Acan help needed

[ThunderGoose]

On March 17 I added a Candy Stripe Acan. This evening I noticed it appears to have been chewed on - you can see some of the damage at the bottom part of the coral.

I did dip when I added this coral (always do). I didn't see anything on the plug. The only pest hitchhiker that I'm aware of are a few vermetid snails.

Livestock includes a snapping shrimp, a peppermint shrimp, a skunk cleaner and a few very small hermits (red legged and zebras), plus a mix of snails, two clownfish and, maybe, a watchman goby (hasn't been seen in two weeks, since about 1 week after added to tank).

This is a 50 gallon RedSeaReefer 250 with the following water parameters:
salt 1.026
temperature 80
pH 7.88
ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all zero
alk 8
calcium ~500
Mg 1320
phosphate 56 ppb

Any ideas? Do you think the hermits are the problem? They haven't bothered any other corals in the tank (and my husband really likes the zebra hermits - he wants us to get some more of them so I really hope it's not them). Some hitchhiker that I haven't discovered yet? A disease? Low nitrate? High phosphate?

Please help!

 

[Beerman]

I don't think it's hermits. What lights do you have?

 

[ThunderGoose]

Sorry I didn't get back to you soon, yesterday was crazy. My lights are the cheapies but (thanks to tax return) today my new lights are scheduled to arrive - 2 EcoTech Marine SR15 pros.

And, of course, I was panicking when I saw the shrinkage. Yesterday evening when I looked in the tank it looked back to normal. Sooooo... Not something eating it. I'm finding a lot of things that worry me are just normal behaviors and if I would give them times the corals and animals turn out to be fine. (Four months into reefing and still on the steep part of the learning curve).

 

[Zack K]

I will reinstate to everyone. Peppermint Shrimp like LPS Coral. Euphyillia in particular but also will eat fungia and Acans. Just keep on eye one him[emoji6] Good luck!

 

[ALs FLorida Corals]

Yep sometimes people sell camel shrimps as peppermint

 

[ahiggins]

I will reinstate to everyone. Peppermint Shrimp like LPS Coral. Euphyillia in particular but also will eat fungia and Acans. Just keep on eye one him[emoji6] Good luck!

agreed but your acan doesnt look chewed on. It looks like its not getting nutrients (in the form of the right light or food) and its shriveling up. What you see-the bumpy part around the fleshy head in the left head is skeleton from receding tissue. It wouldnt be uniform if something was nibbling.
While Ive never seen first hand a shrimp go after my lps/hammer, Ive definitely seen them picking inside their mouth at feeding time to get at the food (its why I dont have shrimp anymore lol) and theyre rough!