Fish EATING anemones and corals: What do you think? Dead or Alive?
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- Thread starter revhtree
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Yes and the beautiful regal angle was only 1 minute in my tank....... Put it in after saving for 3 months (was only 14 at the time) and pow, swam around, met a damsel that said back off and it darted into my large carpet anemone....$150 snack for him...grrr
I lost a lawnmower blennie and a stripped blennie to my cup coral... watched it close up on "something" that happened to bounce around in the cup. Can't confirm it was really the fish, but the bouncing around and the fact that I never saw either one after that event, is quite incriminating!
I've also seen one of my larger scolys and my acanthophylia completely eat a hermit crab, shell and all.
I've also seen one of my larger scolys and my acanthophylia completely eat a hermit crab, shell and all.
aquariumworks
Community Member
Once had tube anemone eat a juvenile Koran angelfish
Other than the one I discussed above I think most were not in good shape to start with
Rhyzo eating a fish image via @JunioMC8704
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dennis romano
Valuable Member
Had a mini maxi eat a large blue devil. Found the tail sticking out of the nem's mouth.
Back in the late 90s, I had a beautiful green carpet that hosted 2 clarks. He was the size of a large pizza and my favorite inhabitant by far! I went to my lfs one weekend and picked up a box fish. He was so cute. After acclimation, I introduced him to the tank, opposite side of the nem. Immediately my female clark swam up to him, grabbed him by his horn and back-peddled towards the anemone. I knew what was coming but I wasn't fast enough. She literally whipped him right into it! Knowing the box fish is poisonous I tried to rip it from the grip of the anemone. All I was thinking was I'm going to have a dead 12" diameter anemone polluting my tank very soon! Needless to say, the anemone wasn't giving up his meal and I barely got my hand back. I spent the next 36 hours watching, waiting for my anemone to die. Two days later I watched him regurgitate what looked like an exoskeleton of the cow fish. That was perhaps the most memorable event in my reefing career. Currently I have a maxi mini in a 40 breeder with 2 clowns, a mandarin, and a pj cardinal. Everyday I consider putting it in my sump before it takes out one of my fish!
rgulrich
Active Member
Here's a pic from 2008 of my Trachyphyllia at the time snacking on one of my then two clownfish. The other clown is still with me...and this one was replaced.
Expensive meal...
Cheers,
Ray
Expensive meal...
Cheers,
Ray
ThRoewer
Valuable Member
I had the reverse: a hungry mob of juvenile bicinctus killed and ate a tiger pistol shrimp I had parked with them for a while.
Happened last month at the beginning of the Brooklynella outbreak, a mere 3 months into my foray into reefing. I think clown succumbed and the plate was just in the right place at the right time. Shook my confidence, but cured me of my thinking this hobby isn't hard!
I released a damsel in my tank and in 3 seconds it swam into the BTA. Immediately died, was an expensive meal.
CMMorgan
Counting my blessings...
I used to have a tube anemone that we ultimately named Ursula. She had these enormous sweeper tentacles that spread out a solid 12" when the lights went off. One morning, I saw both of my firefish going down her gullet. It broke my heart because you could see the red sting marks across the sides where she caught them. She would eat hermits, snails, fish.... she was brutal.
I finally decided to have a battle of the titans. I put her in a tank along with a red hairy leg crab about the size of a baseball. They were both Apex predators and whomever survived got a JBJ 35 gallon nano all to itself. Crabzilla was my favorite little buddy for a few years after that. He lived to a nice old age and he'd knock on the glass when he wanted attention.
I finally decided to have a battle of the titans. I put her in a tank along with a red hairy leg crab about the size of a baseball. They were both Apex predators and whomever survived got a JBJ 35 gallon nano all to itself. Crabzilla was my favorite little buddy for a few years after that. He lived to a nice old age and he'd knock on the glass when he wanted attention.
Viva'sReef
Valuable Member
I remember when this happened. How is Paul? Anyone hear from him lately?From time to time we get a thread or photos showing an anemone or a coral eating a fish. Was the fish already dead or was the anemone just super hungry? Most of the time the fish has already perished and just get caught up in hungry tentacles! Let's talk about it today!
1. Have you ever had an anemone or coral that ate a fish that was still alive? Tell us about it.
2. Do you think that most "eaten fish" were dead or alive before the "consumption?"
Rhyzo eating a fish image via @JunioMC8704
After
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