When inverts attack!

Last weekend I caught my chocolate chip starfish snacking on one of my turbos. I thought I stopped the meal before it was fatal but 5 days later I discovered the turbo unfortunately died. I checked the water perameters and everything is within range, the other turbo's are fine so I suspect he died from his wounds.

Anyone else ever have inverts go after one another?

 

I am not the least bit surprised. This star fish eat shell fish, not much of a leap to eating a big snail.

Chocolate Chips are not reef safe either.

The snail could have died from any number of things such as starvation, pH swings......or it could have been dying when the starfish went after it.

 

Dang!

 

The sea star was my first invert I had purchased before I realized how completely awesome reef tanks are. That being said, I try to keep him happy and fed so he usually doesn't go after anything else in the tank. He hasn't even touched the leather corals that hitchhiked on some LR into my tank a few weeks back.

However, I totally realize I'm playing with fire with this guy. I suppose it's a good reason to get another tank!

 

This hobby cracks me up because I swear every time I read of someone having a "trouble" whatever their reaction is not to get rid of the "trouble" whatever but to get ANOTHER TANK! Just makes me smile and chuckle every time I see that!

 

that is so true

 

LOL

I've said this many times before, and I still feel the same- the natural reef is not the peaceful haven we try to create in our little glass boxes; it is one of the most dangerous and chaotic environments on planet Earth.

If we're lucky, we won't experience loss from predation by one pet against another, but odds are, we all will at some point. The critters we buy only do what they know best- play "hide and eat". It's not their fault that they were torn from their natural environment and sold to an unsuspecting aquarist who was misinformed about their nature.

And yes, a few years ago I actually stocked a 55g strictly with "rogue" critters from my 29g reef. From that I learned what not to put in my current tank.

 

I'll bet this was a very interesting tank!

 

That's a pretty awesome picture to see nature at work, but it sucks that you had to lose the turbo.