Are my crabs guilty of homicide?

Yea, in the case of the first two fish, I could say maybe starvation? They survived for a couple of months ,,,,,and then vanished. But the Watchman Goby was just bought and put in the tank, And by the next day, gone! I have searched surrounding dry land areas, including the thick, plush powder blue shag carpet surrounding the tank located in my man cave. I am bummed.... I really would like some bottom dwellers. My other fish seem healthy and I have had all for sometime with no problems. They include a small clownfish, 2 small blue-green Chromis, and a medium size Coral Angel. Thy don't seem to have an ounce of agression in any of them.

 

Hermits will eat/murder sea slugs, other hermits (shell competition), and snails (again shell competition). Generally speaking hermits are not really reef safe, but we all tollerate them because we enjoy their antics.

Crabs on the other hand are skillful hunters. If you have a HH crab MOST can and will kill fish.

As previously stated many fish are also jumpers, and also new additions can be chased OUT of the tank or become weak due to being chased. The later will cause many to become food. However hermits usually will not eat an entire body unless you have an over whelming number of them.

YWG are great hiders. Last week I went to the LFS to buy one. 4 tanks had tags for it. Not one was found. Went back in the fish room 30 minutes later because the staff said they found one. When we examined the tank again (only one small pice of LR in tank) it could not be found. They insisted it was there and asked me to stick around. They put the small piece of LR on the counter and 10 minutes later it came out of a hole no-one thought it could of gotten in. When placed in the bag it was gasping too hard for me to purchase.

 

know what else kills fish?

other fish... what else do you have in the tank?

+1 to seriously doubting the hermits.

 

I'm calling mantis- any mysterious popping sounds at night?

 

My goby did the same thing a year ago, went missing a day after purchased, as I continued to do para check I seen a spike in nitrates, pulled out LRs and pop he was dead in the rock.