Scales and Schemes: Has one of your tank inhabitants ever committed thievery?

[AlyciaMarie]

We want to think the best of our tank inhabitants and give them the benefit of the doubt. But the reality is that sometimes our tank tenants are rotten, stinkin' thieves that take what isn't theirs! Some of us are lucky to catch the criminals red-finned, while others wonder where their new frag went or why the resident snail has suddenly stopped mowing the lawn...

Has one of your tank inhabitants ever committed thievery? Maybe stolen a frag or another member of the reef?

My Urchin:

 

[exnisstech]

My pincushion urchin has been carrying around this gsp for over a week now. Funny thing is the gsp looks better now than it did.

I think it's the same piece this smaller urchin used to carry around

 

[Doctorgori]

^^^^ that why I won’t buy tuxedo and or pincushion urchins

 

[exnisstech]

^^^^ that why I won’t buy tuxedo and or pincushion urchins

They're not good in every tank for sure. I would never put them in a tank with a frag rack. They are so good at cleaning rock where snails and crabs don't clean so I keep a couple in my large tank.
This one reminds me of the strength of ants.

 

[vlangel]

Yes, when I had seahorses I kept peppermint shrimp with them to assure that aiptasia did not pop up and to eat/clean up the mysis that the ponies wasted. At first they were very shy but after a few months they became so brazen as to march to the ponies' feeding bowl and clean it out before the ponies got their share! I had to make a feeding bowl that could be kept high up on the glass.

 

[Rappa]

My pincushion urchin has been carrying around this gsp for over a week now. Funny thing is the gsp looks better now than it did.

I think it's the same piece this smaller urchin used to carry around

That's funny! My Tuxedo Urchins don't carry anything, however, my Pincushions (one in particular) picks up only Acan frags and large snails/shells! Right now, it is carrying around two different Acan frags. I have removed them from his back at least 20 times, and next day he has them again. I am tired of fighting with him, so I left them on there They don't seem to mind riding around with him... as he always carries them sunny-side up.

 

[wjm6449]

My pistol shrimp. Hated him so much. He stole multiple frags for his den, killed multiple emerald green crabs. I don’t even want to mention how he murdered his Randall goby for whatever reason. I. Despise. Pistol. Shrimp.

 

[KQuillan]

Absolutely. I think I have posted about my pistol shrimp before. Recently did a re-scape and his cave was filled with stuff! I remember when he tried to take a scoly. We battled for a while. I would go grab it back and he would be snapping at me like a fool. LOL

 

[Crabs McJones]

My whole tank stole my wallet!

 

[JayM]

Pistol shrimp. Anything on a frag plug within 8"-10" of his hole is open season. He's never drug them in, but frequently decides that he doesn't like where they are and will move them somewhere else.

On the plus side, twice now I've made the mistake of not securing zoa frags well enough for them to stay put and they've fallen/been knocked off seemingly never to be seen again. But wait! Dozer (the pistol shrimp) doesn't like stuff in his den that he didn't personally put there, so both times, within a couple of days of their disappearance, the zoa frags ended up out on the sand in plain view. Both frags were unhappy for a while, but they both survived.

 

[exnisstech]

That's funny! My Tuxedo Urchins don't carry anything, however, my Pincushions (one in particular) picks up only Acan frags and large snails/shells! Right now, it is carrying around two different Acan frags. I have removed them from his back at least 20 times, and next day he has them again. I am tired of fighting with him, so I left them on there They don't seem to mind riding around with him... as he always carries them sunny-side up.

My tuxedos never really carried much untill one died and the one left carried the dead one around. It was funny but sad at the same time

 

[twentyleagues]

My tang takes any frag that isnt held firmly in place. I had a duncan on a printed reef plug holder for the sand bed it was almost as big as him. I kept finding it on the other side of the tank. Then 1 day I watched him carry it around the tank for 10-15 min and drop it where he wanted it. I helped him upright it and adjust it so it looked nice and its still there. I am guessing the other ones he just doesnt like they get pulled off and dropped in the dark.

 

[Bob Weigant]

When I had emerald crabs they would always steal my frags

 

[shakacuz]

my yellow headed jawfish stole my urchins hat to use as his cave/hide door. also hermits fighting over shells.

 

[Slocke]

Not only does my dragon wrasse steal it has a shank!

 

[becca10]

My URCHIN!

 

[BristleWormHater]

I added my favorite macro: Red sea grapes, Botryocladia pseudodichotoma
Little did I know my cuc would steal all the low hanging grapes, I don't mind though. What bothers me more is that when I scrape gha off the rocks it floats around and ends up in the branches of it, and y'know what of course it can grow on macroalgae branches, this stuff is the real devils lettuce.

 

[Arkardios]

One of my hermits once decided on a shell with a rhodactis growing on it.

 

[dustyrays]

my yellow head jawfish steals shells for decorating its burrow, most often with hermits or snails still inside.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Bought a 55$ paly frag and my pistol shrimp stole it :/