What the heck???

[mcbdz]

OK, Got up this morning and noticed something has eaten on my green mushroom. Just a regular watermelon mushroom. I have a mixed reef. What eats regular mushrooms?? didn't think anything bothered them. It was about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and something ate all around the edges so now as the lights came on it is maybe 1/2. Not shrunk up. Very strange. Doubting a fish since it happened during the night. But have royal gramma, o. clown, redline wrasse, rubyheaded wrasse, yellow tang, yellow eye kole, sailfin, and hippo and a couple green chromis.
CUC include cucumber, ss star, 1 tiger conch, 2 tuxedo urchin, 1 turbo snail, multiple, red leg and blue leg hermits, ! halloween hermit, astrea snails, dwarf ceriths, 1 emeral crab, florida cerith, 1 fuzz chiton ( haven seen in 6 months), trochus snails, 2 money cowrie, nerites snails, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp a couple nassarius vibex, a couple marginella snails, small limpets, micro brittle stars and pods I have added and came it.

 

[MERKEY]

Could you post a pic of it?

It could just be shrunk or shriveled up. At night mushrooms shrink quite a bit when they are eating, pooping, or sleeping.

A pic would help a lot to identify what's going on.

 

[mcbdz]

Could you post a pic of it?

It could just be shrunk or shriveled up. At night mushrooms shrink quite a bit when they are eating, pooping, or sleeping.

A pic would help a lot to identify what's going on.

Found a pic from several weeks ago for reference.

and this morning.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Did you ever get to the bottom of this? I added two peppermint shrimp about 2 weeks ago— now suddenly ‘bam!’ — a row of healthy mushrooms mysteriously mowed down in two days.

 

[mcbdz]

Did you ever get to the bottom of this? I added two peppermint shrimp about 2 weeks ago— now suddenly ‘bam!’ — a row of healthy mushrooms mysteriously mowed down in two days.

No I haven't. Something has also eaten a tiny small frag of jack o lantern I had just attacked to a piece of coral skeleton. I have seen my Halloween crab picking around everything but not the corals and don't see the peppermints unless I use a light a night. Sadly if it is them don't think I can get them out.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Same here. As soon as they went into the tank they ran and hid, and I have only ever seen them peek their antenna out once in a blue moon. The Plus-- they ate all the small Aptasia within a week, leaving only two bigger ones which I can easily hit with Joe's Juice, etc. The Minus-- if they are now mushroom-eaters I won't be happy. And then the question of how to get them out? Ugg. :mad: I might drop in pellets to keep them well fed, now that the Aptasia are gone.

 

[Formula89]

I had a yellow tang go rogue and developed a taste for coral once.

 

[mcbdz]

Same here. As soon as they went into the tank they ran and hid, and I have only ever seen them peek their antenna out once in a blue moon. The Plus-- they ate all the small Aptasia within a week, leaving only two bigger ones which I can easily hit with Joe's Juice, etc. The Minus-- if they are now mushroom-eaters I won't be happy. And then the question of how to get them out? Ugg. :mad: I might drop in pellets to keep them well fed, now that the Aptasia are gone.

Mine have been in the dt for about a year. They were in the coral QT before that. Never noticed them picking but know that can always change. The best chance of getting them out is a water bottle fish trap bated and pushed in a cave I guess. When trying to catch a fish caught my cleaner and lots of crabs that way. Just afraid to remove them. I like to have them for back up to make sure nothing gets in the tank. Guess if it comes down to it will put them in the fuge until I start up another frag QT.

 

[mcbdz]

I had a yellow tang go rogue and developed a taste for coral once.

I had a banner butterfly and a bi color blenny go crazy and had to pull them.

 

[Gtinnel]

I've read that there are two shrimp that are both commonly sold as peppermint shrimp and one of them can eat coral, but I don't have any personal experience with peppermint shrimp. I have however watched my emerald crab decide to start eating coral, so my guess would be one of those 2.

 

[mcbdz]

I've read that there are two shrimp that are both commonly sold as peppermint shrimp and one of them can eat coral, but I don't have any personal experience with peppermint shrimp. I have however watched my emerald crab decide to start eating coral, so my guess would be one of those 2.

My peppermints are proven and make fast work of aptasia. but have heard of bot being a problem also and random hermits. I am just going to have to step up my night watch. I can handle a little nip here and there( not that I'd like it) but Don't really want them to go after my nicer and more expensive stuff.

 

[ReefSapper]

I would suspect the Peppermint as well, mine does its job for sure but i have caught him eating several acans. Super frustrating, he seems to leave things alone when hes full so i just make sure to target feed his little cave from time to time and everything has been good since.

