Help! Chupacabra-Tremor Dragging High End Coral Deep Into the Sand?(VIDEO)

[Speedys_Reef]

Hello Forum!

Long time reader first time poster. I have a weird one for you all. Over the last year every 3-4months my corals on the sand bed get barraged with attacks. Usually only one coral is targeted over the course of a few days. The mystery attacker drags the coral either mostly or completely under the sand. I cant say for certain that they get eaten as the damage from the sand and the force used to get them there is usually pretty bad. After a few days the coral either dies or the attacks suddenly stop only to repeat with a different coral 3-4months later.

My initial thought was bobbit worm, but the tank was started with dry rock and caribsea Fiji live sand and its been up for almost 3 years. If it is a bobbit worm I'm pretty surprised as I remove every incoming coral from its LFS frag plug, dip in Coral dip, as well as scrub or fill any little nooks and cranies on its skeleton with cyanoacrylic glue.

Curious what you all thinking of this mysterious attacker?

I was out of town recently and caught my first attack on video. These baby monitors have terrible resolution so my apologies for the not so great quality video. This attack lasted several hours eventually the scoly was rotated towards the rock and was 90% buried under the sand. This is a 3-4" scoly with a decently sized rock on the bottom as an anchor. So this was quiet a feat.

Tank Inhabitants
-2 Clowns
-Desjardini Tang
-Lyretail Anthias
-Fire Cleaner Shrimp
-Helfrichi Firefish
-Snails
-Clam and Corals

(VIDEO)

Thanks!

 

[KrisReef]

Caribsea Fiji quick sand right there!

 

[tautog83]

Should have used a net and just tried scooping all the sand around it as it was happening . Who even knows , I know I'd be scared to see what it is lol

 

[gingerchick87]

Holy crap that’s actually quite scary!! All of your rock was dry? Nothing live from anywhere? I’d definitely wait for the next attack and net around the coral and see if you can catch whatever it is. There’s no tunnel type shapes in the sand where said creature moves? Do corals all over the tank get attacked or in one area? I’m genuinely curious!!!

 

[Speedys_Reef]

Caribsea Fiji quick sand right there!

Haha no kidding that's what it looked like. I should of took a picture the scoly had sand packed deep into its skeleton on that side.

Should have used a net and just tried scooping all the sand around it as it was happening . Who even knows , I know I'd be scared to see what it is lol

I wish I was home when it happened I would love to know what I am up against or at least where it may be hiding.

Holy crap that’s actually quite scary!! All of your rock was dry? Nothing live from anywhere? I’d definitely wait for the next attack and net around the coral and see if you can catch whatever it is. There’s no tunnel type shapes in the sand where said creature moves? Do corals all over the tank get attacked or in one area? I’m genuinely curious!!!

Yes, the rock was from a tank I had 8 years ago been dry for 5 years. I bleached before using it on this tank almost 3 years ago. Only thing I used that was live was CarbiSea Fiji Pink. For the most part I seeded the tank myself with copepods, amphipods, and baby brittle stars. Other then that I added corals and made sure to remove as much unneeded skeleton as possible and fill any weird spot with glue as well as dip the every coral. I am not perfect the only pest I have that I know of is very small vermitid snails.

I have pukani rock which is very porous so there are tunnels everywhere, nothing obvious even under where the coral was. The last two attacks happened in this area. The first two attacks was on the opposite side of the tank.

 

[Speedys_Reef]

I am determined to figure this out. I have a bristle worm trap but I think it is too small for whatever this is so I made a bigger one last night using a hamster tube. I 3D printed some caps with cones on them emulating the bristle worm trap. I put it in the tank near the scoly with some shrimp inside and the camera pointed at it. After reviewing all the footage from last night nothing yet. I will keep trying.

 

[KrisReef]

I know a lot of goby fish will tunnel and their activity can incidentally move stuff. I wonder if your snails (cerith?) found something in the sand under the coral, or were having an underground Christmas Eve party that ended up causing all this?

 

[Sshannon]

Wow!

 

[Dolphin2409]

I know you’re sceptical on it but my money is on a bobbit/Eunice worm.
Following with interest

 

[redrager]

Following, if it's a bobbit im jealous

 

[Speedys_Reef]

Day 2: Call me impatient, but no activity on the trap. I have a camera on it 24hrs a day no movement other then my snails trying to get some of the bait. I don't want to foul the tank so I'm going to switch to afternoon/night time traps only. Let me correct my previous statement I feel like a bobbit worm is the most likely suspect. I would just love to know where I messed up and let one in. It must of started out as a very little guy years ago.

