Cleaner Shrimp Death, Possible Explanation?

[jack-100]

I got a cleaner shrimp about 2 weeks ago now and a couple of days ago i found it in the corner of my rock cave dead. To get it out i had to dismantle all the live rock around him but im still not sure how he died. I tested the water once i found him and all the stats were fine.
I have seen a creature on the corner of one of my live rocks, however all you can really see of him is 2 antenae kinda things poking out. he does seem to make what looks like cobwebs which eminate from his hole in the rock. Firstly does anyone know what this is? And secondly, the shrimp was trapped very close to him so is there any chance that this creature done it?
ive also seen what could be a slug on the rocks, it seems to cover itself with the substrate but ive never actually seen it...all i see is very thin glass like strands coming from him picking stuff up and moving it back towards him. its a pretty bad description but anyone got an idea of what he is?
The tanks been running for about 3 months now, has other hermits and astreas in it and they have all survived thus far. im just a little weary to get a fish before i find out what happened to my cleaner shrimp.
Thanks

 

[ben1987]

Sure it isnt a cleaner shrimp molt and its still alive?

Have you ever used anything with copper in it? ie meds

 

[jack-100]

yeah its not a molt, it molted about a week ago and they look quite different. nah not used any meds or anything yet, like i said its only been running about 2 months with no fish...so nothing to really med for

 

[ben1987]

Was the tank brand new then?
Shrimp can be quite sensitive things. Most usual starter fish are hardier than them.
What live rock did you buy? cured / uncured? if its uncured then there is a bigger chance or you having a bad guy in your rock

 

[BigBeginner]

this might be one of your mystery organisms

[URL="http/melevsreef.com/id/dualpalps.html"]http/melevsreef.com/id/dualpalps.html[/URL]

I had alot when I started my tank

 

[jennybugs]

Are they what's commonly referred to as spaghetti worms? I have what you've shown in that link in my tank (fascinating to watch at work building tubes) and someone said it's a spaghetti worm

 

[seffieuk]

I don't think that is what you are describing - I have a worm which never moves but secrets what I can only describe as a type of web - the web is not strong and breaks rapidly so I have never worried about it mind you can't help you with what it is called as I have never researched it, maybe I should

Did you say you had checked that it wasn't just a moult! I was fooled like that at the start

Seffie X

 

[jack-100]

Was the tank brand new then?
Shrimp can be quite sensitive things. Most usual starter fish are hardier than them.
What live rock did you buy? cured / uncured? if its uncured then there is a bigger chance or you having a bad guy in your rock

No, like i said in the first post the tanks been running for about 3 months now....
I think it was all cured because i didnt have much of an ammonia spike but to be honest i didnt check with the shop.

I don't think that is what you are describing - I have a worm which never moves but secrets what I can only describe as a type of web - the web is not strong and breaks rapidly so I have never worried about it ...

I think thats it, i havent tried braking it but would imagine it does so easily. It seems they are multiplying on the rock tho, seem like little black slugs or something.

Have just got back of holiday for a few days and noticed alot more little critters around. There is what looks to be a white worm with 2 blue antennae at the head, probably about 1.5cm long but barely 1mm wide. I had a polyp colony come in on my rock as a hitchhiker but seemed it got a bit squished in transit with the other rock, most of the polyps havent ever opened but a couple on that rock have. I did see this little worm going inside of it, possibly eating it? Do they eat dying polyps? Would it be harmful to my good polyps?

 

[ben1987]

No i didnt mean how long the tanks been running. Did you buy the glass tank brand new or did you get it off someone else

 

[seffieuk]

ah, sounds like a nubibranch, some of them eat soft corals - you might need to get rid of them i'm afraid, do a bit of research on them and see if that's what you have got - usually the dull and boring coloured ones are harmless though - I have one of the dull slug type things in my tank

Seffie x

 

[jack-100]

well ive taken a look at pics of the coral eating nudis but this ones not spikey at all an very slim, and all my other polyps on that rock are still opening, so it looks like its only at the dying/dead ones. Hopefully its ok, ill have to try get a pic next time hes out.
The tank was a reuse of one of my brackish tanks i had before, it was all dried out and everything first though.