All four emerald crabs missing or dead :-(

[avery155]

So after not seeing my four emerald crabs for a few weeks I got a lil worried. I started looking around the tank and all I could find was two top part of their body and one claw. Last I saw one was about two weeks ago but he never moved and was out in the open I thought it was a molt but now I think mysteriously all of them have died. I also had a dart fish go missing about a month ago. I'm not sure if he got stuck under a rock while i was aquascaping it ify goby burrows him alive but his brother is still happily alive.

My only thoughts are. My salinity was a little high 1.30. I think that is why ally zoas are closed up for the last few days. And the temp was 80.2 f. So I know something is off because my zoas haven't opened. All other fish and corals are doing great. So is my BTA.

 

[Smitty]

Your salinity is a bit high, but not to the point where it will kill your inverts..inverts like higher salinity. Unless it went up high drastically/too sudden. And the temp is good. My tank temp has gone up to 88* before and my crabs lived. How do your nitrates look and do you think you may have any unknown pests (mantis shrimp) that may be killing stuff in your tank?

 

[yote]

Heard any poppin comin from the tank?

 

[avery155]

I'll check nitrates tonight. Only clicking I hear once in a while is what I thought was my hermit crabs hitting the glass. My zoas still haven't opened up today. Im going to do another water change again tonight.

 

[Dana42078]

If it happens to be a mantis and u can trap it, ill take it off your hands =)

 

[yote]

Have you looked at those zoas close? Give them a real good inspection and make sure there are no slugs on them.

 

[avery155]

I'll check for slugs I have noticed a ton if small white snails everywhere at night

 

[Melosu58]

I have a emerald crab that I have seen 3 times in the last year. Check your tank out at night time.

 

[Reefrookie]

+1 Mike, I see mine maybe every month or two> It's fun to see how much they have grown in that time!

 

[avery155]

Ok I scouted around with my flashlight. Noticed nothing on or crawling on the zoas. Other than some copepods. Which by the way I never realized how many I had. ( must resist urge to get mandarin). But anyway. Temp was 81.2 tonight I turned my heater down a bit. I think the tank temp has gone up a bit since I keep the house at 70 in winter and 68 in summer. Next I turkey based my zoas gently to clean off any gunk that might have landed on them.
I was unable to find my second fire fish today. Hope he was just hiding :-/.
I ran my water test and found out that my ammonia was sky high. This alarms me. Especially since I did a water change yesterday. I always add sea chem prime to my water changes and just put three capfuls in my tank 120 gal total volume.

After beating my head trying to think what I did wrong I think i figured it out. About two or three weeks ago I bought a large piece of live rock about 15 lb. When I put it in I rearranged everything in the tank. Including turkey basting the rocks and leveling out the sand dunes that my goby made. This must have caused a spike. Possibly causing the deaths of 4 crabs and 2 fishes :-/. And possibly my zoas If i can't get this ammonia down stat. Thankfully all other corals look good my bta looks good as well as my fish, shrimps, hermits and snails.

So now the battle is on. I feel like a horrible fishy father

 

[yote]

Double check that ammonia before doing anything drastic.If the ammonia was that high,you BTA would probably be the first to start going down hill,followed by the shrimp.