Mille, self fragging?

[Lyfey]

I have a peach colored Mille that frags itself. Every once in a while I will find a tip of a branch, about a quarter inch long, self fragged and laying on the sandbed. They are perfect cuts and are always on the very tip of a branch. I do not know why this is happening? This has happened three times with this SPS and I only found two of the frags. I placed them on a frag plug. I only have one emerald crab that could possibly do this. I have never seen the crab touch a SPS before. Does this happen to anyone else?

-Chris

 

[Atomikk]

Its crabs brother, nothing else.

 

[jeffeg]

Never heard of a crab taking off sps tips. What kind of fish do you have?

 

[Lyfey]

Large Dussemeir tang (sp?)
Kole tang
2x occelaris clowns
6line wrasse
pygmy angel
yellow watchman goby
1x chromis

Dont know what would want to do it? and how would they be perfect surgical like breaks?

 

[reeflover7826]

You got crabs! Maybe gorilla crabs. I had the same problem freaked me out I've always known that they where in there but they didnt harm anything or so i thought till my pink mille's tips kept getting cut off. One day i was passing by my tank and saw my Cleaner Wasse squirming between rocks lifted the rock and a crab had him I pulled but to no avail the wrasse was sucked into the crabs hole.

 

[Bigmike]

Never heard of a crab taking off sps tips. What kind of fish do you have?

Emeralds do this pretty often, not to mention any other pest type crab that could be lurking in your rockwork.

 

[SDguy]

I vote for the big tang. I see my PBT break tips off accidentally all the time.

 

[Atomikk]

Crabs are notorious tip snatchers.

 

[Frick]

Crabs are notorious tip snatchers.

If you did not read the rest of the thread in detail like I did not then that sounds funny.

 

[Whisperer]

How big is your tank and how big is your tang? I will side with SDGuy on this. Fish can break off tips of acro when they swim at full speed. I don't think emerald crabs are able to even open their claws wide enough. If they can, what would be their purpose in breaking the acro? They don't eat them. I don't think their goal is to pi$$ you off or to make frags for you.

 

[Bigmike]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qooL6Qcg4Eg

whisperer, for sure it happens.

 

[Whisperer]

I saw the clip on my iPhone, I did not see any breaking of the tip. The crab was picking something on the acro but did not break it. What gives?

 

[Bigmike]

I've read posts here where emeralds have broken frags in half before. In the video above he is clearing "snipping the tips" but if you need more clarification do a search through the SPS forum.

Heres a thread for ya if it helps.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1725674&highlight=emerald+crab

 

[divewsharks]

I have had the same issue in the past, at night I had a particular larger emerald the would snip the tips of off my surf-n-turf. I didn't believe it at first until I caught him in action one night; I banished him to the sump and no more tips have been lost (except for when I do it while cleaning the tank or something).

 

[Whisperer]

I think you need a Nannycam to settle this issue once and for all.

 

[Lyfey]

You got crabs! Maybe gorilla crabs. I had the same problem freaked me out I've always known that they where in there but they didnt harm anything or so i thought till my pink mille's tips kept getting cut off. One day i was passing by my tank and saw my Cleaner Wasse squirming between rocks lifted the rock and a crab had him I pulled but to no avail the wrasse was sucked into the crabs hole.

Interesting because my mille is also a pinkish / peach coloration. Possibly the same coral?

Do you have proof it was the crab?

 

[Lyfey]

I vote for the big tang. I see my PBT break tips off accidentally all the time.

I would doubt this because the coral is very very dense and the frags that are coming off are densly packed in the center. These are tiny frags, no more than 1/4inch and the coral is very strong and solid. Could have something to do with the 2xmp40wES in the 75?

 

[Lyfey]

The particular coral grew very dense for some reason. I will take pictures tonight of the coral and also the frags. The main colony probably is healed a little by now but I will see what images I can get.

I do have a larger emerald crab, his claws are about the size of half of a penny. I have never seen him on, or really ever near a SPS coral.

I do not think I have any other crabs, my rockword is very "open" and I have inspected and moved those rocks many of times. I have in the past found crab carapases of hitchhikers in the tank, but have not seen any in over a year. I also did have 06 emerald crabs at one time, now I only see one of them, I have never found a body or seen more than one emerald crab at the same time. His name is big daddy, not sure if I am mistaking this certain emerald crab for another one at different times though.

Have any corals been known to "self frag" in order to proprograte or is coral spawning the only way of reproduction in the acroporid genus?

-Chris

 

[divewsharks]

i never saw mine messing with any acros during the day either. it wasn't until 3a that i caught him.

 

[SDguy]

I would doubt this because the coral is very very dense and the frags that are coming off are densly packed in the center. These are tiny frags, no more than 1/4inch and the coral is very strong and solid. Could have something to do with the 2xmp40wES in the 75?

Oh, OK, well, yes then, with that added info, I would doubt it is a fish too . Mine only tend to break the really obvious tips that stick out the most (as would be the most likely situation).