Something's dragging my corals around

[MbmC]

The last few days I've had my 4" rock of zoas, my 3" suncoral, and my 5" GSPs dragged from the front of my tank, to the back of my tank, 2' away, and deposited into a crevice/hole.

What can possibly be doing that? I've got the usual reef fish, gobies, turban snails, 2 seahares, 2 sally light feet crabs, and at least 1 nuisance crab, 2 sand dollars, 1 sand sifter. Can't imagine what could be doing this.

Worms?

[vt_snowman87]

can drag a 5" coral.. seem big bro.. are ur corals all on sandbed..?

pray its not a bobbit worm.. mine used to drag corals to cover its cave entrance..

[ReDDeviLs]

i got experince with pistol shrimps that do that..

but ur corals seems big and heavy.

[andyboss]

hmm, have u been wanting to do a rescape? and u happen to do it unconsiously @ night - parasomnia ? ok sorry, juz joking heez

Anyway even my dragon wrasse cant move a 5 inch rock!!

& it sounds pretty creeeeepy......

[raydiative]

had experience with pistol shrimp as well... but it's gonna take a HUGE one to shift ur corals!

[TayHongSiang]

had experience with pistol shrimp as well... but it's gonna take a HUGE one to shift ur corals!

Most likely crabs...my star polyps got shifted a few times. They are quite strong.

[thomas_lim]

Can be a crab. I had 1 which is now nearly 2", it look like those black crab we eat. It come out only after lights are out and very difficult to spot.

Still trying to kill it... been trying for nearly a year... coz need to wake up in the middle of the night to hunt for it.

[TayHongSiang]

Can be a crab. I had 1 which is now nearly 2", it look like those black crab we eat. It come out only after lights are out and very difficult to spot.

Still trying to kill it... been trying for nearly a year... coz need to wake up in the middle of the night to hunt for it.

Very difficult to catch these crabs...coz the minute u approach the tank, they hide inside the holes in the rocks.

But i am ok with them, coz they eat the wastes on the sandbed and on the rocks.

So long they dun become as big as sri lankan crabs, then have to cook them liao..haha..

[Hspirit]

The last few days I've had my 4" rock of zoas, my 3" suncoral, and my 5" GSPs dragged from the front of my tank, to the back of my tank, 2' away, and deposited into a crevice/hole.

What can possibly be doing that? I've got the usual reef fish, gobies, turban snails, 2 seahares, 2 sally light feet crabs, and at least 1 nuisance crab, 2 sand dollars, 1 sand sifter. Can't imagine what could be doing this.

Worms?

Quite Sure it's crab. Mine gonio was moved about 15mm from the original position. I saw a hairy crab with body size measuring abt 20mm near it in a particular nite.

[thomas_lim]

Very difficult to catch these crabs...coz the minute u approach the tank, they hide inside the holes in the rocks.

But i am ok with them, coz they eat the wastes on the sandbed and on the rocks.

So long they dun become as big as sri lankan crabs, then have to cook them liao..haha..

In fact i gave up catching the fellow liao. It seem to have stop the destruction lately. But had been feeding on my coraline algae.. in fact all algaes on the rock. BUt then the rock is getting trimmed at the same time and getting smaller in the area the fellow is "pinching".

I hope it doesn't become the Sri Lanka type thou.

[MbmC]

Hmm...

I've got 2 culprits then.

2 Hairy crabs and 1 pistol shrimp in my tank. Could be anyone of them

My corals some on sandbed. This bugger seems to be trying to cover up it's cave. Possibly the pistol shrimp then, coz it's made it's home at the back of my rocks.

The rock of zoas 4-5" big, but quite light, porous rock. But the suncoral is solid rock leh, rather heavy.

Just hope it's not a bobbitt worm then...

[MachoMarlin]

So you have a Sand Dollar or Sea Cucumber? They are very good movers too!

Sand Dollars often piggy back my Sun, until I got fedup and place it on a LR, instead.

[ambystoma82]

maybe u got a chiton?

they are extremely hard shell n persistance in e direction they move n feeds on coraline algae..

r u sure it place all ur corals together ?

[MbmC]

Don't think I have a chiton.

I have abalones though.

Sand dollars can piggyback stuff, but not the way these corals are deposited. They actually have to climb a crest in my rockscape before the cave.

[vt_snowman87]

try peeking around witha torchlight at night bro, should get lucky and find the culprit..

[ming69]

Can be a crab. I had 1 which is now nearly 2", it look like those black crab we eat. It come out only after lights are out and very difficult to spot.

Still trying to kill it... been trying for nearly a year... coz need to wake up in the middle of the night to hunt for it.

I had one of those before. But I was lucky cos, it moved to a rock which was easily removed at the top of the rock scape, and I spotted it. Rock was removed with the crab inside. hehehe

I knew a reefer who had a crab that moved quite a few of his priced zoas to the back of the tank. Kinda like trying to decorate its cave.

[MachoMarlin]

I had one of those before. But I was lucky cos, it moved to a rock which was easily removed at the top of the rock scape, and I spotted it. Rock was removed with the crab inside. hehehe

I knew a reefer who had a crab that moved quite a few of his priced zoas to the back of the tank. Kinda like trying to decorate its cave.

That's a smart fella! Interior home deco!

[thomas_lim]

I had one of those before. But I was lucky cos, it moved to a rock which was easily removed at the top of the rock scape, and I spotted it. Rock was removed with the crab inside. hehehe

I knew a reefer who had a crab that moved quite a few of his priced zoas to the back of the tank. Kinda like trying to decorate its cave.

In fact, this is the 2nd one.

The first one was a greyish crab almost the same size. He was too busy "decorating" his home and trapped itself in his home. I just use my paring knife and stabbed to death..

[MbmC]

I had one of those before. But I was lucky cos, it moved to a rock which was easily removed at the top of the rock scape, and I spotted it. Rock was removed with the crab inside. hehehe

I knew a reefer who had a crab that moved quite a few of his priced zoas to the back of the tank. Kinda like trying to decorate its cave.

Hmm...that's exactly like what happened to me! That colony, which is now broken into 2, was my favourite zoas!!!

[ambystoma82]

omg u stab e crab lolx...

[MbmC]

Just found the pest.

A 3.5" giant orange hairy crab that just ate up my starfish.

How do I catch this bugger? I'm thinking of catching it with crab traps sold in fishing shops...