Missing Poylps

[revhtree]

Well not to long ago, we lost our healthy xenia, which looked like it had been eaten. Tonight I noticed yellow poylps that used to be about 50 are down to about 10. Well I start to feed the tank, and lo and behold a black crab with sharp claws comes out. First time I have ever seen this thing. Could this be the problem? How can I solve it? Thanks.

 

[xxmoorishmanxx]

my first guess would be the peppermints, i cant think of any crab that eats any kind of healthy coral though i may be wrong). Permints as im sure u know eat aptasia, i have heard that on rare cases they eat similar looking polyps but personally never have seen or experianced it.

 

[scuba_steve]

imo depending on they type of xenia you have they are hit or miss ! the ones i bought from reefrunner (not sure what type ) spread like wild fire ! after my ac issue i lost them all ! so bought some more from a lfs and it slowly (3 months) just faded away !
the good ones where alittle tan color with long stalks and the ones that melted were smaller white stalks ! my lfs was also having issues with their growth ! as for the polyps
i wouldnt rule out the crab my ! but really doubt its the shrimp ! unless your starving them heheh which i doubt ! just my thoughts

 

[revhtree]

All other corals are fine...the yellow poylps are out and looking healthy, they are just disappering. I have had this tank for almost 9 months. This is the first, about the crab!

 

[scuba_steve]

grab the crab and keep a count on the poylps that will tell you

 

[EL Diablo]

I had a few green button polyps that were fragged off of the big piece I have.
I just noticed that their missing.
someone took them.

My LFS just lent me a crab trap for a few days until the one I ordered comes in.
Tonight I am fishing for a Big crab and a little Mantis.

It's crazy what you find many months later that crept into your tank as a hitcher.
Just this week I find a pencil urchin, a black spine urchin, a small mantis shrimp, and the big crab I have now boldy walks around.

Unless a hitcher is 100% reef safe I am yanking them out of my tank.

Good luck catching your guy

 

[clowninround]

I am with ya rev, I had 4 emarld crabs (or what they were sold to me as) and my mushrooms started to get torn apart, my xenia wasn't coming out either and had some missing polyps . I took out the crabs and the mushrooms started to heal yay and the xenia looks great! But my bubble coral got a tear in it a few days ago (seems to be recovering nicely though), so I am also on the look out. The more i read on this forum, the more scared I get to buy rock lol.