What's eating my xenia?

[klsp19]

Who's eating my pulsing xenia?
My tank livestocks are:

1 six line wrasse
1 gold strip maroon clown
1 maroon clown
1 lubbock wrasse
1 banana wrasse
1 sailfin tang
1 red basslet
1 blue chromis
2 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 purple firefish
1 nasarius snail
1 sea urchin (new addition)
Few turbo snails

My best guess is the six line wrasse. Any one has experience this? Been finding the culprit long time ago and its my 3rd time bought pulsing xenia

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Who's eating my pulsing xenia?
My tank livestocks are:

1 six line wrasse
1 gold strip maroon clown
1 maroon clown
1 lubbock wrasse
1 banana wrasse
1 sailfin tang
1 red basslet
1 blue chromis
2 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 purple firefish
1 nasarius snail
1 sea urchin (new addition)
Few turbo snails

My best guess is the six line wrasse. Any one has experience this? Been finding the culprit long time ago and its my 3rd time bought pulsing xenia

I'm no expert but I think it's either one of the wrasses or the shrimp. It seems pretty rare for a cleaner shrimp to eat the corals but cases have happened. I would say it's one of the wrasses though.

 

[BanjoBandito]

I'm no expert but I think it's either one of the wrasses or the shrimp.

Yep.

 

[klsp19]

I'm no expert but I think it's either one of the wrasses or the shrimp. It seems pretty rare for a cleaner shrimp to eat the corals but cases have happened. I would say it's one of the wrasses though.

I have been keeping my six line wrasse for a long time and i noticed it usually have a bloated belly like full of something. I haven't find a thread about six line wrasse nipping on soft corals..i have this fish since i got my first xenia.

Thanks for giving me an idea bro! Been thinking to replace this guy a long time ago. I might just give it away to a fowlr tank person.

 

[klsp19]

Yep.

Have you had any experience or read somewhere with this 3 types of wrasse before?

 

[jtf74]

If you find out please post. I'll get one tomorrow if I can stop cutting and throwing away xenia.

 

[nereefpat]

Are you sure it's being eaten and not just melting or dying? It doesn't ship well.

 

[hawk82]

Maybe the urchin. Mine ate my zoas but he dont bother the xenia. I have a melanurus wrasse hes kinda similar to the six line, and he does not eat the xenia either.

 

[klsp19]

Are you sure it's being eaten and not just melting or dying? It doesn't ship well.

Thanks for your reply bro. I have experience a melting xenia and this last few frags that I had, was being cut like a leaves from a branch. The branch of the pom pom is still there. My big guess is someone is nipping on it but I can't really caught in the act the culprit maybe ill try to record it sometime.

 

[nereefpat]

Thanks for your reply bro. I have experience a melting xenia and this last few frags that I had, was being cut like a leaves from a branch. The branch of the pom pom is still there. My big guess is someone is nipping on it but I can't really caught in the act the culprit maybe ill try to record it sometime.

In that case, if I had to guess on one of the fish, it would actually be the tang. Keep us posted.

 

[BanjoBandito]

Have you had any experience or read somewhere with this 3 types of wrasse before?

Wrasses in general can and will "suck" the slime/mucus coat off coral. We think they do it to be "immune" to the nemacysts? They can also damage coral when they "pick" for coral pests. A small frag or delicate coral can't handle the wrasses constant pestering. I have not kept a wrasse listed on your list, but have experienced it from other wrasses. I don't think they do it "maliciously", I think it's more of a behavior and their general lack of being "gentle".

 

[threebuoys]

Were you able to ever resolve this?

I just watched my sailfin Tang demolish a huge head of Xenia that was in the process of dying. I just got the Xenia a week ago, and it did not like my water. The sailfin's belly is ready to explode!

He keeps coming back for more. Never expected this.

 

[BradB]

What's a red basslet?

If something on that list ate Xenia, my guess is it is the tang.

 

[Drakal]

Maybe an hitchhiker nudibranch ? Phyllodesmium rudmani eats pulsing xenia and looks like pulsing wenia

 

[i cant think]

I'm no expert but I think it's either one of the wrasses or the shrimp. It seems pretty rare for a cleaner shrimp to eat the corals but cases have happened. I would say it's one of the wrasses though.

Wrasses won’t usually go after coral, they will however go after pests on coral. these two species of wrasse often ignore all pests though, I own both variants of Lubbocki Fairy Wrasse and have kept Thalassoma wrasses in the LFS, neither of these species have ever gone after coral. In fact the thalassoma went after the inverts instead of coral. I would have caution with the tang though, I have heard of some tangs eating coral (Specifically the larger species).