[lizswiney]

Please help, I have a fifty gallon saltwater tank that has been set up for a little over a year. in this tank I have a 6 inch yellow tang, a 7 inch yellow striped maroon clownfish, and a 3 inch coral beauty. I have had a coral banded shrimp since my tank was about a month old and he has always done great with no problems. The other day I was looking at my tank and I noticed that my shrimp has no pinchers, legs or antennas! then two days later he was laying, only body, dead in the bottom of my tank!. So I went to the store and purchased a small Sebae Anemone and a medium bristle star whose main body was about an inch in diameter. I went to my tank and looked this morning and my starfish now only has one leg! Does anybody know what could be eating the legs off of my pets? would or could i have a rock or stone crab?

[passinetti2007]

I swear I replied to this thread... Hmm I had a similar thing happen to me. I had a really cool looking feather duster worm and in 2 days it was devoured with only its feathered head remaining on my sand bed. I was crushed. No really I had to get therapy because of it, you don't even know. But seriously, I can't figure out what did it. Forever, people were saying I had a mantis shrimp, but where my LFS gets their rock they don't have mantis shrimps in their water. So the only conclusion is my hermit crabs did it. I'd suggest feeding your guys more often maybe that will get them from tearing up your livestock.

[reefaddict]

The mystery continues...... My brittle star showed up one day with only one and a half legs remaining and I didn't know what was picking at it. Never did figure it out. Fortunately he (or she, not sure)survived and has regenerated all of its legs back.

[lizswiney]

well my brittle star is now dead. something ate a hole in his center too. as well as pulled off his other leg, but didn't eat it. My dealer recomended laying down a sheet of plastic and taking out all of my live rock and placing it on the plastic for 45 min. she said whatever was in the rock would come out. well i did that and nothing came out but i hope it killed whatever it was. I put a horseshoe crab in kast week and its still doing fine. so i am about two add two more brittle stars and a gold coral banded shrimp. wish me luck!

P.s. also my husband thinks that the culprit is my yellow tang, any thoughts?

[Krazy]

yellow tangs wont do that !!!

I suspect a mantis shrimp or something of that nature, gorrila crab perhaps..

[lizswiney]

would the maroon clownfish do it?

[RCBruce]

YES! I was thinking that as I read through the posts and was going to suggest it untill you beat me to it. When you said things were being torn apart but not eatten, that was the give away. Maroon clowns get very territorial as they age and as a result, very mean. Sounds like it is wanting more territory and is killing all intruders.