Crab eat my Duncan?

[schr25]

Just got this Duncan yesterday, is it mad about the sand or did one of my crabs start eating it? The base was all green now has a black spot and bare/not green spot. It also has some weird stringy stuff coming out of the top. It opened up good yesterday but is definitely struggling today. I have two emeralds and a Halloween hermit crab. Both the hermit crab and emerald were hovering and digging near its base shortly after it got put in. I was hoping they weren’t eating it but it seems they may of. Very new to saltwater and corals so I need help to determine if it is the crabs or if it doesn’t like the sand? Please help :)

 

[logibear]

Always possible but not likely that they started eating it that quickly imo. Much more likely that it is acclimating to your water/lighting and isn’t happy yet.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

It could be the crabs, but unless you saw it happening its just a guess. But eaten in just the first day is too much of a coincidence IMO

It could be a hundred other things related to a new tank/new hobbyist. It could be parameters or lighting or flow. Its never easy to figure out why a coral is dead or dying, but if you can share more details about your tank then maybe folks can make better guesses.

 

[schr25]

Tank is a 20 gallon hexagon. Awkward saltwater tank…

Lighting is one ai prime and for flow I have a Nero 3.

There is also an aqua clear 70 filter.

The Nero is set to random with a min speed of 10 and max of 20%.

I can post my lighting settings if that’s helpful, I have kind of struggled to understand them, I really need to invest in a PAR meter I think.

Water change done this past weekend. I try to do it every 1 to 2 weeks.

Parameters are:

Salinity: 35
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.05
Nitrate: 10
Ph: 8
Alkalinity: 6.7
Calcium: 450
Mag.: 1290
Phosphate: 0.1

I also just had to buy some new salt because I believe I didn’t store mine correctly and stuff got messed up, my fresh saltwater was testing out like 3 something for alk. But that was before these corals, figured I would mention it since my alk is slightly low.

Also should add I have a camel shrimp.. Im pretty sure it destroyed my zoa I just got yesterday, I watched it on top of it, and now it’s almost completely gone. And I just watched it get on the Duncan. I threw in some food and he got off. Also the stringy stuff coming out of the Duncan seems to have pieces of it. Little bright green chunks in the slime.

 

[schr25]

Tank is a 20 gallon hexagon. Awkward saltwater tank…

Lighting is one ai prime and for flow I have a Nero 3.

There is also an aqua clear 70 filter.

The Nero is set to random with a min speed of 10 and max of 20%.

I can post my lighting settings if that’s helpful, I have kind of struggled to understand them, I really need to invest in a PAR meter I think.

Water change done this past weekend. I try to do it every 1 to 2 weeks.

Parameters are:

Salinity: 35
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.05
Nitrate: 10
Ph: 8
Alkalinity: 6.7
Calcium: 450
Mag.: 1290
Phosphate: 0.1

I also just had to buy some new salt because I believe I didn’t store mine correctly and stuff got messed up, my fresh saltwater was testing out like 3 something for alk. But that was before these corals, figured I would mention it since my alk is slightly low.

Also should add I have a camel shrimp.. Im pretty sure it destroyed my zoa I just got yesterday, I watched it on top of it, and now it’s almost completely gone. And I just watched it get on the Duncan. I threw in some food and he got off. Also the stringy stuff coming out of the Duncan seems to have pieces of it. Little bright green chunks in the slime.

updated picture from today (4/21)


I was running stronger settings but I was having green algae issues on my glass so I turned them down (before the corals) I have been slowly working towards longer hours of the light being on too.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

IMO the settings are low, I have AI Prime on my 15 gallon softie tank, mostly mushrooms and zoa's, set at 85%. (On another note - the looks of your clean sand shows your tank as a new tank, it will go through several algae stages for the next few months until, its called 'new tank syndrome' or 'the ugly stage'. If you turn the lights down enough that algae doesn't grow, then corals won't grow either, they both need the same light. Better to let the algae grow and the tank mature IMO)

But light issue would not do that overnight to a coral anyway. Camel shrimps are not reef safe, that would be my bet as the culprit.

 

[dloberry]

My Duncan took almost a week before it slowly began to open. Give it some time, unlikely crabs ate it

 

[schr25]

IMO the settings are low, I have AI Prime on my 15 gallon softie tank, mostly mushrooms and zoa's, set at 85%. (On another note - the looks of your clean sand shows your tank as a new tank, it will go through several algae stages for the next few months until, its called 'new tank syndrome' or 'the ugly stage'. If you turn the lights down enough that algae doesn't grow, then corals won't grow either, they both need the same light. Better to let the algae grow and the tank mature IMO)

But light issue would not do that overnight to a coral anyway. Camel shrimps are not reef safe, that would be my bet as the culprit.

Okay! Thank you. I’m going to have to rehome the shrimp. What do you think I should have the light settings at? I don’t love a dark blue look I like a bit of white in there so I can see the fish better:) Also if I get the shrimp out will the coral come back or is it too far gone?