OrangeTail filefish, did he do it?

[SecretiveFish]

So yesterday I peek into my tank to see half of a sandsifting starfish (other half is missing). After the initial OMG, we are trying to figure out what could have done this.

Tank occupants include the following:
- OrangeTail filefish
- Coral beauty
- False percula clownfish
- Mandarin
- Dusky Blenny
- Cleaner Shrimp
- Peppermint Shrimp
- Mushrooms/Leathers/Xenia/Frogspawn and a fungia
- Astrea snails, nassarius snails, hermit crabs
- A few very large brislte worms (>4 inches) that apparently came in the live rock

So I am wondering if the filefish did this? We saw him eat some zoanthids which we promptly moved and he is the suspect in a clam death (clam was great, no gaping, fully extended then 12 hours later dead!). Or is there something else in my tank hiding in the live rock???

 

[Recty]

I wouldnt think a orangetail would bother a starfish at all. I've never personally kept one, but I have quite a few friends with reef tanks who keep them and the only thing in their tanks that they nip on is the corals and even that isnt too bad.

They just dont seem like the type of fish to even bother a starfish, much less eat an entire half. They dont have ripping/tearing type mouths, I'm not sure how one would even begin to eat half a starfish. I'd say there is some other culprit in your tank.

 

[zooty]

the shrimp and bristleworms did it after the starfish died.
You need a fairly large and well established sandbed to keep them alive

 

[SecretiveFish]

The thing is that we have had the starfish less than one week, and the half that is left is still crawling around. It is kind of creepy.

 

[cside]

I think what you mean by 'half' is that it lost half of its legs. starfish regrow their legs. It was most likely the pep shrimp. if they dont get enough food, they will go after the rest of your cuc.