peppermint shrimp?

[Marshall1385]

Ok so I have question.... A couple of weeks ago I noticed a frag disk that had my nuke greens was pulled into a crack on the rocks, so went to fix it and it was completely cleaned off and ate. Then a couple of days ago I noticed some one of my mushrooms was missing and found it in a cave around the crack mentioned above. And finally yesterday I found some green palys in that same cave. After lights had been out for a couple of hours I hit up the tank with a flashlight and saw the peppermint shrimp hangin out in that area.

So my question... has anyone ever had/heard of them eating zoas/palys or do I possibly have something else on the loose?

 

[AJSTITAN14]

Probably something else. I have heard rumors of Eunicid worms eating Zoas. They are extremely shy and nocturnal so it would not surprise me if you have never seen it if you have one.

I don't think Peps have the desire or main strength to move frags around like that. Eunicid worms on the other hand can drag big chunks of rock around easily.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

It could also be a xanthid crab. I had one years ago that would steal frags to shore up the entrance to it's burrow in the rock. Very annoying!

 

[AJSTITAN14]

This morning I asked Dr.Shimek about Eunicid worms eating Zoas and he said that a small number of Eunicid worm species found in aquariums definitely do eat healthy Zoanthids.

If you see little bits of rubble or shells glued onto larger pieces of live rock this can be a sign that a Eunicid worm is fortifying its burrows.

 

[Marshall1385]

AJSTITAN14 - I haven't seen any shells or anything stuck to any larger rocks, so I'm gonna (be hopeful) and assume thats not it...

on the other hand, like Sugar Magnolia said, I have noticed a place where the frag rock the nukes were on has been holed up with that and a couple of other pieces or larger rubble. How did you end up catching the xanthid crab?

 

[Marshall1385]

So, I have caught what I believe to be the culprit of my zoas coming up missing. I was doing a water change and decided to pull out a rock where I had seen some of my zoas/mushrooms and found these holed up in it....

any ideas on what kind?

 

[AJSTITAN14]

Doh not 1 but 2 crabs. Obviously not reef safe if things have gone missing.

 

[Marshall1385]

haha no doubt. they went straight for the sump for now