Hitchiker?

[fattyratrat]

My tank has been set up for about two months now, water params are stable and good, but I have had a few missing sixline wrasse, cleaner shrimp, and peppermint shrimp. I have many corals that are all doing fine. I have just recently noticed in a back corner (the reason for not having a picture) there are 4 legs that come out of a rock. They are about an inch and a half long, and look like the legs of a baby bristle star would look, they are thinner than a toothpick. I tried to go in and suck it out yesterday but it sucked the legs into his hole and would not be sucked out... does anyone know what he is? any ideas?

thanks for your help.

[scrmbld33]

mantis shrimp maybe? ever here clicking coming from the tank?

[orbit]

cant really tell by the description, but if its a brittle star or worm, they are reef safe, and wont harm your fish or inverts, i dont think

there might be something else that is contributing to the missing sixline and the shrimps,

after your lights are shut off, if your still awake after 2-3 hrs, take a red flash light and shine around to see if u can find anything

or u can just set a trap up, and wait till the morning to see if it caught anything

u might want to check out melev's reef site for some id help

[gillesec]

I have the sam thing in my tank. I thought at first the coral banded shrimp or the six-line would take care if it, but I was wrong.

You don't have large holes bored into your rock that weren't there when you bought it do you? I've been trying to figure out what was causing that as well.

[fattyratrat]

Thanks for all the help...

I dont think he made his own hole there.. and i am pretty sure it is not a mantis.. i suspected that a while ago, but listened, and looked at night, and even set up a trap, but found nothing.

I do still have one peppermint shrimp and a serpant star that are alive and well, so i figure the mantis would have gotten them too.

I dont think he is a bristle worm because he stays in that one spot, and it is 4 little arms, not one big one.