Only Devils Hand Being Eaten???

Ok, so I have a 10gal reef mixed with softies, lps and sps. Everything was fine in the tank until about a month or so ago. I has started seeing this one spot on my devils hand at the edge that seemed to be getting bites out of it only in one spot. Then it started to heal and saw another spot being eaten away then it had spotted and healed. A couple days ago I had noticed two new spots not around the edges this time the same. Just the surface of the devils hand in those spots look eaten away. And the marks are each no bigger than half the size of a dime. I have one other leather, a colt coral that isn't being touched. Niether are my zoas. The pest seems like he comes out in the middle of the night because eat newly eaten area only shows up in the mornings when it wasnt there the previous day. Anyone know what pest could be doing it this? Bugs? Pest crab? I have yet to see a single pest anything in my reef. I have had the devils hand in the same tank for 6 months and these eaten away marks are just showing up now?? What should i do? It seems to only eat the devils hand and nothing else.

 

Check out flabelligeridae worms. A common pest of leathers. You should be able to find some images of bite marks.

 

Sounds like it may just be trying to frag itself,my devils hand will get "bite marks" and then heal back and other times it will continue until it drops a baby (sometimes weeks).

 

Ill have to get a pic up so you can see. Ill have to wait until my hubby gets off the computer though lol

 

+1 to this. Seen a few leathers do it.

 

Here's a pic. I circled the spots that look like the "eaten" bits. There are actually 2 new places like this on the other side of the coral now. Does this look like the "fragging itself" thing... I really don't think that's what this is. But I dunno. This only started when it got bigger.

 

Yes,thats completely normal.Thats how they reproduce and also how I have 3 devils hands from one (actually 5,but I gave a couple away).Toadstools usually drop a bud,where devils hand will drop a finger,usually most of the open wounds you see will be close to where the "finger" meets the hand or even at one of the "fingers" knuckles.If it comes floppy loose,snip the frag off and rubber band it to a rock to attach.

If it was being eaten,it would show distress and more than likely be closed.

 

Ok. Very interesting. I didn't know that devil's hands could do that LOL I knew they could obviously propagate on their own somehow (obviously in the wild no one is there to frag them lol) I just didn't know how!
And I was thinking the very same thing!! Why isn't it "upset" or "distressed" from being eaten? Every little new "bite mark" has shown up over night. That's why I thought something was eating it... some kind of night pest. But when the lights came on, as it is awakening it looks just as happy and healthy as the previous day! I was very confused LOL How come it's only showing these marks over night? They only "frag themselves" at night? Can you give some info on this process for me? It would be very helpful! I will try and google this aswell!

 

Watch for this sinister little nudibranch. As you can see he looks exactly like a leather and often goes un-noticed as he munches a way.

 

I have been watching for pests for a while now (at night and during the day) but haven't seen any! If there were some of these in the tank I'm pretty sure there would be way more damage done in a month than there has been. Plus it started happening with only 2 spots looking "eaten" then it stopped for weeks and healed, then just noticed 2 new spots just a couple days ago. Doesn't really fit the pattern of a coral eating pest to me.
Like previously mentioned by Grinder37... the devils hand would be looking a little worse for wear and destressed if actually being eaten. When my clown goby lightly sits on the devils hand the polyps retract slightly, then come back out as the goby moves on, and that was only from being lightly touched. If it was actually being injured and eaten you think it wouldn't just act like nothing happened the next morning. Because it looks just as happy and healthy and the previous day but it has a new "mark" on it. I'm not completely ruling out a pest, but it just kindda seems a little off and doesn't quite fit the bill for it to be a pest. All the marks on it are also where Grinder37 mentioned they would be. At the base of a "finger".