Sad Post Mortum

[brianK]

Well made it home last nite from work and found I had an "incident" in my main tank. Watching my online tankcam I noticed I hadn't seen my saddleback clowns on the video so I knew something was up. When I got home i noticed my chocolate-chip starfish had one leg torn off...and I still couldn't find the clowns.

Well I moved half of my rock work and found one of the clowns, I thnk it was the male, but looking around I still haven't been able to find the other clown, which I think was female.

Have a yellow tang, and coral beauty that seem to be doing okay. Going to spend this evening trying to find the other clown....

Beside the starfish, have a few blue-legged/red legged crabs, and and Emerald crab (with the bigger claw,which I am suspecting took off the starfishes leg.), and a few perpermint shrimp ...But am real puzzled about the clowns. Starfish seems okay but has been hanging around the top of the tank all nite and this morning.

The one clown I did find doesn't seem to have any outward signs of distress or disease...but I'm no parasite expert so can't say that for sure.....


Definitely not a good day yesterday........ :(

Brian

[Instar]

Brian, Sorry to hear about the disasters. There is something you should think about. If that "emerald" has a larger claw and is actually big enough to be suspected of tearing a chocolate chip stars leg off, then it is a rock crab, not an emerald crab. They look pretty much the same when they are small, except for the claw. Rock crabs are dangerous predators, even at a small size. An emerald doesn't have a claw that is note worthy larger enough to comment about and would never be suspect in ripping up a chocolate chip star. They only ever do algae and maybe a fish food hand out or something dead. You could also have a mantis in there that has grow up a bit. Either way, mantis or rock crab or something else that has grown, a day like this happens suddenly when that predator has just grown large enough to try it. Once it finds it can, it will not stop. Other possibilities; a rock crash from digging clowns?

[brianK]

Could have been a rock crab...haven't seen the crab for awhile, think its been hiding in the rock work...was told it was an Emerald at the store...but they may not have known... Don't think the clowns would have torn the starfish leg off....Haven't seen a mantis...but it could be. Just surprised I haven't been able to find the other clown.

The yellow tang and coral beauty seem content, and actually have been more active since yesterday which makes me wonder...but doubt they had anything to do with it....

Just trying to make sure I dont get an ammonia spike from the other clown so will probably go look for some Ammonia control chems to make sure I dont cause the tank to cycle again....The tank is a little over 6 months old so not sure it could handle a spike...

The rock work didn't looked disturbed from when I left in the morning....but don't rule it out either....just wish I could find something of the other clown....very strange......

Thanks for the info though....

Brian

[Instar]

I wouldn't worry about chemicals for NH3 spikes. The exception to that would be some booster for the sand bed/filters with bacteria and/or coenzymes in it. Rocks and sand after 6 months and fish in there will handle it just fine. No doubt the bristle worms, shrimp and crabs have put an end to that food source by now if it died, so that shouldn't cause you troubles worth adding nasty chemicals for. However some carbon wouldn't hurt anything and some may say phosguard wouldn't hurt anything.