Help ID'ing New Suspect Fish

[jetman220]

Newer tank setup after a 10 year hiatus in reef life. Water parameters are great and coral, inverts are all doing well. However, after the addition of new live rock and one new fish (Pics attached) we woke up to a completely cleaned off polyp frag , no remains at all and a now missing cleaner shrimp with no remains or exoskeleton present anywhere. I thought the fish added was some sort of Basslet or Dottyback , but after the discovery this AM have begun to wonder if he is some sort of Wrasse? Might we have a hitchhiker bristle worm? Long spine urchin and Turbo Snails are fine, fan worms and many mushroom corals are seemingly undisturbed , but too many to tell. Only other fish in the aquarium are four Chromis and seven blue Damsels. The fish in question has a mostly white body with a violet hue and yellow stripe across its back. Approximately 2" long and 3/8" in diameter.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Might we have a hitchhiker bristle worm?

No idea about the fish, but bristleworms don't eat coral or kill fish/shrimp

 

[sc50964]

I think that’s a sunrise dotty back

 

[MoshJosh]

Looks like a Sunrise Dottyback, should be reef safe if I am not mistaken.

Can you highlight the corals that are missing? I am not seeing what corals you are referring too in the first 2 pictures.

 

[jetman220]

Looks like a Sunrise Dottyback, should be reef safe if I am not mistaken.

Can you highlight the corals that are missing? I am not seeing what corals you are referring too in the first 2 pictures.

MoshJosh, thank you for what I consider a positive ID on the fish, as suspected he's not the culprit.... The missing coral is not in any photo as it was a small polyp frag which was entirely eaten, nothing left but the blank white frag plug.

The coral pics I posted were mostly for reference that our water parameters are acceptable and life sustaining for everyone in the tank. Any ideas on what sort of live rock hitchhiker might eat polyps and a medium sized(2") cleaner shrimp?

 

[MoshJosh]

MoshJosh, thank you for what I consider a positive ID on the fish, as suspected he's not the culprit.... The missing coral is not in any photo as it was a small polyp frag which was entirely eaten, nothing left but the blank white frag plug.

The coral pics I posted were mostly for reference that our water parameters are acceptable and life sustaining for everyone in the tank. Any ideas on what sort of live rock hitchhiker might eat polyps and a medium sized(2") cleaner shrimp?

The frag was an SPS coral? In your first post you say the coral was gone, skeleton and all? I don't think any common hitchhiker would eat the skeleton. . .

Are you sure the frag did not become dislodge and fall is an obscure location?

 

[jetman220]

The frag was an SPS coral? In your first post you say the coral was gone, skeleton and all? I don't think any common hitchhiker would eat the skeleton. . .

Are you sure the frag did not become dislodge and fall is an obscure location?

No, the exoskeleton of the shrimp is gone in its entirety. The soft tissue of the polyps is striped from the plug, with just white plug and stony material remaining.

 

[jetman220]

Maybe my terminology is wrong, they were Zooanthid polyps....

 

[MoshJosh]

Zoas can become dislodged if newly glued to the plug, still worth checking (I currently have 2 zoa polyps that came loose from the fresh glue and are floating around in the current deciding where they are going to settle down).

Zoanthid eating sea spiders will eat zoas, not sure at what speed. I have also seen an emerald crab eat a zoa. Sure there are other things that will snack on them (probably some nudibrachs) but those are my first thoughts.

 

[00W]

These fish are becoming not so common anymore.
I had one for 4-5 years. Never touched a thing. Will munch on bristle worms. Like all dottys will bury itself in the sand.
Cool fish beautiful when mature and somewhat solitary. Mine hid all the time but won't ever cause any trouble.
Good find!
In a non mature tank,just get him to eat.
Those piglet damsels will make it hard for him.
Just a few thoughts.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agree on basslet which can be aggressive and needs hiding areas within tank. Its a Pseudochromis species and can get territorial. It is quite hardy making it easy to feed.