I'm tired of crustaceans...

[JZinCO]

I've lost 4-5 frags now and have had some colonies thinned out. I have caught three hermit crabs (not dwarf red, scarlet or blue legged but pink/white striped ones that I've not ID'ed). Into the sump.

Then I saw a pep shrimp ripping up a ricordea one night. The lights were low and I wasnt sure exactly what I was seeing. The devastation was apparent in the morning. I've moved the coral higher up the tank out of the typical range of the pep. The coral is recovering

My emerald crab had been hanging under a colony of xenia. Those xenia ended up tore up but I didn't know who to blame. Then I saw the crab munch around some zoa. Too close for comfort but I kept watching; eventually I saw him nip at some polyps. Strike one I said and called over to the GF
By that time he was picking at film algae next to the zoa when she arrived. She said I probably was seeing the crab do some cleaning around/on the coral. Then to my amazement he walked over to the stalk of a large toadstool leather and starting rip up flesh three inches from my eyes.
#@$&! Into the sump.

Oh, and the best part is, the day after I evicted the emerald crabs and two hermit crabs I caught eating my zoa colony, a polyp from that colony still disappeared.
At this point I am so glad that my other tank is all snails and don't intend on ever buying more shrimp or crabs (maybe just scarlet hermits). I don't even trust the cleaner shrimp who harasses the coral to no end in order to steal food.

So fyi, yes I feed more than enough and yes these coral were perfectly healthy. Things go missing and coral heads get snipped off within the left area of the tank (where the shrimps and crabs prefer) and I have issues within the rest of the tank. There may be other culprits but I have sat and watched in amazement/horror as the crusty fellows go to town.

I just had to vent because it is so frustrating. I hate having to monitor and do head counts of coral. Not trusting your pets and assuming the worst from them is no fun.

 

[ldballoon4]

Not feeding the clean up crew leads them to eat each other or your corals.
Peppermint shrimp = the devil of all inverts I personally avoid them altogether, leave them for a QT tank. Blue legged are opportunistic feeders, from acros to softies=- if starved. Some crabs will jack up your corals, and yet, some are model citizens, but most are bad news when it comes to be underfed or develop a taste for your JF or Cornbred coral.
Its best to have less hermit crabs in a reef tank with corals. A lot of false advertisement tells the novice to put a huge amount of a clean up crew when starting out. Yep, they are definitely going to clean up.... your corals, that is.

 

[JZinCO]

Edit: I mean to say I don't issues in the rest of the tank. Just where the crabs and shrimp hang out the most.

I'm not interested in feeding even more. I feed enough as it is and notice a marked bloom in cyano and hair algae when I overfeed. I don't want to spend more in food just to spend more in nutrient export means.

Maybe I will upgrade the sump (where I grow alot of macroalgae) so it can hold all of the crustaceans and shift to a snail based CUC.

 

[ldballoon4]

To further advise, crabs other than red or blue legged are best not put into a reef system. I bought was accidentally shipped one. Well, i had to place it in purgatory, it was eating one of my undata frags. Busted. now its in the sump with rocks. The little guy never gets fed but is alive and well.
And yes, the peppermint shrimp is still the devil of invasive inverts :wildone:

 

[JZinCO]

Thanks. That was my understanding so I suppose I knew better.

 

[rajilnaja]

I feel your pain somewhat, I think its something we all deal with at some point or another. I'm on the no crabs bandwagon, I have emeralds a try in the current tank and it didnt take long for one to start taking chunks out of some ducans. I have a solo hermit left and so far he just murders snails. Granted a good portion of his life is spent being held hostage by the pistol shrimp, he really just wants his shell. :lmao: