Ever lose your inverts to LR piles?- small update

[Otherone]

Currently I've got quite a few MIA inverts - Green Leaf sea slug, 4 Astera snails, 3 Torchus snails, 5 Blue leg hermits, large scarlet reef hermit, and a 3" Fighting Conch - best I can figure they are behind 120lbs of LR. Some have been MIA for over a month. Last I saw the Conch he was partially barried in 4" of sand band. I kinda expected this with the peppermint shrimp but so far all 4 are out and about daily - crazy stuff.

Also you guys NAILED the red n'black sand sifting cucumber - he climbed up the glass and got his face stuck in a powerhead, smashed it pretty good so I got rid of it. The filter feeding pink n'yellow Cucumber is doin' great, goes nuts shoving his fists down his throat with hands full o' Marc Weiss Blackpowder.

I bought the sandsifting cuc to destroy rusty algae build up on my sand and eat leftovers, epic fail, wasn't even interested. The shrimp tore up the excess food and 2 conchs ( fighting & tiger ) tore up the sandbed.
Also got a yellow watchmen goby doin' his part. A couple weeks ago the Hippo Tang started grazing, he's got his own lil' rock with nori attached to it - goin' from paper thin to plump.

I'm really diggin' the saltwater tank - stocked my 1st corals and plants this weekend - Orange Sea Fans in the darker areas, assorted polyp rock, and Mermaid Sea fans - tryin' to keep it slow but the impulse is their. All n' all things are goin great!

 

[Heathd]

I have inverts that disappear for what seems like forever, and I just assume they died and the remains were scavenged. Then, one day, it magically appears.

So, without some hard evidence, such as a shell or a distinguishing body, there is no real way of knowing.

 

[jworth]

I have inverts that disappear for what seems like forever, and I just assume they died and the remains were scavenged. Then, one day, it magically appears.

So, without some hard evidence, such as a shell or a distinguishing body, there is no real way of knowing.

agreed. I have a 4-5" conch and assumed he died after a couple months but then he magically surfaced the other day just to disappear again.

 

[water_baby83]

I've experienced the same. However, on the not so happy-ending side, I recently got some new Jakarta, and three weeks in, I'm moving it around, turning the rock, lifting it (lettin out any air pockets, removing detritus, etc) and I see a crab claw on the sand... just the claw. At first I was like "Hmm, ok guess at some point a crab was on this rock that lost an arm and now i've found it" - thinking for sure that the crab itself wouldn't have gone unnoticed by me... errk, wrong. Next day, I see the body. I dunno if it died before/after I got the rock, if it's body was just wedged and I'd loosened it when shifting the rock, or - gulp - if I squished it

BUT to my delight, I just spotted another crab who isn't dead, and must have come in w/ the rock - oh annnd found some shrooms and 3 (quarter size radius) Christmas Tree worms, amongst others. So little crabby dude who I could have killed - I'm sorry. But you came from some awesome rock!

 

[jworth]

I've experienced the same. However, on the not so happy-ending side, I recently got some new Jakarta, and three weeks in, I'm moving it around, turning the rock, lifting it (lettin out any air pockets, removing detritus, etc) and I see a crab claw on the sand... just the claw. At first I was like "Hmm, ok guess at some point a crab was on this rock that lost an arm and now i've found it" - thinking for sure that the crab itself wouldn't have gone unnoticed by me... errk, wrong. Next day, I see the body. I dunno if it died before/after I got the rock, if it's body was just wedged and I'd loosened it when shifting the rock, or - gulp - if I squished it

BUT to my delight, I just spotted another crab who isn't dead, and must have come in w/ the rock - oh annnd found some shrooms and 3 (quarter size radius) Christmas Tree worms, amongst others. So little crabby dude who I could have killed - I'm sorry. But you came from some awesome rock!

All of the hitchiker crabs that I have encountered have been xanthid stone crabs. I smash all that I can with scissors etc... They are invert and coral killers. I have had at least 2 dozen already in my rock... Quality live rock often comes with unpleasant guests Often times its the ones you dont see that do the damage.

 

[Pazzoman]

Everytime I change the rock's in my tank my banded coral shrimp ends up only having one or no arms. Don't know why he doesnt run when he see's a rock...eigter way it grows back in like a week or 2.