Wtf!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FNG44601

Reefing newb
I get home today and the damn Xenia's I've been asking you guys about are GONE!!!! just a small clump of the base and a few extensions (which seem to be pulsing btw) My question is who's the culprit?!?! Current residents are 1 clown, 1 Banggai Cardinal, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Porcupine puffer, 1 pygmy angel,2 one inch damsels, and a green chromis. Turbos, one 3-4 inch Coral Banded Shrimp, and one cock diesel Emerald Crab (my main suspect) I also have a huge snail maybe 2-3 inches- not sure of the species. My other corals are fine, so something had a taste for Xenia!!! Who gets voted off the island?

And what should I do about the remains? scrap em or kind of just let it play out? Water change day will be tomorrow so I can do some more investigation.
 
definitely wouldn't want a coral banded shrimp they will kill all other crabs and shrimps. had one kept killin my cleaner shrimp
 
Maybe no one did it. Xenia are famous for just disintegrating out of nowhere. It seems to happen to about half the people that keep them. Including in my old 55 gallon tank.
 
puffers eat coral, they love it. What kind of angelfish do you have? certain species LOVE coral, even the pygmy ones. Seems like you have one of three options from the wisdom posted. 1) puffer (good chance), 2) pygmy angel (good chance), 3) died on its own.

If you watch your fish for a time, the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime to keep snacking on what is left. Also, xenia are reallt sensitive to phospahtes. If you have even a small trace, they will wilt and die. A change in salinity will also cause them to wilt. they are a testy little coral sometimes

-Doc
 
Yes to the last two posts...I had xenia thrive in my tank for over a year, then one day it just...didn't. Three very impressive stalks silted away in less than two days. What was left, we put in my wife's tank.

What's interesting about it is that everything else was fine, and all of my parameters were completely normal.
 
Well just finished my stake out- Seems the Emerald Crab a)is joining in after i it died or b) is returning to scene of the crime- But the way they've disappeared with nothing remaining in the tank- seems creepy!

Amazingly enough- I haven't had any problems with the puffer here. The usual collateral damage to a snail or two here- and that's maybe twice a month- other than that, he's a model citizen.

The pygmy angel- I will have to watch, I noticed he has an affinity for my flowerpot- only witnessed that once.

But the Emerald crab is probably 2 inches across- and I've seen him go at Everything in the tank sooner or later.
 
Xenias do tend to die on thier own like that but i also would say there is a better chance it was the puffer or angel.Normally if they are going to die they shrink down first.
 
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i had a em. crab...eat two heads before i got home from work and when i got home he was sitting there just eating away.....my thoughts, crush the little s.o.b... thats my guess b/c i had one do the same thing
 
Another reason why I don't emeralds.I might be getting one in my new fuge?!! though,becuase they are cool.
 
I have to agree with an earlier post by UnderwaterWorld that since you only have a 60G tank i wouldnt have a tang in there ... on the xenia deal everyone else has it covered pretty well ... i happen to have xenia in my tank along with hermit crabs, tangs and even a big sally lightfoot and no problems ... as a matter of fact it grows like a damn weed ... i think Biff has that same weed problem to since she frags hers
 
Yeah my xenia grows like crazy. Up until recently, I'd cultivate it and sell it back to the LFS for store credit. I haven't pruned it in a while, and it's out of control.
 
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