What on earth happened to it?

[Borderjumper]

A wolf will kill for the sport.
I used to live on a farm out in the country. We had a Great Dane that we had raised from a tiny puppy. He was a gentle giant.. lol in fact his name was Wimpy. One day I came home from work and a goat was dead out in the field. Figured it was a coyote but thought it a bit odd that the dog hadnt chased it off. A week later I came home and the dog had a 6 month old calf by the neck trying to take it down. The dog didnt do it because he was hungry and I dont even think he did it from instinct. I think he was bored and it was something to "play" with. The calf was fine, the dog didnt fare so well.

Im wondering if your puffer didnt get bored and started poking or bumping the nem? And as it goo'd the more fun it became?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Borderjumper

A wolf will kill for the sport.
I used to live on a farm out in the country. We had a Great Dane that we had raised from a tiny puppy. He was a gentle giant.. lol in fact his name was Wimpy. One day I came home from work and a goat was dead out in the field. Figured it was a coyote but thought it a bit odd that the dog hadnt chased it off. A week later I came home and the dog had a 6 month old calf by the neck trying to take it down. The dog didnt do it because he was hungry and I dont even think he did it from instinct. I think he was bored and it was something to "play" with. The calf was fine, the dog didnt fare so well.

Im wondering if your puffer didnt get bored and started poking or bumping the nem? And as it goo'd the more fun it became?

Exactly what I was getting at. I came home one day years ago to my dogface ripping EVERY soft coral in my tank apart just for the heck of it! Not eating them, just destroying the reef. And he had lived a long, long time with all the corals and never so much as nipped them until then...LOL...puffers are sooooo weird.

[my2rotties]

Haha I love Griff. I have had a couple of canreefers to my home, and they can tell you how much I love the guy. He is the first fish I show to people. He swims into my hand and I can close my hand around him with no stress. You tell me how many fish you can do this with?

What I am disappointed about is the fact that the only answers I can get are "it's way to soon for a nem", and "your puffer had a good chance of doing it" I just wish there were other options to look at for the future. Whatever happened it looked like it bored a hole from the inside out...

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

I will agree to disagree about the wolf

A family friend used to be the head vet at the big zoo out here and had a "pet" cougar on his farm in a very, very large pen. He also had deer (part of his home business). As a kid, I used to play with the cougar until it got big and too dangerous to play with. It was still very, very tame and of course well fed. Actually kind of fat One day it escaped from its pen and guess what...killed several deer. Just ran around killing them. Didn't eat a single one. They do become "tame" but always have instincts.

I have had puffers that let shrimp live with them for up to a year and then suddenly kill them one day. Nothing to do with missing a feeding...just suddenly hunt them down.

There really is no point in arguing this as you know your fish better than I do but I am just saying its going to happen as the years go on with him.

I still don't think he killed this nem based on what you say but I just hope you are not expecting to add a bunch of them in the future.

I sense some disappointment when you talk about having to keep Griff which is really too bad since just a month ago you were very thrilled with him. You have a perfect sized tank for him to have a great life but just need to create a tank suitable to him.

Good luck.

[my2rotties]

The nem was on a ledge with rocks around it to keep it from moving. If Griff had done it, he would have had to have knocked all the rocks out of the way to fit his fat head into the space. Both the rocks or the nem would have fallen down to the sand bed, since it was about half way up.

The mystery continues...

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

Haha I love Griff. I have had a couple of canreefers to my home, and they can tell you how much I love the guy. He is the first fish I show to people. He swims into my hand and I can close my hand around him with no stress. You tell me how many fish you can do this with?

What I am disappointed about is the fact that the only answers I can get are "it's way to soon for a nem", and "your puffer had a good chance of doing it" I just wish there were other options to look at for the future. Whatever happened it looked like it bored a hole from the inside out...

I am afraid its hard to get answers from people who were not there to see the nem and how it looked exactly or know your system like you do. I think we are just mentioning the obvious possibilities but as you have said, they don't seem to be the reason it died.

Its really hard to say and you will most likely never know.

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

I fully agree but my husband buys what he wants and I am left to care for things we are not ready to have.My params are excellent as always and I am a stickler for testing and water changes. It may be too soon, but water quality is not an issue and therefore did not kill the nem. SOMETHING did some serious damage to it not water quality.

