I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself.
Recently I have lost several corals in similar manners. Polyps started disappearing from random places on the corals as though it was being eaten. I haven't added anything new to the tank in months and always do a thorough dip before I do. Today I removed a birdsnest from the top of my rock formation that was in really bad shape and moved a different birdsnest from the bottom to the top of the tank replacing the other coral. I also added a few new anthias and thus, turned out the tank lights for the rest of the day.
A few hours later I walked past the tank and what did I see, but my two scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp on top of my birdsnest and the polyps had been picked clean from over half of the coral. So far they have only bothered the very polypy SPS corals in the tank (birdsnest & stylophora) and leave my montipora and acros alone.
Has anyone ever experienced this before or seen anything like it? I know other species of shrimp will pick at polyps, but I've never heard about skunk cleaners doing it. Any advice here other than removing the shrimp? I find it weird that they left the corals alone for 6 months then went nuts on them over the past couple of weeks.
Recently I have lost several corals in similar manners. Polyps started disappearing from random places on the corals as though it was being eaten. I haven't added anything new to the tank in months and always do a thorough dip before I do. Today I removed a birdsnest from the top of my rock formation that was in really bad shape and moved a different birdsnest from the bottom to the top of the tank replacing the other coral. I also added a few new anthias and thus, turned out the tank lights for the rest of the day.
A few hours later I walked past the tank and what did I see, but my two scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp on top of my birdsnest and the polyps had been picked clean from over half of the coral. So far they have only bothered the very polypy SPS corals in the tank (birdsnest & stylophora) and leave my montipora and acros alone.
Has anyone ever experienced this before or seen anything like it? I know other species of shrimp will pick at polyps, but I've never heard about skunk cleaners doing it. Any advice here other than removing the shrimp? I find it weird that they left the corals alone for 6 months then went nuts on them over the past couple of weeks.