Does anyone know do bobbits eat constantly or do they eat every few days? Any tips on luring something like this out? I have dealt with worms in the past and I am usually sucessful on the first night. After some research it sounds like the worm generally wont leave its den so which ever rock it has made home will likely need to be removed and dealt with.

 

[Dolphin2409]

My experience with bobbit was that they definitely prefer coming out at night. After all the tank lights and house lights were out and room was in darkness I used a small torch with red light to see if anything was moving around. Within 5 minutes I was able to spot and ID him and his base

I have a thread about my journey and below is photo to whet your appetite.

 

[Utubereefer]

 

[Dodge Ram]

Did it just get religion. Dog gone it

 

[Speedys_Reef]

My experience with bobbit was that they definitely prefer coming out at night. After all the tank lights and house lights were out and room was in darkness I used a small torch with red light to see if anything was moving around. Within 5 minutes I was able to spot and ID him and his base

I have a thread about my journey and below is photo to whet your appetite.

I read through your adventure. I guess I could possibly be the sequel haha. I have read the soda water worked well for others as well. So I am definitely going to get some of that to have on stand by.

He still hasnt taken the bait. I read some other forums that these guys can also be more on the herbivore side only eating coral or meat every so often. I think I will try some Nori in the trap tonight. I need to find where its hiding. I dont lose a lot of snail honestly. So no decorated holes are standing out to me. I am buying a red light today to help with my search efforts.

 

[IKD]

I read through your adventure. I guess I could possibly be the sequel haha. I have read the soda water worked well for others as well. So I am definitely going to get some of that to have on stand by.

He still hasnt taken the bait. I read some other forums that these guys can also be more on the herbivore side only eating coral or meat every so often. I think I will try some Nori in the trap tonight. I need to find where its hiding. I dont lose a lot of snail honestly. So no decorated holes are standing out to me. I am buying a red light today to help with my search efforts.

Raw shrimp or mysis may also entice the

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Im also saying its a bobbit/eunice worm. They start their lives out pretty small and easy to miss but have voracious appetites and grow quickly. They could easily hide in a coral such as a scoly as a baby.

Another thing i would do is check the bottom of the scoly for a peanut worm. They borrow into the skeletons of coral on the sand and are quite strong for their size. They typically dont hurt the coral though.

 

[Dolphin2409]

I read through your adventure. I guess I could possibly be the sequel haha. I have read the soda water worked well for others as well. So I am definitely going to get some of that to have on stand by.

He still hasnt taken the bait. I read some other forums that these guys can also be more on the herbivore side only eating coral or meat every so often. I think I will try some Nori in the trap tonight. I need to find where its hiding. I dont lose a lot of snail honestly. So no decorated holes are standing out to me. I am buying a red light today to help with my search efforts.

Keep us all updated. Will be very interesting to see what it finally turns out to be

 

[DHill6]

My experience with bobbit was that they definitely prefer coming out at night. After all the tank lights and house lights were out and room was in darkness I used a small torch with red light to see if anything was moving around. Within 5 minutes I was able to spot and ID him and his base

I have a thread about my journey and below is photo to whet your appetite.

Oh I have been there and wish never to return! Lost a lot of expensive coral, Scoly and rhyzo were the favorite meals.

 

[Speedys_Reef]

Quick update:

I have been using raw shrimp as bait for most of the nights the night before last I tried Nori, which didnt attract anything.

This brings me to last night. I had my first activity at the trap. This thing must be insanely smart or I am giving it too much credit you be the judge. The lights went out at 10:30p. From this point on I am checking the tank with a red light every 30min to 1hr. I did see one very small worm about 1mm in diameter. I couldn't ID as it was so small and a few seconds after the red light touch it retreated, which I am a little disappointed in as I had hoped the red light would let me view without scaring the creaters of the night. Did I get the wrong light? Before I get to the rest of last night do bobbits reproduce in the home aquarium? Those who have defeated them did others smaller individuals pop up?

Now on to what happened. At 1:30a the trap started to move(sinking into the sand and rotating). I was still up so I went to see the tank and shined the light as fast as I could in the area where the trap was just incase it retreated. I examined the whole area but, unfortunately nothing was there. I waited, but nothing happened. At about 2:30a the trap started to rotate slowly and rock back and forth. After reviewing all the footage nothing showed itself the entire night. I am wondering if this thing can see the IR light from the baby monitor?

Something I found interesting was usually the trap has all my nassarius and bumble bee snails interested in it all night long, but when this thing is there it seems like most of them stayed far away. Once it left they all came back. Below is a video that had the most movement in a single go.



I think tonight I will try the same location, but will set the trap with the opening facing down in the sand. Any other ideas are welcomed.