 

[Gtinnel]

My peppermints are proven and make fast work of aptasia. but have heard of bot being a problem also and random hermits. I am just going to have to step up my night watch. I can handle a little nip here and there( not that I'd like it) but Don't really want them to go after my nicer and more expensive stuff.

I've heard horror stories of peppermint shrimp but again I have no experience with them. I never got any because as just mentioned I had heard that they will decimate acans.
I had my emerald crab in my tank for over a year and it didn't seem to bother anything and then one night I saw it pluck a clove polyp off by the stem and eat it, so it got banished to my sump. As I am starting to collect more and more coral I'm being more caution to not get anything that will possibly start eating coral.
If I were you I would go ahead and remove the emerald crab as well, especially if it isn't serving some purpose like controlling bubble algea.

 

[mcbdz]

I've heard horror stories of peppermint shrimp but again I have no experience with them. I never got any because as just mentioned I had heard that they will decimate acans.
I had my emerald crab in my tank for over a year and it didn't seem to bother anything and then one night I saw it pluck a clove polyp off by the stem and eat it, so it got banished to my sump. As I am starting to collect more and more coral I'm being more caution to not get anything that will possibly start eating coral.
If I were you I would go ahead and remove the emerald crab as well, especially if it isn't serving some purpose like controlling bubble algea.

I only have one little emerald that I just added that has been working hard on my algea. Just coming out of 6 months of a terrible HA issue. Finally mostly all gone but I am going to do more knight watches to pinpoint the bad guys. Broke my heart when I had to remove fish before so being very careful what I add. They all did such a great job when in the coral qt and never bothered them I believed they were safe. Don't need anything bothering my acans. They have recovered from the fish attacks last year and growing well. My Madis Gras was just a little tissue left in the skeleton and now is starting a new baby 3rd head.

 

[TxReefer21]

OK, Got up this morning and noticed something has eaten on my green mushroom. Just a regular watermelon mushroom. I have a mixed reef. What eats regular mushrooms?? didn't think anything bothered them. It was about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and something ate all around the edges so now as the lights came on it is maybe 1/2. Not shrunk up. Very strange. Doubting a fish since it happened during the night. But have royal gramma, o. clown, redline wrasse, rubyheaded wrasse, yellow tang, yellow eye kole, sailfin, and hippo and a couple green chromis.
CUC include cucumber, ss star, 1 tiger conch, 2 tuxedo urchin, 1 turbo snail, multiple, red leg and blue leg hermits, ! halloween hermit, astrea snails, dwarf ceriths, 1 emeral crab, florida cerith, 1 fuzz chiton ( haven seen in 6 months), trochus snails, 2 money cowrie, nerites snails, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp a couple nassarius vibex, a couple marginella snails, small limpets, micro brittle stars and pods I have added and came it.

Peppermint shrimp or (skunks) I guess is what others would call them are known for eating up coral. I’ve seen my cleaner shrimp mow down on my hammer coral not to long ago luckily saved it and got rid of the shrimp. Also had a emerald crab munch down on my zoa ploys ended up getting rid of those guys too so do what you want with that info. With the amount of CUC you have there’s no telling lol

 

[mcbdz]

Peppermint shrimp or (skunks) I guess is what others would call them are known for eating up coral. I’ve seen my cleaner shrimp mow down on my hammer coral not to long ago luckily saved it and got rid of the shrimp. Also had a emerald crab munch down on my zoa ploys ended up getting rid of those guys too so do what you want with that info. With the amount of CUC you have there’s no telling lol

URRGGGG!!! Well, found out for sure it is the peppermint shrimp. Caught him eating my 125.00 a head acans! Now I have to get him out. Put in a bottle trap for now. I am about to have an anxiety attack. I knew something was irritating my acans on the sand bed. They are a large colony but caught him about 5am on these that are only 2 plus a new baby heads-Madi Gras. now they are half eaten and look horrible. I have brought them back before but ,how much can they take? Anyone need a proven aptaisia eating peppermint shrimp locally It will be in my sump.

 

[mcbdz]

YES! I caught him. Now he is in the sump. Use to have 2 so leaving the trap in to make sure.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Emerald crabs
Peppermint shrimp
Hermit crabs
Butterflies

they can literally melt with low/high salinity , low ph, high temperature, lights too bright

 

[Gtinnel]

YES! I caught him. Now he is in the sump. Use to have 2 so leaving the trap in to make sure.

Good. I'd still keep an eye on the emerald crab if it were me.