Which one is guilty?

[maleficent]

This last couple weeks I have had my Purple Reef lobster and my Arrow crab come up missing, I mean gone, completely without even a leg turning up. I searched through my live rock, in it, under it and no sign. Both were healty, active and feeding well. My water quality is perfect. The other inhabitants in my tank are: black brittle star, mult. asstd. snails, feather dusters, Royal Gramma(that now I cannot find too since yesterday), Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp, Mult. Scarlet hermits, Mult. blue-leg hermits(that I have been steadily fishing out since they were eating my corraline algae), Sally Lightfoot, Horseshoe crabs, Peppermint shrimp(<1" each), 2 Emerald crabs, Porcelain crab, and I just added this week a Yellow Tang, Yellow-Tail blue damsel, Flame Scallop, Bangaii Cardinalfish, and a Mandarin. I am worried that my new fish are at risk from something????What should I look for? or get rid of? I really miss Storky my arrow crab......Help

 

[dad]

Actually, I would bet they are still around somewhere. I have paniced over the same thing a few times before and then one day they just show up.

 

[volitan]

Why do you think your blue-legs were eating your coralline algae? I've heard of blue-legged hermit crabs eating alot of things, but never coralline.

 

[maleficent]

Originally posted by Volitan:
<strong>Why do you think your blue-legs were eating your coralline algae? I've heard of blue-legged hermit crabs eating alot of things, but never coralline.</strong><hr></blockquote>

 

[volitan]

???

 

[maleficent]

Originally posted by Maleficent:
[QB][/QB]<hr></blockquote>
I watched them and they were picking it off. I have considered that my Sally Lightfoot might also be guilty. I had 2, one is in a second tank with my Decorator Crab-big mistake buying that one. Any ideas where I might find good info about what eats what ? Everywhere I look I find contradictions. I know the basic diet requirements but I feel irresponsible about the decorator and don't want to make the same mistake again.. Thanks.

 

[maleficent]

Originally posted by golfish:
<strong>maybe a Mantis shrimp......Have you added any new live rock?</strong><hr></blockquote>
I thought about that. I have added no new rock. I have 55lbs of LR that was in my tank for months before I added anything. Would I have seen evidence before now?

 

[mommyfish]

i had a ermeral crab...and it just dissapeared one day i took all my live rock out of the tank, and moved the sand around and i never found him...i dunno what happened to him...but anyway i've heard that sally lightfoots are little devils

 

[brian'sreef]

seems like you like crabs a lot.. you have a sally two emeralds and a porcelain crab all in the same tank.. you had an arrow he's gone so is your purple lobster..oh and a horseshoe.. well first off the majority of crabs sally's emeralds etc. are scavengers that will eat just about anything that is readily available.. even other tankmates..seemingly freindly crabs have too often been known to take out a fish or two..my guess is either the sally or the porcelain took the arrow out and everyone else just helped finish him off.. as far as the lobster goes it's hard to tell purple lobsters often don't do well in an aquarium.. while i'm sure there are some who have them and they do fine the majority has bad experiences.. i had one for three weeks and just like yours disappeared without a trace.. and if it did die all those other crabs would have made very short work of him.....i've also never heard of blue-legs eating corraline.. ..anyway. good luck with your problem i hope everything works out ok for you
Brian

 

[maleficent]

Originally posted by Maleficent:
<strong>This last couple weeks I have had my Purple Reef lobster and my Arrow crab come up missing, I mean gone, completely without even a leg turning up. I searched through my live rock, in it, under it and no sign. Both were healty, active and feeding well. My water quality is perfect. The other inhabitants in my tank are: black brittle star, mult. asstd. snails, feather dusters, Royal Gramma(that now I cannot find too since yesterday), Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp, Mult. Scarlet hermits, Mult. blue-leg hermits(that I have been steadily fishing out since they were eating my corraline algae), Sally Lightfoot, Horseshoe crabs, Peppermint shrimp(<1" each), 2 Emerald crabs, Porcelain crab, and I just added this week a Yellow Tang, Yellow-Tail blue damsel, Flame Scallop, Bangaii Cardinalfish, and a Mandarin. I am worried that my new fish are at risk from something????What should I look for? or get rid of? I really miss Storky my arrow crab......Help</strong><hr></blockquote>
Vigilance and a pen-light paid off. the Purple lobster turned up. Now just one Arrow and a Royal Gramma to go....

 

[dad]

Told you.lol
Just keep looking,

 

[goldrush]

Don't rule out the brittle star.In a previous post I told of my watching a tentacle come flying out from under a rock and pull a scooter blenny under.Right before my eyes!

 

[goldrush]

Don't rule out the brittle star.In a previous post I told of my watching a tentacle come flying out from under a rock and pull a scooter blenny under.Right before my eyes!

 

[wrassecal]

Royal grammas like to hide too, so it's probably still in there. Ours hid out for a few days and then for another reason we had to take out live rock and move it, so hubby put the live rock in a laundry basket and when he got it all back in the gramma was flopping around in the bottom of the laundry basket. It has never hidden since and makes sure we can always see it! I don't however recommend this as a way to get your royal gramma to show itself.

 

[ricksreef]

my money is on the brittle star,they are efficient night predators

 

[blueberryboomer]

My money is on the brittle star also, we lost a long nose hawk to one. And they love my shrimp, I have a hard time keeping them in my tank. Lisa