Is my purple lobster killing his tankmates?

scouncil · #1 12/19/2007, 07:27 PM

I have had a purple lobster for over a year now. I had to take my beloved dwarf lion to my LFS since he was eating just about everything new that I put in. (I thought he was going to die a couple of times when he ate fairly large fish, but he lived.)

Once he was gone, I noticed that my large banded shrimp and my fire shrimp both disappeared. Cleaner shrimp is still ok. I had a jawfish and a gobie that disappeared not long after that. Everything seems pretty stable right now, but I'm afraid to get anymore bottom type things for fear that the lobster will eat them.

Why would he start dining only after the lion was gone? Less competition? No danger of being eaten himself anymore? I'm switching to a 220 gal from my 100gal in a month or so (once DH gets the cabinet finished and builds a refugium- tank is sitting in the bed of the truck to be brought in after the stand is finished). Should I take the lobster back to the LFS when I clear out the old tank?

I was hoping that I would arrange the live rock to leave more open spaces so that I would actually SEE him more often, but I hate to put him in, if he's going to prevent me from getting some more shrimp/gobies/jawfish/etc. What do you think?

J. Montgomery · #2 12/19/2007, 09:05 PM

I vote, "Yes"

scouncil · #3 12/19/2007, 10:21 PM

First my poor lionfish, now my purple lobster..... sniff. I never see him anyway. It was sort of fun trying to see him. My 12 year old son was the best at finding him (always the tail end disappearing into the rocks....). I'll have to get some more shrimp and sand sifters to make me happy again......

You don't think it could have been my big maroon clown could it? Would they go after big shrimp and gobies?

mamagoose45 · #4 12/20/2007, 08:50 AM

I'd say 99% sure it is the lobster. Ours whacked 3 firefish. And when I say whacked, I mean completely chopped in half. Other than the firefish, he hasn't managed to kill anything but we also don't have any slow bottom hanging fish in the tank. I would say you'll have to make the call - keep the little devil and limit your fish options or send him packin'.

They are very cool little critters though - ours has a cave he hangs out in so we can pretty much always find him, but he sure is a recluse.

delsol650 · #5 12/20/2007, 08:53 AM

Thier opportunistic feeders. Especially if you have smaller ornamental fish with him...

YourPalCM · #6 12/29/2007, 11:17 PM

I think I have the same problem.

I have had great success with literally everything that I've put in the tank.....except bottom dwelling fish.

One of my first purchases was a Purple Lobster. The couple things I read were that they didn't really bother other tankmates. Since then I've read that they may be aggressive towards some small fish and bottom dwellers.

Although I've never seen him bothering anything, it's more than a coincidence that I've now gone through TWO sleeper gobies, one yellow headed jawfish, and TWO engineer gobies! I know the Jawfish is a sensitive fish, but the sleeper gobies and the engineer gobies generally are not. After each was put in the tank, they would disappear after anywhere from 2 days to 4 weeks. Obviously the Lobster is guilty.

So, now what? I have a TON of live rock in my tank including one monstrous piece which is underneath a bunch of smaller pieces and is where the lobster lives. I'd really rather not remove the rock just to catch this guy.

Does anyone make any sort of "trap" for aquariums? He almost always comes out of the same "hole" in the liverock. I think if I had a small trap, put some food in it and placed it in front of the "hole" at night - he just might go in it. Do they make such a thing?