Death of Fire goby - Attack by bristle worm??

[nicholas_yeo]

Guys, ran into a problem today. Just got myself a fire goby yesterday. It was doing great acclimating to the tank and swam peacefully into the rockworks. Today morning it end up shredded. Found it near a birstle worm hole.

Can a bristle worm attack the goby???

Also, I came back from an oversea trip last wk and can no longer find my sally lightfoot crab and fire shrimp.

my livestock consist of 1 yellow tang, 2 clown fish, 1 green chromis, 2 cleaner shrimp shrimp now. My yellow tang always swim in the rockwork; dun seen to be attack by anything.

I am worry now that 'some predator' has attached the goby and also cause my shrimp / crab to be missing. Could be a hitch hiker .... hope it is not a mantis shrimp... but so far, I didn't see anything except the bristle worms.

I intend to setup a trap to see if I can 'catch' it. Secondly, getting a six line wrasse may help provided it dun get eaten first.

Any ideas or suggestion that can help in searching for the 'ripper'

[hotlemond]

Bristtleworm dun attack a goby unless the fish is death or dying. I had similar LS as you and nothing happens to them.

Is your crab and shrimp molting thats why you dun see them. Sometimes they can hide up for days during the molting period.

have you tried hearing for clicking sound of a mantis?

[35Cents]

Hi Nic,

Sorry for your lose. Judging from the way u described the happening, I believe the goby died of other causes other than predators in tank. A fish in a new envoirment is extremely paranoid and its unlikely a bristle worm can take it out easily. Perhaps it died of stress and had been "vultured" by other inhabitants (including the bristle) prior to your discovery this morning.... hence it looked like its been brutally assaulted. Of course I may be wrong... but I believe u rather want the latter case.

[nicholas_yeo]

hmm.... I hope so too. But my sallylight foot crab has always been active, scraping the rocks here and there. Didn't see him for the last few days... he is a jolly big size crab... unless he is the predator.... still have to appear sometimes....

But this fire goby 'appear' to be acclimating well. No sign of quick breathing and swimming. It just swim slowly into the rockworks and next day turn out into pieces... sigh....

So sad.... not much luck with fire gobies...

I dun think it is a mantis shrimp.... no clicking sound....

will try to bait it this wk... see If I can narrow the problem first...

[diabolus]

if it was a mantis, then you wont see any remains of the fire goby other than the head.

a fireworm,unless its huge, will not attack a healthy fish.