Cleaner shrimp eating and killing corals!

I had some yellow polyps and saw my cleaner picking on them a couple of weeks ago. The next day they were gone but I didn't have proof it was the shrimp so I decided to give it a chance. Since then he has killed my hammer frag, candy coral frag and I believe a small frag of zoos. Though I haven't caught him in the act of doing it, I suspect it's him because I see him near the coral, picking some food from it and then a couple of days later it's dead or gone. Please let me know if you have any experience with this and how to get him out of the tank. I have a nice little zoo garden growing and don't want him destroying my rare ones. thanks

 

Must be the easiest animal to get out of your tank. Most of the time when you put your hand in the tank, they'll come over to clean your fingers- then just grab it.

 

I've tried it with a cup but I guess I'll do it with some gloves on. Hate to get rid of him. One of the main reasons I got him in the first place was because they ate out of your hand. Never thought they were coral killers.

 

I have one and it has never bothered any of my corals. That is really strange that yours is eating coral.

 

What Stepho said. I would not suspect a Cleaner Shrimp to be a coral killer. They clean ditritus and dead stuff off of corals, but I highly doubt one would be able to kill one. Our cleaner runs all over our corals at feeding time pulling up food and stuff, and we have never had a coral die in our tank.

I would not suspect the cleaner yet. Have you tested your water? Is there anything else in the tank we need to know about?

Like I said, we have 1 Skunk Cleaner and 2 Pep shrimp, and have never had any corals die. I have had all 3 shrimp cleaning my hand at once before, with no harm done. Shrimp have no chemicals or toxins in them that could poison a coral, and their little "claws" are so small, they'd only damage a small polyp of a coral, if they could damage it at all. They wouldn't be able to kill a whole colony.

 

I really don't think that's what is killing your corals... There is most likely something else going on...

What other livestock is in your tank? What are the paramaters?

 

Well, before I get rid of him I'll have to try to catch the culprit red handed. thanks for the replies.

 

paramaters are great, except for the nitrates at 20ppm. The only other critters I have are hermits and snails. The zoos were completely wiped out from the frag, the yellow polyps also and one of the heads from the candy cane were torn and now shriveled. Something is definitely attacking my corals. Others like my brains, acans and leather are doing great.

 

what other livestock do you have in the tank?

 

Yes, other livestock such as fish or other inverts could all be culprits. Did you just have that single shrimp and clean up crew in that tank?

I'm not anywhere near an expert on this, but there could be any number of things attacking those corals. Parasites, chemicals, etc all could play a part. But I'm not sure what to tell you just yet.