Something ate my Toadstools!!

[LSD_Zeppelin]

Okay I have had two toadstools in this 120 gal system that I have been running for a while now. It is at an office building so I don't get to keep an eye on it all the time, but I had two toadstools in it for about 1 1/2 years and all of a sudden something started eating it. One of them was about 12" across, now its a stump. People around the office say they saw the longspined urchin eating it, but I'm not sure if it was eating it or just crawling on it. There is also a lemonpeel angle and a purple tang, and a few hitchhiker crabs that may be the culprit, any ideas?

 

[xcreonx]

The urchin is most likely not the culprit. I would look for sarcophyton-eating nudibranchs. They are very well camoflagued against the leathers skin and will devour it. Perhaps?

 

[Nagel]

If you havent added anything in a while, chances are slim its the nudibranches. Its possible, but they would have started eating it from day one and you would have notice I would think (I've had them and seen their damage ability).

Better question. You say its in an office, and you don't check on it often. Do the people in the office feed it DAILY? I have PERSONALLY seen tangs that were "slightly underfed" decide to sample leathers, and they seemed to like the toadstools. The tangs I have seen doing this include Powder Blue, Purple, Vlamingi, Desjardinii and Sohal. Others may do it too, but I've watched these guys nip leathers (again, that depends on food, once they were being fed more, they ignored the toadstools, and they regrew from the base)

just my .o2