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Mithrax is eating the Green Star Polyps coral

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Found out why my "Green Star Polpys not extending"... caught a Mithrax crab red handed:

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Now I'm debating what to do.... GSP grow quick... so maybe I can keep them for Mithrax food in parallel with the other stuff (Valonias and GHA)... so they don't decide to eat other soft corals like the Zoas and Palithoa...

I was thinking of moving the GSP to my new quarantine tank, but, with the lights off that tank is averaging 27.5C to 28C (80F to 82F) and that seems too high.... with lights on I'm sure it'll up one or two degrees.... I'm thinking about modifying it, drilling a small hole on the cover and installing a small slow computer cooler fan always blowing (with another small hole as "hot/humid air exhaust"). That should take the temperature downwards.

Accepting suggestions....

Snorkeler (Fabio Paoli)

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Updated 02-13-2011 at 04:52 AM by snorkeler (typo)

Tags: gsp, mithrax
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Questions - Need some input

Comments

  1. Alaska_Phil's Avatar
    Your idea for cooling the quarantine tank should work fine. Are you sure that's a mithrax crab? I thought they all had hairy legs?
  2. dkbann's Avatar
    Hey Snorkeler! It's been a while since your last update. I'm curious to find out how's the valonia battle going...
  3. snorkeler's Avatar
    Hi Dwight, I've been without time to post new status (trying to consistently sleep around 22:30... in order to be awake enough for quiet time in the morning), but the battle is going very well.

    Most of the Valonias are gone, although there are a few here and there. If I did a few sessions of manual removal I could probably remove all those on the rocks. I'll try to get some pictures that show before and after.

    My Palithoa is growing, there are two new heads now, and my Hammer is slowly growing/dividing from one to two heads. That is progress!!! All that still with my horrible lighting (I'm very late in building my DIY LED fixture), and without Cheato in the refugium (haven't been able to get a bunch of it yet) therefore I haven't reached my aspired "ultra low nutrient" situation.

    The GSP however was devoured by one of the Mithrax crabs. I'm a little concerned he might get an appetite for Zoas or Palithoas... those corals are semi-poisonous so it is probably unlikely that happens. Anyway, if it does I'll probably start feeding it with raw shrimp pieces every night to ensure it's satisfied.
  4. snorkeler's Avatar
    Dwight, just posted a quick picture update which will give a good idea of progress. Check it out in the main blog page.