Need advice/opinions

[aliciatprince]

A little history - 25 gallon display tank with another 20 gallons in the sump, live rock and sand, protein skimmer, phosoban reactor - all set up in December. Cycled and added some cleaning crew. All did well. End of February added a clown pair and fell in love with this cool piece of rock in the store that was displayed separately from the other rock. It was full of feather dusters, some soft corals and sponges. Also had a tiny Caribbean rock anemone. Jump ahead. The rock anemometer is flourishing has at least doubled in size. Soft corals have grown and spread to surrounding rocks. Added a cocoa worm and a small yellow wrasse - everybody is happy.

Ok. Here's the problem. I added a small rose bubble tip. It settled in seemed fine, enjoying clown fish snuggles. I went on a long weekend trip. The owner of the store I use came to my house and checked/fed the tank while I was out. He saw the rose tip on Sunday night. I got home Monday evening and couldn't find it. The soft corals were closed tight none of the filter feeders were out. No ammonia or nitrates. Tuesday morning the shop owner came and helped me do a major water change and we picked up the rock the anemone was last seen on and found its remains. It wasn't melted it was still pink and fleshy. Just dead and "shredded" looking. Then my wrasse swims out and its tail is missing, obviously a fresh wound.

We removed an emerald crab thinking it may have stumbled upon the wrasse while he was sleeping in the sand. The wrasse appeared to be healing and this morning he's dead and not enough left to even fight the crabs for.

The store owner is at a loss and so am I. Ideas?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Have you heard any "clicking" noises coming from your tank? I'm thinking from your description that you might have a mantis shrimp. If not might have a really bad crab like a gorilla or rock crab, stone crab? Where did that rock come from that you bought. Come from as in what part of the world and body of water.

 

[aliciatprince]

Hmmm, how loud/obvious would that clicking be? Would there be any other signs?
I have a couple of hermit crabs and the aforementioned emerald.
The rock is Caribbean in origin- I believe.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Have you found any broken snail shells or hermit shells? The clicking will be obvious you'll hear it. GO take a read in the mantis forum here at RC. Might spark something

 

[ericarenee]

how long had it been between the last time you added something and this happened..
Either you added a Monster by accident or Well. I am not sure how to type what i am thinking without offending anyone..Seems there is one Common thing that changed From time you went on vacation and get home......

 

[aliciatprince]

Broken? No I don't think so. Had 2 hermits disappear but again blamed the emerald as I seen it jump on a hermit that had fallen from the rock and landed opening up. I used a feeder syringe to scare him off and let the hermit get on its belly.

 

[aliciatprince]

how long had it been between the last time you added something and this happened..
Either you added a Monster by accident or Well. I am not sure how to type what i am thinking without offending anyone..Seems there is one Common thing that changed From time you went on vacation and get home......

The last thing I added was the rose tip, about a month before the event. Prior to that I guess was the wrasse in April. The rocks have all been in there for a while, with the exception of the rock anemone rock they have been in since the tank set up. Anemone rock added February

 

[ericarenee]

OK .
I did not want to be the one to ask this.. First you can just have things go wrong quickly without a explanation..But one has to ask About the intentions of the person you had come over and check your tank while you were gone.I once Caught a Appliance repair person Breaking a connector on top the capacitor on our AC UNIT. When we had him here to service it.... His company said he was a Subcontractor and was going t be fired. but makes you wonder.
With that said i would check with some of there other service customers and ask him for logs of when he serviced your tank.Anytime i would work in someones home and them not there i took lots of pictures and Noted everything i done and exactly how long i was there. With that said its likely something beyond Control that Caused it.. But it seems like a big crash with no explanation.

 

[aliciatprince]

Need advice/opinions

I appreciate your question but I would bet money that Greg is on the up an up. Just to be transparent- he has a mini dachshund who I've befriended while in the store. Greg had a family emergency and called me to see if I would dogsit which I happily did and refused to be paid. Since then he has watched my tank when I'm gone twice. Helped me with the water change and given me new socks for my sump without charging me. So there was no financial gain for him.

 

[gone fishin]

I am not really up on my anemonae's. So I will just toss it out there. maybe the wrasse go into it with the anemonae and got its tail injured. I would be concerned to find out why the nem melted. I have heard stories of them wreaking havoc on a tank when they melt. Just my two cents worth.

 

[Marchillo]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion of sabotage. I think the store owner may be guilty of a little bad advice. The tank is small and probably not yet ready for an RTA. I don't know if that explains this issue though. Perhaps a hitchhiker causing a lot of havoc.

 

[aliciatprince]

The anemone didn't melt. And I know 6 months is early for an anemone but since the Caribbean rock anemone was flourishing I took a chance

 

[gone fishin]

My bad I misread your post.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Alicia,

You said that the nem looked like it was shredded not melted correct? I think we need to look for a hitchhiker on that new rock the nem came in on is where I was headed with my guess on this. The wrasse having his tail torn also fits in with a bad crab/ mantis shrimp.

I just recently had to put my emerald green crab in the sump for killing and eating two royal grammas. WHen these crabs get over an inch in body size they can and usually do go nutzo. But for something to shred the nem is very strange indeed

 

[cookie851]

I have had an anenome moved round and round and seem settled at times but he eventually disappeared and i haven't seen it for months. Ive always has emerald crabs and they've never been a problem, i think they get a bad rap! but i cant explain the wrasse, i would have to agree that there is a bad egg in the shape of a crab or similar doing the damage at night i would be tempted to watch the tank after lights out with a red light (i think thats what you use I cant remember) to see what happens.

 

[ericarenee]

I appreciate your question but I would bet money that Greg is on the up an up. Just to be transparent- he has a mini dachshund who I've befriended while in the store. Greg had a family emergency and called me to see if I would dogsit which I happily did and refused to be paid. Since then he has watched my tank when I'm gone twice. Helped me with the water change and given me new socks for my sump without charging me. So there was no financial gain for him.

That is good...I Could not imagine someone that owns a Local fish store not want to do what is best for Animals . but i do know that in some of the stores here locally they do not care. they just want to make a sale..
I was not really implying he did something. Just thought i was ask if it was a possibility. .

It Could be that you have too much going on in that size of a tank and something crashed. or there is a Rogue crab or something in there that just decided to take revenge..
I hope you get it sorted and Back on track..
Good Luck

 

[aliciatprince]

Well since the removal of an emerald crab that had gotten fairly large, easily well over an inch across, the tank has returned to peaceful. Some CUC members whom I hadn't seen in a while have re emerged from hiding and are very visible. Hopefully that was the problem

 

[Salty Cracker]

I just felt with a mantis shrimp. Started to hear it click at night and the little bugger took out a lot of hermits.