Predator theory?

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by Jamaica_sun, Dec 31, 2007.

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  1. Jamaica_sun

    Jamaica_sun Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    It's been a while since my last post, or purchase for my tank. Subsequently, it has been a while since my last "anything" tank related.

    I'm back. Although loosing eveything but my Clown to what can be only explained as some reclusive predator that appears when I am not looking, I am ready to fight back.

    My tank was overgrown with algea. My poor Clown fish... all alone. to date I have lost 15 snails, 6 emerald crabs, a yellow head goby, 2 lawnmower blennies, a wrasse, 6 peppermint shrimp, 2 banded coral shrimp, and a scooter blenny. It is sooo hard to feed ONE fish, my nitrates are up, and you can probably see the trainwreck that followed. To fix this, I started a seperate tank for the clown, and bought a lawnmower blenny for him to co-exist with. As far as the main tank, it has two occupants.
    1 of them being the previously named "predator", the other, a new guy.. a Huma Trigger. I was assured that he would scout out the predator and eliminate it on site. Hopefully they were right at my LFS. He's really cool to watch, but from what I am reading, he will be very difficult to house with other fish.

    Any suggestions from first hand experience as to what I can put in there with him? So far I am reading contradicting info from various sites.
     
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  3. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    Marine Compatability Chart
    This should help!
    Plus keeping this particular fish with same sized or larger fish is best as well as the behavior being more on the aggressive side.
     
  4. aquaboy

    aquaboy Panda Puffer

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    What is the predator?
     
  5. geekdafied

    geekdafied 3reef Sponsor

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    Are you sure something didnt die and throw your tank parameters out of whack? All of your inverts(snails, crabs, shrimp) will die if the nitrates get high, all of your fish except the clown would die if your inverts started dieing off spiking your ammonia. If your tank is over grown with algae, that would lead me to believe you have other problems that caused all of the deaths.
     
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  6. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    The loss of your fish and inverts may not be due to a nuisance crab or Mantis shrimp but maybe adversely affected by your water paramters!
    Are they in order?
     
  7. Jamaica_sun

    Jamaica_sun Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    I had the water tested over the week end, I do not have the results with me here, but the only thing that was abnormal was the nitrate level.
    I originally thought the calcium level was to blame. That would have caused the crabs to die as they moulted (starting the string of death), but the level was hanging around 400 PPM.

    I would wake to find my snail shells cracked and crab peices all over the place. I thought it was my Tang, so I gave him the boot for fishes thought to be more compatable with my tank.. they were dismembered one by one. Everything except for my Clown. The algea has been a result of my over feeding I am sure ( as well as the high nitrate level).

    I am not conmpletely convinced there is a predator, but nothing else makes sence.

    Throughout the last few months my levels have averaged as follows
    Amonia around .08 range
    Nitrate .05 - .01 (recent spike to 0.3)

    My home kit has reflected the water parameters asacceptable (except the nitrate), and no explanaition why everything but the Clown has died (other than a short circuit in a power head, water quality, aggressive fish ..which would have kille dhim as well, right??)
    leaves me a little confused, and the LFS guy, though I know they are not the brightest, seemed to make sense. I can not get over me never noticing an additional creature in my tank. Either way, wether there is a predator or not, I have done a massive water change and clean up effort on the tank, and have decided that I like the trigger. I just don't want to needlessly see fish be mutilated by this bully.
     
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  9. Jamaica_sun

    Jamaica_sun Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Thanks for the chart, I'llbe sure to bookmark that. Looks like basically nothing can live with the mean little dude!

    Can either of you recommend a good water test kit? I have one but I don't trust it. It seems kind of cheap.

    Lastly, are Clowns just that easy to keep that water parameters that would kill everything else would not kill him?

    Thanks again for the info !
    JS
     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2007
  10. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    Salifert and Seachem are good choices for test kits!
     
  11. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    "I originally thought the calcium level was to blame. That would have caused the crabs to die as they moulted (starting the string of death), but the level was hanging around 400 PPM."
    That would not be a reason for the crabs to die, in my opinion. If anything an increase in calcium may have an affect on alkalinity and magnesium but for crabs, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. A high calcium level would cause you to have an oversaturation that would cause your powerheads to eventually freeze up as well as the potential for your substrate to harden up as a result of calcium carbonate abundance.