Aside of you saying it is far too soon for a nem, do you have any insight with your experience to help pinning down what happened to it? Say this happened two years down the road... what would your suggestion or insight happen to be? Saying it is too soon for a nem does not help since I essentially know that already.

I'm pretty certain many many people had no clue puffers might eat a nem. I still would have to see it wiht my own two eyes, and wonder if I have a hitch hiker in my tank that did this. Is there an other probability of what or who could have done this aside of the obvious. Instead of saying it's too soon or the puffer, how about we try to look at other options since I feel neither of the aforementioned is the culprit.

Your husband needs to shop somewhere where they wont sell you something your tank isnt ready for. And for what its worth...chances are it was a bristle worm that found a dead spot from where the nem was removed and started in on the nem.

[BlueAbyss]

Originally Posted by fishytime

Your husband needs to shop somewhere where they wont sell you something your tank isnt ready for. And for what its worth...chances are it was a bristle worm that found a dead spot from where the nem was removed and started in on the nem.

+1 on the bristleworm or some other worm...

I was thinking about what you said my2rotties, about it looking like a bullet exit wound... I remember reading somewhere about a large worm that would come out at night, tear a chunk out of an anemone with some sort of hook appendages, and go back into hiding (it`s feeding time apparently over for the night) only to return the next night to feast again, until such time as the `nem was dead, then would move on to another `nem. Unfortunately, I only skimmed the article and it was a long time ago, so I can`t even begin to tell you where I read this or even what website it was on. Sorry I can`t be of more help

[my2rotties]

Haha, that's a whole different can of worms... My husband was told to bring the nem back if it was not doing well, but who has the time when things go badly. It was fine; actually awesome at bedtime, and the morning it was not so awesome anymore.

After it was home, I got mad at hubby and went and gave the guy at the LFS crap for selling it to him, since he knew we were not ready for it. The LFS KNEW we weren't ready for one, but hubby wants what he wants.

However if my hubby came in the store and insisted he buy it, what would you say? I just told him we weren't ready for one, and he came back with, "Well I was ready for one". Would you refuse to sell a client if they insist on the item? You know the client will just go else where and buy it.

The bristle worm makes sense and that gives insight to things. I just wonder how long that was going on for since I never touched the nem. It was doing exceptionally well until it wasn't.

Originally Posted by fishytime

Your husband needs to shop somewhere where they wont sell you something your tank isnt ready for. And for what its worth...chances are it was a bristle worm that found a dead spot from where the nem was removed and started in on the nem.

[my2rotties]

OMG!!! How do I managed to find and catch something like this thing. I won't be sleeping very easy now thinking its in there with my fish. I am relieved that I have not gone crazy, thinking something ate my nem. I should have taken pictures but it was pretty gross.

This is very useful inof and it is much appreciated. I'm really grossed out right now. I wonder what else it will now start eating...

Originally Posted by BlueAbyss

+1 on the bristleworm or some other worm...

I was thinking about what you said my2rotties, about it looking like a bullet exit wound... I remember reading somewhere about a large worm that would come out at night, tear a chunk out of an anemone with some sort of hook appendages, and go back into hiding (it`s feeding time apparently over for the night) only to return the next night to feast again, until such time as the `nem was dead, then would move on to another `nem. Unfortunately, I only skimmed the article and it was a long time ago, so I can`t even begin to tell you where I read this or even what website it was on. Sorry I can`t be of more help

[my2rotties]

Well I was checking my overflows and what do I behold in there...

There is a little baby LTA sitting in there at the bottom with hardly any light. I don't know if chunks of nems can turn into new ones or not. I know my nem was not splitting and had a bullet hole in it so I have no idea of what transpired. When I pulled the nem out the other day, I saw a chunk fall of it and go into the overflow. It was a chunk of tissue that fell off of the hole... but maybe I should not have taken it out. I was terrified it would tank my whole system and did not want to chance it.

I always thought they just split so my research is not showing anything about this incident. If they are mortally injured can any pieces turn into a new nem? I have no idea of how to get it out of my overflow since I cannot get to it at all. It is clear instead of pink right now and seems to be fine though. I guess it will move up if it needs to do so and it does get food at the bottom of the overflow. I'm just going to leave it alone.

Any insight with this?