Piano Teacher is Gone!

[dlhirst]

I came home from work tonight and spent a few minutes of wind down time in front of the tank. My three year old asks "Where's Piano Teacher?" That's her name for our Yellow Tang. I found PT stuffed in the LR, half eaten - presume by the Strawberry Crab. That crab is too slw to ambush a fish, and really NEVER leaves the rockwork in daylight, so I am certain it didn't cause the Tang's death.

PT was eating well. Had a nice fat belly - I even said as much just last night... Color was always good. No indication of infirmity. Water params ar typical and reasonable. We did introduce some SPS Sunday along with a starfish. Nothing I'd suspect of trouble.

Any thoughts on things to look for?

Also, I felt it wisest to remove the carcass from the tank. To do so, I had to seriously take down half my rockwork. Was I correct in doing so?

[jimsflies]

Sorry to hear Don. I doubt the strawberry crab had anything to do with its demise...just doing its cleanup job most likely.

Have you added any thing else to the tank recently?

[demonclownfish]

Green Brittle starfish?

[rmalone]

I lost a yellow tang awhile back. Found him kind of wedged in the lr with not a mark anywhere on on him. Had been fat and happy. I'm not so sure that tangs in their infinite darting for the rocks don't occassionally simply crack their melon or wedge in and suffocate????

[dlhirst]

I guess it is possible he only realized too late that the Lord didn't give him a reverse gear... I had suspected the crab had dragged him in (once he had died) for late night snacking.

I have a black brittle star - had it for most of a year now. The new starfish is not a brittle star, Preuss described it simply as a Reef Safe Starfish. I can't one like it online. Looks like a mild version of a red thorny star - but it is NOT a thorny star!

I did buy a piece of LR from them, so I guess something could have come in on that.

Could an aiptasia sting it? I have ONE in my tank that I've been watching as it grows. And it's gotten pretty big now...

[Sir Patrick]

Would like to see the pics of said starfish.

---------- Post added at 01:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 AM ----------

If you had to remove rockwork to get the wedged fish out, than somthing pulled the fish into the crevice most likely.

[larryandlaura]

Bummer I had a chromis and a few damsels one time eaten along with tons of snails. I got a hitchehicker on some liverock. It was a mantis shrimp. Had to tear my whole tank apart after I figured out his hole in the rock.

[dlhirst]

Chris, it was pulled up into a known address for our Strawberry Crab. In fact, I hadn't seen the crab in months, until I pulled the rocks apart to get the Tang carcass out. And, it went scurrying when I did. I can't say for sure that HE did the pulling in there, but I would be pretty comfortable believing he filled his belly on it.

The new starfish (and yes I was skeptical about its "reef safe-ness" too) has stayed pretty well to the outside of the rockwork (could I really have that much algae for him? I am shocked! ) I will try to get a pic tonight. He seems to move way too slow, with really stubby arms, to think that HE could have ambushed a Tang...

Larry, I had sally crabs I suspected of killing fish (and a blood shrimp) in the past. Removed the crabs, and hadn't lost anything since. It's possible I have a hitchhiker, but boy I hope not!

[dlhirst]

Naturally, the star is hanging out in the back of the tank tonight. But, I did some sleuthing, and I now know it is called a Red Thorny Star. All sources, such as this one:

FishDB - Red Thorny Starfish

say they ar reef safe. And perhaps best of all, they are diurnal and definitely not shy!

[jimsflies]

I doubt that starfish has what it takes to take out a healthy tang.

BTW- Why did you call your tang Piano Teacher? (Someone had to ask!)