Blue Linckia ate my Montipora?

[Raphael Dalmeida]

Hi guys,

I never saw this happen until today. But my Blue Linckia starfish might have "sucked" on one of my Montipora frag.

Yesterday at night Monti was looking perfect, it's a gold rush Monti.

This morning before going to work I saw it clearly laying on top (hugging it) and with it's mouth likely centred on top of the specific Monti - I didn't mind it as I was under the impression that they do not feed on coral.

Arrive back from work, that Monti frag had dropped on the sand, and the center of it was looking slightly slimy purple (with no polyps or tissue).

Tank inhabitants:
2 clownfish, 1 bicolor blenny, 1 swallowtail angelfish female, 1 sailfin tang, 1 purple dart fish, 1 Valentini pufferfish, 1 short spine sea urchin, 1 red from is starfish, 1 blue Linckia starfish, fighting conch snails, 1 sea hare (aplysia argus).

No other corals have any signs of damage, never happened before in my tank. This is a new frag in the tank (I have other SPS, Softies and LPS in the tank).

Place where frag fell on the sand had no other corals nearby (just sand) so it hasn't been stung.

Can anyone please advise ?
I think the blue Linckia did this, but I thought they were reef safe (had it for more than 6 months never caused issue).

Photos below.

 

[ReefingDreams]

Angel or puffer are more likely culprits. How long have you had those fish? And how long have you had this specific coral? IF the starfish was eating it, it's likely it was eating decaying tissue that was caused by something else.

 

[Raphael Dalmeida]

Angel or puffer are more likely culprits. How long have you had those fish? And how long have you had this specific coral? IF the starfish was eating it, it's likely it was eating decaying tissue that was caused by something else.

Had the puffer for more than a year, angelfish for 8 months.

Have only seen the pufferfish pick at my Acantastrea, never saw the Swallowtail Angelfish (genichantus melanospilos) pick at anything other than algae and food in the tank.

I'm not sure honestly, last night the coral was looking perfect and today in the morning the starfish was face hugging it.

The area that is looking "purple" now, was yellow with green polyps last night. How could a fish have caused that from night to day?

(I would think they would pick at individual polyps if that was the case)

My favorite and most expensive SPS frag =(

 

[Troylee]

I wish it was that simple to remove a monti haha! Have you tried blowing it off? Looks like cyano on it.

 

[Raphael Dalmeida]

I wish it was that simple to remove a monti haha! Have you tried blowing it off? Looks like cyano on it.

Yeah I tried it looks like dead tissue.

It looks similar to when a friend of mine had a favia attack his coral. Though there are no corals in vicinity with sweepers and when it fell on the sand no corals there.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

If the Linckia were eating it, I'd imagine you'd see the typical, white, feeding scar left by starfish, not a slimy, purple patch.

If it's not cyano, I'd guess it was damaged by the fall or a different tank critter somehow.

 

[ReefingDreams]

If the coral was already stressed, sitting upside down on sand is certainly enough to cause tissue recession. It looks good, but I've had good looking coral turn white in less than an hour.

 

[Raphael Dalmeida]

If the Linckia were eating it, I'd imagine you'd see the typical, white, feeding scar left by starfish, not a slimy, purple patch.

If it's not cyano, I'd guess it was damaged by the fall or a different tank critter somehow.

You do have a point on the pattern ... It could have been when it was on the sand.

Well, I will keep an eye on it.

 

[Raphael Dalmeida]

Update today, I got a new Monti yesterday really nice.

Saw the starfish going for it straight away, kept an eye on it and didn't see it necessarily eating it.

Today, arrive from work, and starfish is seating on top of it, remove the starfish and same pattern on previous Monti. The middle part of it was eaten.

This starfish seems to like eating Montipora. Could be that existing stuff in my tank is not supplementing its nutritional needs too.

Either my starfish is not a blue Linckia or the blue Linckia can be corallivore in certain conditions.

This was the last drop so, I sent her to the sump and will consider selling it.

Here's a photo: