Found out what was killing my corals...

[SecretiveFish]

It was my brittle star. I wouldn't have believed it myself if my SO had not caught him red... legged? very early this morning. I have not ever read anywhere that these guys are anything but reef safe.

I had lost two small acan colonies and a blasto over the last few months with no discernible cause and SO suspected the star fish. I refused to believe it since well... they are reef safe!!! The only occupants in the tank are a cleaner shrimp, LPS, a clam, a blue coral banded shrimp, bristle worms and that stupid starfish. He got fed meaty food every stinking day so he has no excuse....

I am so angry... He is going to live in the sump for the rest of days.

[Spar]

interesting. i have 3 or 4 in my tank and have never seen them come out from under rocks. so never anywhere near coral. i have had my zoa's decimated by astera starfish, so isn't completely unlikely a different type of starfish could do similar damage.

[madadi]

Take a pic, I'm curious what they look like. is it the red serpent or brittle stars.

[SecretiveFish]

The banished brittle star looks just like the picture on this article. He was chowing down on my lobophyllia when SO busted him... I hope it recovers...

http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2012/05/brittlestar

[SloppyJ]

It ate it or what?

[SecretiveFish]

It ate the other corals and what little tissue it did not eat dissolved from what I am guessing are digestive enzymes it left behind.

The lobophyllia has a damaged section where it was working on eating it.

[Nanook]

I've never heard of that, not that it couldn't happen:lol: Do you feed enough that he gets food? A lot of folks feed so light that their critters die of starvation, but before they do die of starvation, they try eating different things as out of desperation.

[SecretiveFish]

I had not ever heard of that either which I is why I did not believe my SO when he was saying that the starfish was probably the one killing the corals... I am still having trouble believing it, but the evidence is conclusive as of this morning.

I thought I fed enough food but at this point, who knows?!! I made sure that he got spot fed a piece of krill and large mysis on a regular basis. He has been in that tank over a year and has doubled in size since I got him. When I threw him in the sump this morning his disk seemed nice and fleshy... I will start feeding more though, maybe I am not feeding enough although he is not coming out of the sump now!