I got jacked!!! Where is my Chaeto?

[Domboski]

We have a mystery .... I had enough Chaeto to fill a large ziploc bag (just trimmed last weekend). Yesterday I was checking out the pods that were living in it. Today..... ITS GONE !!!!! Not a single strand found stuck to the skimmer intake cover or in the two Mags (7 and 9.5).

Who could devour that much chaeto in one night? I have an idea but lets see what you guys think. All of the below listed have been in the refuge for quite some time with the chaeto.

Refugium Inhabitants:

* Grass shrimp (4-5)
* Chocolate Chip Stars (1-2)
* A couple of small hermits caught in the LI Sound
* One Peppermint shrimp
* Eastern Mud Snails (4-5)
* Common Periwinkle (4-5)
* One Common Spider Crab :idea:

 

[Domboski]

I should also mention that water params are good and I have chaeto in a above tank fuge on the same system that is fine......

 

[dc]

Got a cat? That is kind of weird, I've had caulerpa go sexual and do that, but I didn't think Chaeto could. Did you post this in the algae forum also?

 

[graveyardworm]

Is this a coldwater tank? I dont see any creatures listed that would devour that much cheato overnight. How big is the crab. What are you feeding the Chip stars?

 

[Domboski]

The crab is about 6" or so. I feed the starts nothing. They are scaveging. The tank is not coldwater.

 

[graveyardworm]

Sorry this is a bit off topic, but some of the inverts listed are temperate/coldwater species.

Back on topic, the cheato was entirely gone? I suppose a 6 inch crab could potentially eat it, but why didnt it eat it before? How long has the cheato, and other livestock been in there?

 

[Domboski]

Your right graveyardworm. I caught a lot of the coldwater spieces last spring / summer. The do well in my tanks except the periwinkles. I have other coldwater species in the main tank as well, Oyster Toadfish, Naked Gobies, etc.

They all have been in their together since last spring. Lately the crab has been eating like hell. I saw him picking at the chaeto before I went to sleep but I didn't think he would eat the whole thing!

He was picking at the rubber on the heater the other day too! I have been feeding him a lot lately and it seems to have turned him into a disposal machine.

Sorry dc, I missed your question. I only posted it here because I thought it was more about the crab than the chaeto. I have other chaeto in the same system doing fine.

 

[tpdpercula]

My pepermint shrimp eat my chaeto, but I have no idea what would consume that much that fast.