Who Eats What List (please contribute!)

[treesprite]

Thought we could use a list of Who Eats What in a reef aquarium. This includes things we do and don't want eaten.

 

CONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED PLEASE!

 

A. What eats things we DO want eaten?

 

1. Snails

a. nassarius -  bits of uneaten food and detritus on or in the sand 

b.

c.

 

2. Crabs

a.

b.

c.

 

3. Shrimps

a. 

b.

c.

 

4. Echinoderms

a. nardoa star fish - asterinas

b.

c.

 

5. Fish

a.

b.

c.

 

6. Others

 

 

B. What eats things we DO NOT want eaten?

 

1. Snails

a. 

b.

c.

 

2. Crabs

a.

b.

c.

 

3. Shrimps

a. 

b.

c.

 

4. Echinoderms

a. 

b.

c.

 

5. Fish

a.

b.

c.

 

6. Others

 

 

[gmerek2]

I took out a piece of rock to pick off a bubble algae and noticed a brittle star! I was so pumped and figured I would save it by placing it back in the tank and my tang swam over and gobbled it up then burped

[treesprite]

Anyone got anything to put on the list? I thought people would be all over the topic.

[Squishie89]

I think no one wants to say something and be told they are wrong =X

[Origami]

In some cases, there are "absolutes," like Harlequin Shrimp eat sea star tube feet. But then you get into the really, really broad statements that can be hit or miss like Peppermint Shrimp eat Aiptasia or tangs eat hair algae, or emerald crabs eat bubble algae, or Asterina stars eat zoas and SPS polyps, or angels nip at polyps. In each of these cases you'll get some people who have had different experiences making such a list difficult to be meaningful. Now maybe if it were possible for a tally the comparison of agree/disagree experiences, such a list might be more meaningful.

 

Sent from my phone

 

 

[MisterTang]

I saw a group of Peppermint shrimp devour aiptasia, and the demonstration was done multiple times with varying sizes of aiptasia.

 

I have heard some various reasons for the mixed results on this - including assertions that Peppermint shrimp are "social shrimp" and prefer to be kept in groups, whereas people tend to purchase one and have it immediately go off and hide. They may also hide from other aggressive shrimp, particularly skunk cleaners.

 

All I can attest is what I've seen - the Peppermints (about 15 of them) appeared to be able to "smell" the aiptasia, because they would immediately cluster around where a single instance of the nuisance anemone was and try various strategies to devour it without getting stung. I wish I would've recorded it, but even then I'd probably still have people arguing with me that Peppermint shrimp don't eat aiptasia

[Origami]

I've "heard" that Atlantic Peppermints eat it, but others don't. It's as easy as explanation as any I suppose.

 

Sent from my phone

 

 

[treesprite]

I assumed people would know that  most things are "sometimes" "usually ", often", "may", "known to", etc

[gmerek2]

Has anyone seen a problem with hermits eating or bothering corals? I haven't yet.

[Coral Hind]

Has anyone seen a problem with hermits eating or bothering corals? I haven't yet.

 

I've never seen the blue legged or scarlet hermits bother corals.

[sen5241b]

Spent a year learning this: only emeralds and BIG mexican turbos (inch and a half across) will eat red turf algae. And please do nto confuse the RTA with red cyano like so many people do.

[Boomer]

Has anyone seen a problem with hermits eating or bothering corals? I haven't yet.

 

I've done dwarf blue, jade, electric blue, and Halloween hermits.  None of them went after my corals except one of the Halloweens who of course decimated my most expensive coral the first night in the tank.  Haven't seen him eating any coral since that, but he did work on my gold torch.

[paul b]

1. Snails

 

a.worms

 

b.

 

c.

 

 

 

2. Crabs

 

a.worms

 

b.

 

c.

 

 

 

3. Shrimps

 

a.worms

 

b.

 

c.

 

 

 

4. Echinoderms

 

a. worms

 

b.

 

c.

 

 

 

5. Fish

 

a.worms

 

b.more worms

 

c.different worms

 

 

 

6. Others

other worms

[Matt LeBaron]

Just because I've cared for them for years.

 

Seahorses:

Young/Juvenile will eat small mysis (Hikari) and brine shrimp

Adult: Brine Shrimp and larger mysis (PE Mysis)

 

Brine Shrimp need to be enriched to have any nutritional value and I only use live adult brine shrimp that I gut load ahead of time as an occasional treat. Frozen Mysis, whether small or large should be soaked in Selcon or something similar every once in a while before feeding to round out their diet. When the seahorses are younger it should be done more often as they are growing quickly.

[smallreef]

All of my emerald crabs have eaten bubble algae...until they have gotten big...