Chad and Belinda Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 OK, so here's the deal. We have had a brittle star for several months. The other day we noticed that his center was half eaten. Oddly enough, he was still moving around. I figured he might make it. The next day, all I found was legs (and not all of them either). A few days ago we finally found a sand sifting star at a local store and added him to the tank. Just now, we found part of one leg chewed up on top of one of our zoa colonies. The newest addition to our tank was a 3/4 naked clown fish and a half and half wrasse. We had one before and never had any issues. We also have a larger wrasse. He looks like a Lunar but with a slightly different color pattern. I cannot remember what kind he is. He is growing bigger and is somewhat aggressive. Today, our nem coughed up a chunk of silver slider he didn't want and the unknown (not the half and half) wrasse jumped all over it. But then again, so did one of the Cardinals. I know wrasses can go to town on shrimp but I have not heard of them going after stars. What's your thoughts? We have a purple tang, yellow tang, kole eye tang, tiny naked clown, an orange tail blenny, a small yellow goby, a juvenile and an adult pink spotted goby and 2 PJ Cardinals. Thanks...Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 I'd suspect the wrasse, but we'd have to ID which type is to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad and Belinda Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 I'd suspect the wrasse, but we'd have to ID which type is to be sure. Mark...looks like this one. On his top fin he has 3 black dots. Kinda looks like this one... Belinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Sounds more like a bristle worm attack to me. Especially since it happened to the sand sifter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Do you have hermit crabs? My hermits went after my sand sifting star that I used to have. But they never touched stars that would crawl on the glass/rockwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate1 Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 I know it's probably a stupid question but where is your salinity at? If it's off it can melt your starfish and they look like they've been eaten. I found out the hard way when I was just starting out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 We have a killer in our tank, that is funny b/c me and my wife we just discussing that. If we put a fish smaller than 3" in our tank it dissapears over night. I thought at first it was just weak fish and the stress was to much but thats not the case. When we get fish we always start them out in our 72 gallon and for weeks they have no problem, then once introduced to the large tank they are gone. We have lost more than 5 fish this way, our last victim was a long nose hawk fish just last weekend. I suspect my banded shrimp or a couple of camel shrimp that I have. No more small fish for the big tank. Chad do you think that you got a harlequin shrimp hitch hiker ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Since I have had this happen to one brittle star and not another in the same tank or one sand sifter and not another and it's happened months after the last addition I've been inclined to think it was some disease process. Once a brittle star has a hole in it's body I've never known it to recover. I have seen sand sifters recover when their legs get damaged. I've also had it happen to a second sand sifter added after the first was removed or considered dead after a not being seen in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Chad do you think that you got a harlequin shrimp hitch hiker ? I know you were joking when you said this, but that is a good thought. The only thing is though, I don't think they would leave starfish arms/parts laying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Mark...looks like this one. On his top fin he has 3 black dots. Kinda looks like this one... Belinda I'm sticking with the wrasse as it looks like a Lunar Wrasse to me, which has these characteristics and is listed as a predator tank only fish: "While the Lunare Wrasse will not bother living coral it will eat a wide variety of invertebrates and may pick at clams. This wrasse will attack and eat many smaller fishes. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad and Belinda Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 I'm sticking with the wrasse as it looks like a Lunar Wrasse to me, which has these characteristics and is listed as a predator tank only fish: "While the Lunare Wrasse will not bother living coral it will eat a wide variety of invertebrates and may pick at clams. This wrasse will attack and eat many smaller fishes. " Mark, It does look a lot like the lunar wrasse, but did not buy it as a lunar. I got rid of my lunar wrasse. This one has some markings that the lunar did not have, i.e., the 2 black circles on the fin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Mark, It does look a lot like the lunar wrasse, but did not buy it as a lunar. I got rid of my lunar wrasse. This one has some markings that the lunar did not have, i.e., the 2 black circles on the fin. Hmmm...well I'll let Gabe chime in then as he's more of a wrasse expert than me. The only other wrasse I see that it could be would be this guy, but I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 (edited) The fish in the jpg looks like a Neon Wrasse, Halichoeres melanurus. I'm pretty sure there are some Halichoeres sp. with spots on their dorsal fin. Halichoeres will eat fireworms and flatworms (and snails and shrimp) and I can't rule out the possibility it decided on a little change in it's diet. If this were the case though I'd expect it to go after the legs of the brittle star first and not the body. (Wouldn't be the first time a fish made a liar out of me though .) Edited April 28, 2010 by Timfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 The pic you posted looks similar to a Christmas or Ornate Wrasse. If so I highly doubt it is the culprit. I had one for several years until it jumped. He would eat the occasional snail that got flipped over or a hermit but never messed with my starfish. How big is the Wrasse? I would lean more toward a Mantis or Lobster that hitchhiked in to the tank. Or possibly disease like Timfish said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Have you considered a mantis shrimp hitch hiker. When a tank starts taking massive damage out of no where it can be because the mantis is now large enough to take on the prey. It's really not an uncommon hitch hiker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netmaster Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 I have a choclate chip that lost two of his legs and part of the center to an emrald crab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cyrus Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 You might want to consider some night recon got moon lights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 This is the one I was thinking of: Halichoeres cosmetus, Adorned Wrasse or Red-X-Mas-Checker-Board https://www.qualitymarine.com/Products/Fish/MAC-Certified/Wrasses/Halichoeres-cosmetus/Red-X-Mas-Checker-Board If your wrasse is a Halichoeres sp from what I've read I really doubt it's the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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