Bad boy in the tank

[micki]

I have a predator in my tank!  Several of the zoas on one side of my tank looked terrible.  Part of them look like something came in and chopped them up and the rest are closed up!  The other side of my tank looks fine at least for now.  My little girl mandarin is missing as well.      I have a large coral banded shrimp with big claws but I don't know if they touch zoas or fish.  I also have 2 urchins that poped up from somewhere unexpectedly.  I don't know that either of these are the culprit but something is doing some majopr damage!   

Any ideas???

[bigfalcon36]

set up a camcorder on the side of the tank where the damage is done.  the attacker always goes back to the scene of the crime

[scott wilson]

did this happen over night or were they closed up for a few days and then some got chewed up?

[micki]

set up a camcorder on the side of the tank where the damage is done.  the attacker always goes back to the scene of the crime

I don't have a camcorder.    It would be fun to do though. 

[micki]

did this happen over night or were they closed up for a few days and then some got chewed up?

  I noticed it a few days ago.  I don't think they were closed up before this started happening.  The tank hasnt gotten as much attention as it deserves lately though. 

[bsinger]

What has been added to the tank? 

[slandis3]

Do you have an arrow crab? If so they have been seen chopping zoes into little peices

[Secondgen]

I don't think urchins eat zoas do they?

[micki]

I haven't added anything to the tank for months. 

I don't have an arrow crab that I'm aware of.  (I didn't have urchins that I knew of until 2 years later   ) 

I didn't think urchins botheres zoas, but a friend of mine got some zoas and his urchin wouldn't stay off ofthem.  He asked someone else and they said they have heard of urchins eating zoas which is what made me wonder about mine.

[verper]

Could be you've had the predator all along.  It's just gotten big enough or hungry enough to find something else to eat!

[micki]

Or it could be my big hippo tang???  I just caught here chowing down on some zoas!   

[slandis3]

my blue has never messed with any of my zoas but hes only the size of a quarter

[micki]

Mine started out the size of a quarter 2 1/2 years ago.    I've been neglecting them lately. I'm sure they haven't had as much to eat as normal.  I need to beef up the feedings and see if it stops her from eating them. 

[Charlie]

Usually once they get a taste for corals it's to late. Really if you think about it what do you do when you have a variety pack of munchies on the table and walk by them all day?

[scott wilson]

In my tanks the tangs just clean up the dead tissue.   If I get  bunch of zoos in and some patches die from being smashed in shipping the yellow tang will clean those spots clean down to the rock but leave the healthy polyps alone.
Scott

[micki]

I'm out of frozen food and they've only gotten flakes and pelletts for the past month. I guess she is making it known that she doesn't like what I'm giving her.  I hope she will go back to her "good" ways when I get some frozen food.  If not...  Well, I'm not sure what I'll do.