Missing fish and now a wounded blenney

[Ray68]

I have had several fish come up missing the past couple weeks. One was a long nose hawk fish another is 2 antheries and now my Midas blenney has part of his mouth ripped off. Only other inhabitants are 3 chromis 3 cardniel fish 1 purple fire fish 1 green emerald crab 1porcelain crab and a flame scallop. Any guesses on what may be doing it?

 

[Nina51]

i don't know this for sure but i've read that an emerald crab can take a fish down. how big is your emerald?

 

[Deinonych]

My money is on the crab.

 

[Ray68]

I thought it might be the crab. Now how to catch him without tearing tank apart

 

[pinnatus]

Do you maybe have a hidden mantis?

 

[Ray68]

Caught crab no more missing fish. Thanks all

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Yes those Emerald crabs become killers once they get about 1 inch point to point. Mine is living in my sump, haven't seen him in a while but last I did he was HUGE. I might have to tear apart my middle section of my sump next WC to find out how big he is. I've got it full of lr.

 

[Ray68]

My emerald took a ride back to lfs. Probably the cheepest thing I have bought for dd but yet cost me a lot. Good luck with yours.

 

[snorvich]

My money is on the crab.

As is mine.

 

[Ocean envy]

Shrimp are obnoxious, they steal food from corals.

Crabs are vicious, they can kill fish and they walk over corals.

I'll stick to snails.

 

[CoralBeauty13]

Hmmm. I've been having fish come up missing for a few months now. I did find a small red lobster behind my rocks once after three tang came missing...crazy surprise that was. Now my Goby, Blenny and Sapphire are missing. My fish also have weird scraped at times. Arrgghh ! Tank tear down coming. I know it.

 

[Betta132]

You'll want to get rid of that flame scallop. They starve 99.9% of the time, and it'll pollute your tank when it dies.

 

[fishy boy]

I have an electric flame scallop and I'm 13 hese been doing great I feed him marine snow and he always opens up to filter feed

 

[Montium]

Lobsters crabs and shrimp can all be fish eaters, I had engineer gobies wipe some fish out as well.

 

[Ray68]

Didn't know about shrimp. I have two shrimp also will have to keep an eye on them. The more I read on RC the more it makes me wonder why I ever started into saltwater.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

LOL Ray, ain't it the truth?

 

[e048]

ive never had issues with emeralds

 

[mussel and hate]

I've never had an issue with emerald crabs either. That doesn't mean they aren't filthy murderers.

I have over the years(and decades) removed xanthids and various other pointy black claw tipped murdering crabs from my system. Who's to say which party is guilty unless you catch em in the act?

Just yesterday after rearranging some rockwork I siponed water for a change and maimed an evil red xanthid that must have been in my tank undetected for years. I just happened to expose and siphon a hole that it called home.

No matter how much we observe these little worlds there is much going on of which we remain ignorant.

I think I know what was eating zoanthids and perhaps hermits...

 

[e048]

My emerald does like to hog the nori though