Something ate my frogspawn

[smdoty]

Is it possible for a brittle star to eat a frogspawn? I bought a small frag today and have been watching it on and off all night. It looked healthy. Went back to check on it before bed and it had just vanished. No sign of it or the bit of rock that it was on. I am suspicious that the brittle star ate it, as it was right underneath of where I placed the frogspawn. I have a couple of small hermit crabs and a couple of peppermint shrimp, but wouldn't they take a while to eat something like that?

 

[JustinsReefTank]

Check all around tank. Might just have fallin off rock it was glued to. Just my opinion

 

[smdoty]

I have looked everywhere. It was like 1/2-3/4 inch in diameter and completely vanished in like 10 minutes time. I am so mad. I literally just bought the damned thing today and it looked happy. :(

 

[Amba]

Did it get sucked up in a powerhead? Fall behind a rock?

 

[smdoty]

I don't have any powerheads and I took some of the rock out to get a better peek. It has vanished without a trace. I feed the tank well, so I can't imagine that anything in there was so hungry that they ate it. Maybe the peppermints did it? I'm thinking about getting rid of the star and the peppermints both just to be safe. I got the peppermints to eat aiptasia, which they did.

PS: They definitely aren't camel shrimp.

 

[marcah]

it definately wouldnt be the first time I have heard of a peppermint doing that.. That is one of the problems with them and why I wont put them in one of my tanks.. Just not worth the chance..

 

[BL1]

Are you sure it's a peppermint shrimp and not a camel shrimp?

On another note, you NEED powerheads in marine tanks, you should have at least one if not 2+

 

[JustinsReefTank]

+1 Bl. You really need power heads. Otherwise your in for some trouble.

 

[Old_Moe]

I had my peppermint shrimp go after my frogspawn as soon as I put it in the tank. Took chuncks out of the flesh part, never moved the entire frag though. I thought the frogspawn was a gonner, but I kept it in the tank and it is now slowly coming back to life ( After 2 months of recovery ).

I now feed the peppermints before I put anything new in the tank, to distract them alittle bit. Seems to work.

 

[bjohanson1234]

When you say it vanished, are you talking about the entire coral? Skeleton included, or just the polyp?

If the entire skeleton is missing, then it probably fell behind the rock work. If it is just they polyp missing, is it anywhere near a more aggressive coral? I had 4 head acan disappear overnight because something had knocked another, more aggressive, coral ontop of it. Basically, the other coral ate the acan.

Also, water quality can be an issue as to why a coral will suddenly disappear.
What are your levels at?

pH
Phosphate
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Salinity
Temp

Are they stable?

 

[smdoty]

It was sitting on a flat spot on a rock by itself. I moved rocks to check for it having fallen. I removed it from the plug it was on, so the polyp and the skeleton, as well as a pebble the skeleton was attached to that had been glued to the plug have all vanished. It dissappeared from being untouched to gone without a trace in under 20 minutes. Right after I noticed it missing my brittle star was under the rock. The coral looked healthy before it went missing.

Params are stable.
pH 8.1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
Salinity 1.028 (according to hydrometer)
Phosphate - <.25
Temp 78.5

My xenia are thriving. Fish and cuc too.

I moved the rock work all around it looking for it. Is it possible a snail knocked it down and the brittle star had an expensive snack? The peppermints would have left remains right? They are definitely not camel shrimp. The frag is gone all together. No skeleton, no remains. Like I never even had it.

 

[bjohanson1234]

The frag is in there somewhere. The star, if it had eaten the coral, would have left the skeleton. Nothing would have eaten the entire thing.

 

[smdoty]

I have rearranged all the rocks looking for it and can't find any signs of it. I suppose the skeleton must have disappeared into the crushed coral substrate (which btw, will be gone by the end of the summer). This has been a disheartening experience to say the least. Although, it is my first negative experience in the hobby. It's the only thing I've had die except a handful of snails that have either fallen over or been murdered by house-hunting hermits. I will be getting a powerhead, however, I seem to be getting decent flow in the top of my tank. I just have low flow at the bottom of the tank. My xenias are very happy.

 

[FishyReef]

In case you're interested, Drs Foster-Smith has koralia evolution powerheads on sale right now :)

And I am sorry to hear about your frogspawn :( Any chance it could have fallen inside a rock crevice?

 

[smdoty]

The frogspawn's skeleton turned up today. Is there any chance there is some life left in it or should I throw it in the trash?

 

[Old_Moe]

I was about to toss mine too, but I kept it in the tank.. never moved it.. and 2 months later there are signs of life. It will not hurt your tank to keep it in there... sounds like you need to glue to to a big 'ol rock and let it sit. if not, you toss it in a couple of months.

 

[Amba]

I would leave it. You'd be surprised what can re grow from nearly nothing.

 

[smdoty]

I glued the skeleton of this frogspawn to a rock and over the past week or so I have started to notice a little bit of growth. It is tiny, but hopefully it will come out of it. It sort of glows in the actinic after the other lights are turned off.

 

[FishyReef]

That's awesome! I hope it comes back for you!!

 

[symon_say]

Hope it come back, mine felt the other day and i didn't have the time to look for it, and it was about 4 days upside down between some rocks, and when i took it out and put it back to were it was it open in just a few minutes, is one of the nicest corals i have seen.