what the heck is happening to my meteor shower coral

[iamahab]

Something keeps taking chunks out of my meteor shower. It's happened three times now.I caught a hermit crab chilling on it and later in the day I came home to massive chunks taken out of it.I removed the hermits I had in the tank and now all I have that could be doing it is a emerald crab. I'm pretty new to saltwater tanks and I'm lost here. I've brought this thing back from the brink two times and it was almost fully healed. This is maddening
Cal- 561
Phos 13 (I'm bringing that down with phosguard
Alk 9.9
I do not have current mag results.

 

[kittenbritches]

Oh man. Could you buy a shroom cage to keep it in for healing and observation? If it improves without other treatment or tank changes, someone was probably munching on it. If it continues to lose polyps and/or deteriorate, it's sick.

What other types of corals do you have and how are they doing?

 

[Jamesmost]

Looks like it is melting flesh away....
Is there a powerhead Blowing On it ?

 

[JNalley]

I've heard of Emerald Crabs eating whatever they can get their claws on once there is no more algae in the tank... But I agree with kittenbritches, put a cage over it and see if it improves or continues, that's the only way to know for sure without removing your emerald crab.

 

[Staghorn]

There’s a good chance that the hermit crab was just eating the flesh that’s deteriorating. Try and keep your parameters as stable as possible how are your other corals doing?

 

[iamahab]

Oh man. Could you buy a shroom cage to keep it in for healing and observation? If it improves without other treatment or tank changes, someone was probably munching on it. If it continues to lose polyps and/or deteriorate, it's sick.

What other types of corals do you have and how are they doing?

I have several zoa's and a frogspawn. I'm having a bit of a gha outbreak ( reef roids i'm guessing ) so some of the zoas have some on them but other than that they're good. I do not have a shroom cage but I do have a coral rack that I've put the meteor shower on.

 

[Supa]

Most emerald crabs have white blunted tips which makes them almost incapable of pinching and tearing off things if you look closely the tips are rounded (most of them if they aren’t rounded get rid of that emerald as it can do serious damage if it has the pointing tips) I would agree to the comment above that the emerald was probably getting the parts of the coral already dead and coming off. I watch my emerald crab like a hawk as it appears he always is trying to cause chaos to the coral. The only coral I’ve noticed my emerald crab destroyed is some clove polps in which he pinched the heads of and cause great damage.

 

[MaxTremors]

I’m guessing this is a water quality or lighting issue. Is your alkalinity stable? Are your phosphates are really 13 (are you sure it’s not 1.3 or 0.13 or 0.013)? Where are your nitrates? Your calcium is pretty high. Are you dosing anything? What kind of lighting do you have and where in the tank did you place it? This looks more like general tissue degradation/recession than it being eaten. Cyphastrea doesn’t like a lot of light (in fact they will do well almost completely shaded), anything over around 75 PAR can burn cyphastrea if it’s not VERY slowly acclimated.

 

[iamahab]

I put the meteor shower up on a rack away from the emerald crab or anything else that might have been chewing on it. It's not completely back to its former glory but it's better than what it was a month ago.

 

[TnFishwater98]

Something keeps taking chunks out of my meteor shower. It's happened three times now.I caught a hermit crab chilling on it and later in the day I came home to massive chunks taken out of it.I removed the hermits I had in the tank and now all I have that could be doing it is a emerald crab. I'm pretty new to saltwater tanks and I'm lost here. I've brought this thing back from the brink two times and it was almost fully healed. This is maddening
Cal- 561
Phos 13 (I'm bringing that down with phosguard
Alk 9.9
I do not have current mag results.

How old is your tank?

 

[Cell]

Looks like the coral is dying, but not from crabs.

 

[Rjramos]

I don’t think predation. Probably the high PO4.

 

[Supa]

Wow it’s Looking lot better now,

 

[iamahab]

Looks like the coral is dying, but not from crabs.

Looks like you didn't read my first post

 

[iamahab]

I don’t think predation. Probably the high PO4.

Phosphates are down but not perfect .04 and since I put it on the rack I've had no more issues (so far)

 

[iamahab]

How old is your tank?

8 months, evo 13.5

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Poor crabs...always the first ones blamed for any problems

 

[iamahab]

Poor crabs...always the first ones blamed for any problems

I moved my hermits to another tank so the emerald is the only suspect. I could blame the my clowns but that's sure to trigger someone

 

[Cell]

Looks like you didn't read my first post

I read it fully and the damage on the coral does not look like damage from a crab.

 

[iamahab]

I read it fully and the damage on the coral does not look like damage from a crab.

Fair enough.