Fish Rescue 911

[davidrupe]

So I got home yesterday to find my serpent star fish missing half of all 5 of its legs. They were missing, well except for the tips which were in the sand nearby. There is a violent criminal on the loose in my tank. It is like each leg just got snipped off.
Has anybody ever seen this before?
Will they grow back?
The starfish seems to be alive and ok still, but this is just sick! I need to remove the culprit.

Here are the contents of my tank:
4 cromis
2 clowns
1 niger trigger
1 falco hawk
1 copperband - not present at the time of the crime
1 coral beauty - known to nip and lead to the death of my Xenia...
1 4 line damsel
lots of anemones and hermits
green brittle star
another serpent star was in there and I know I have a black brittle but I never see them.

OH, and a Maine ROCK CRAB!!!
He has scissors, I mean pinchers. I think he is the culpret, but he has been in the tank for months causing no known problems.
Is he my criminal?

I often see him fighting the star fish for food when a piece of shrimp drops to the bottom, could this be the case?

Thanks!

 

[Jim Tansey]

Daverupe,

Does your Niger Trigger bother any of your corals, I know they are one of the better triggers for a reef, but sometimes can be hit or miss I guess. I would like to get one but he would likely go after my shrimp and hermits.

Jim

 

[spectrum]

My vote is on the crab with the trigger as a good secong choice

Dan

 

[davidrupe]

Trigger is very docile. Doesn't even go after flipped over hermit crabs. He is a lover, not a fighter! But maybe he has a thing for serpent star fish...

I don't want it to be the crab...he is great to watch.

So will my serpent heal and grow his legs back?

 

[catera]

its definately the rock crab if i had to lay my bet. they arent really a warm water specimen from what i understand, but can adapt.

 

[Brian]

Wait, is it a rock crab? I know you said was Maine rock crab but there's all sorts of different crabs in the GOM... Either way I'd bet it was the crab too

 

[davidrupe]

Nobody has told me yet if the serpent will be ok and regenerate his legs? Can they do that like other star fish?

Looks like, without any witnesses, the circumstancial evidence leads to the criminal being the rock crab. Well, I guess he gets moved to the 20 gal where there will be no serpent stars. I would hate to get rid of him as he is very fun to watch and a GREAT cleaner.

 

[Brian]

I'm not sure if the star will regenerate it's limbs or not, I'd assume if it's healthy and seems ok despite the amputation, then it should be fine. As for the crab, I'd be very weary of where you put it. If it's a rock crab then you should be ok so long as you keep it well fed, but if it's a green crab (VERY common in the rocks of Maine) then look out, they're cute but will eat anything and everything they see whenever they get hungry

 

[spectrum]

I had a serpent that lost 2 legs to a crab, it survived and is slowley regenerating it missing limbs. I'm sure yours will also

Dan

 

[davidrupe]

Thanks guys...not sure the diff between a rock or a green crab.

 

[Brian]

Have you got a pic of it? Green crabs are USUALLY green (not always though), they get to be about 3-4 inches across the shell. Rock crabs you'll see in the seafood section of most supermarkets, they're mouch more squat, larger, they've usually got a pink/orange colour to them...

 

[scavdog]

I had the same thing happen. I blame it on an unidentified crab. I though the serpent star was a gonner, but hes looking good these days.