Killer cowerie

[davidandliz]

Well i found out today that it is my cowerie that is murdering everything in my tank. First was my red crab torn to pieces then my decorator crab . I saved my starfish but he had a chunk missing out of him when i transfered him to my nano tank and i didnt know what was the cause till today. I came home to notice my cowerie eating my toadstool . Hope the toad stool survives but he is pretty bad. Cowereie didnt want to let him go either till i taped the cowerie with my finger and he retreated into his shell.

So Cowerie owners be aware they DO eat more than alge. And slow moveing invertabrate can fall prey to the tiger cowerie.

 

[russellqueen]

I know that you had posted for frags in the past, but I did not hear anything in reply. I would be happy to give you guys some stuff if you have room, let me know.

I am currently battling montipora eating nudibrachs so I will be fragging a lot of monti capricornis this week.

I also have some smaller leather pieces that have fallen off and started to grow, as well as SPS and tons of lamnilia in the 55.

let me know

russellqueen@hotmail.com

RUSS

 

[Gordonious]

Are you positive it is the cowrie? When you see a coroner standing over a body you don't call him a murder. When you said you found out today that it was him, how did you find this out? How did you find out today what happened to your star fish? It could have just been taking the algae off your toadstoll. It wasn't holding onto the toadstoll because it tasted so good it didn't want to let it go, it was scared you were going to eat it. Snails, hermits, conchs, and cowries all will either hold tightly on to something or retreat into their shells when you try to pick them up. They don't know your not an octopus.

 

[davidandliz]

If i was anymore sure i would put my life saveings on it. I actually seen him using his rasping mouth on the base of the toadstool and seen when he came back there was some of the toadstool missing. in fact a good portion of the toadstools base is missing now and the color looks really bad. He really doesnt have a base now and i dont know if he will recover. I did notice little dark spots peeking out today so maybe he is still alive just scared and hurt. i will give it some time and see if his spikes come all the way out or not. As for the crabs dying to the cowerie Who knows but when i did a little more research online i did find some articals that said that coweries when they get large can prey on small slow moveing invertabrates. And i know the crab was slow considering he thought no one could see him lol. (dumb decorator crab)

 

[Gordonious]

Sorry to hear. Cowries are cool looking to! If you decide to give it up I would make room for it in a sump or something. I would offer help with the corals, but the only ones I have don't work well in most reef tanks.
I have a hermit crab right now that I think might be a trouble maker in my tank. The older it gets the more it looks like one of those big terrible hermits. He is bothering my newest coral by walking on it and might be taking little nibbles when I'm not watching. :-(
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=978870

It's rough keeping a mini eco system filled with little eating things and trying to keep them all eating what we want to eat and keeping there hands off what we don't want them to eat. Best of luck.

 

[Gordonious]

So David brought the trouble maker over to me today and I placed it in a tank that has nothing in it but a power head, heater, and LR. I was curing the cured live rock from Dr. Mac's in the tank, which is 10g, and I figured it could cause no harm in there at all.(It was cured, but I wanted to watch it for any unwanted algae growth or hitchhikers. While I was messing with another tank I started hearing a pretty scary noise. The little tiger had moved up the wall that had the power head in it and was pulling it further and further up pointing the spray higher up. Luckily I was in the room and hardly any water exited the tank, but had I not been here it would have been a mess.

Now I just have to find it some food. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=986499

 

[ronert]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8675097#post8675097 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gordonious
Now I just have to find it some food. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=986499

Just a thought, but you might want to try some algae wafers, if you have some lying around.

- ted

 

[Gordonious]

I had thought of that, but wasn't sure. I'll throw one in now.

 

[Gordonious]

No luck on the algae wafers, it didn't even move or touch the one I put in this am. Someone suggested small pieces of fish or muscle, but then I wouldn't be sure where to get it. Perhaps silver sides?
I may ask if someone heading down to Dr. Mac's could grab me a sheet of nory.

 

[kaptken]

Jon, They say you can find nory at a local oriental foods store. dried seaweed for sushi? .

 

[Gordonious]

Hum, I will have to try that. Only thing is I may not be able to read the label, lol. I will have to read up more about it when exams are over.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[gillianandjoe]

Our Safeway has it down this way. Look in the "ethnic foods" aisle.

 

[Gordonious]

sweet, thanks.