Some of you may recall a thread of mine where I discovered my tank has been under a "Scud" (Grammasarius... bad sp.) population explosion.
With my light feedings these creatures began to torment my other inverts, under the cover of dark, absolute clandistien operations. Leaving only the damage to tell the tale come daybreak.
For now, the only solution has been to make sure there is plenty to forrage. Thus keeping dusters and corals safe from the Scud's intrests.
By this I only feel as if I am doing my part to feed the ever-growing numbers- thus making my problem only bigger.
Based on my research, I am confident I am not the only one to ever face this delimma, however unable I was to turn up relative data with a solution specific to my needs. With that, I began to devolop my own strategy.. a strategy that turns out to be based on a common theme... opportunity!!
Without the opportunity of ample left overs in the tank these creatures are forced to seek another opportunity! However during the day, during normal feeding time, they cannot come out, they know better.... they offer the oportunity, they know he's out there.
Torpedo, my ever-vigalant 8 line wrasse, has spent each and every minute of each and every day hunting them ever since his arrival a couple of months back.
Every piece of rock, any opening large enough to fit, sometimes only his mouth!
He reignes sumpreme over my bristtleworm population hunting them too, if he feels it is neccesary. Like a lion he takes only the young and wounded allowing only the best the of worms to live in unity with the rest of the tank.
He has helped me greatly in this war, this battle with the scuds. He has driven these creatures deep into the rocks in which they live. He is well suited to hunt these monsters during the day with his keen eyesite and lightning fast speed, snapping up any that should dare to even peek outside the saftey of the rock.
However night must come. Sometimes just minutes before the lights switch off (he knows) he takes to his sand bed to rest.
Then the scuds take over! They know an opportunity when they see one.
So to me, it seemed the sensible solution would be a night-time predator that can in turn take advantage of this opportunity.
But what? Some fish may be active active at night but none seemed well suited for what I wanted. However, admist my search for nocturnal predators, one thing kept turning up, the brittle/serpent star.
What an amazing creature!.... and ohhhh looky there..... seems quite an opportunist! After all, are not all sea-stars?
Well I fiqured why not give em a try? After watchin this lil feller at my LFS for the last 2 weeks I brought him home. He is just now 30 hours into his acclimation process, I dripped him for just under 3 hours, than began a 90 minute water exchange program of sorts while he climbed into a specimen container I had placed in the bag. Used the container to safley remove him from the bag and into my refuguim, utilizing it as a place to observe him and make sure hes well adjusted before placing him in the main tank. He found a piece of rock and.... If I look close enough I can almost hear the scuds screaming!
Let me introduce you to "Patriot" my hope-to-be-scud-munchin-serpent-star-in-training!
"A BRW Original"
