but I would bank on the star fish. I purchased a red reef starfish last weekend with three new corals. My dealer assured me he was reef freindly, but last night I caught him on my clove coral. When I pulled him of, there was a complete stalk eaten and only a big hole left. I could be wrong as I have never kept a brittle star.

 

[kelly]

I have had brittle stars with mine for years and no problems. But one never knows.

 

[burnnspy]

The pygme angel is the only possible predator in the mix.
BurnNSpy

 

[blueberryboomer]

Watch out about adding bumblebee snails, they love polyps. Took out a colony of yellow polyps in our tank before we could figure out what was doing it. Lisa

 

[jimi]

I would say the pygmy or blue legs.

 

[flydan]

Hey,
I posted the same problem here about a month ago. I kept a close eye on things and discovered that one of my brittle stars had picked a crevass to hide in during the day that was right next to my green star polyps. It was dragging an arm back and forth over the lr that hosts the polyps and had scrubbed half of the rock clean. I don't think it was eating them or even doing it on purpose. I moved my polyp colony to another spot and they have been doing well.
HTH,
Dan'l