*WHAT* is rearranging my tank?!?

[Vizerdrix]

I have a 7g nano, with about 10lbs of LR, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Mexican Turbo Snail, 1 Porcelain Crab, 1 Blue Damsel, and supposedly a few Scarlet Hermits, but I don't see them anymore.

Here's the situation:  *Something* keeps digging in the crushed gravel at the front of the tank and moving my coral frags around!  It seems to happen at night, mostly.  I don't know how many times I've replanted my Shavingbrush Algae!  My coral frags keep getting moved, too.  When I had them on the LR, they would be knocked over or pushed off, which I thought was the snail.  So I left some in the front of the tank, but they are still being moved around.  I don't think a Kenya Tree attached to a shell can move itself across the tank, and my Green Star Polyps, which are attached to a fairly large piece of rock, also end up all over the place.  Then there's the large area that is dug out in the front left corner.

I haven't seen any hitchhikers, although I know they can be difficult to see.  I'd rearranged my LR and took most of the stuff out, and didn't see anything attached to it that shouldn't be, nor any "unknow" large critters.

Any ideas?  Could the Damsel be doing this to entertain herself?

[nissannx]

that would be your huge mexican turbo lol

[Zzippper]

I would say it's the damsel. I have a kupang damsel that moves substrate with his tail daily. He also knocks down/moves corals all the time.

Z

[Severum]

Its certainly the damsel. My GF has one in her tank and has the exact same situation.

[nissannx]

wel im sticking to the turbo. mine knocks over my frags so there lol

[Vizerdrix]

I'm pretty sure it's the Damsel now too, thanks to the replies.  I now the snail can inadvertently knock things off when going over the rocks, which is a real pain.  It was the substrate situation I was mostly wondering about.

Wish there was something I could do about this, I don't want to get rid of the fish, I like her too much!  Beautiful colours and a personality, to boot!   I'm mostly worried that my poor Shavingbrush Algae keeps getting dug up...

[jeffd]

I had an emerald crab that constantly dumped my frags off the rocks..drove me crazy. Now he's the boss of the remote sandbed tank. I still have this happen due to the snails cleaning the rocks but not as often